I Never Saw Another Butterfly
By Celeste Raspanti.
Product Code: I33000
One-act Play
Drama
Cast size: 2m., 2w., extras.
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
Raspanti has extracted a beautiful and moving one-act play based on the poetry created in a concentration camp by the Jewish children of Prague. Over 15,000 Jewish children passed through Terezin, and only about a hundred were still alive when Terezin was liberated at the end of the war. One of the survivors, Raja, having lived through it all, teaching the children when there was nothing to teach with, helping to give them hope when there was little enough reason for hope, creating a little world of laughter, of flowers and butterflies behind the barbed wire, tells the true story of the children. It's her play and it's theirs. There were no butterflies at Terezin, of course, but for the children, butterflies became a symbol of defiance, making it possible for them to live on and play happily while waiting to be transported.
Notes
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
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Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show One-act Play
- Product Code I33000
- Minimum Cast Size 4
- Pages of Dialogue 26
- Min. Royalty Rate $55.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 40 min
- Staging Open stage with platform.
Categories
- Target Audience Middle School | High School
- Performing Group Middle School | High School
- Genre Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871293190
Customer Reviews
An easy to tour and profound show. We took it to local libraries for a month, and it complemented an Anne Frank Exhibit here quite nicely.
The cutting is good, appropriate and easy to follow. The audience enjoyed the production, and we received many comments about the text. Poetry taken directly from Terezin is very touching.
It was an incredible experience—very moving and touching. It worked excellently as a cross-curricular event.
I Never Saw Another Butterfly is an important story that we have found our community is eager to hear. Its messages of hope and survival are universal. Mounting this production has been life changing for all of us, teaching us valuable lessons from our history while irrevocably changing our world view.
General consensus: "Painfully effective, but spiritually uplifting and inspiring. The message comes through clear and poignantly."
This script provided my students with an opportunity to empathize with the characters. In doing so, we learned much more about the horrors of the Nazi ghettos and concentration camps. The serious events in the play helped the students mature as performers.
What a wonderful show! My students will never forget the lessons learned from this production. Definitely worth doing.
An outstanding presentation of a very difficult subject matter. Both uplifting and heart wrenching. Kudos to novice youth players for the vision of simplicity and depth.
The one-act I Never Saw Another Butterfly is an effective simplified version of the originalÑit works very well as an ensemble piece with minimal set requirements.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
Great text to tie in with English/history/other studies.
Our 8th-grade performers attended the Jewish Museum of Heritage to study their characters. We used the projections from the [original] book.
The script is self-sufficientÑno fancy sets or scenery are required to produce an excellent show.
The show can be done with no lighting changes by using ensemble shifts to indicate passage of time and with all sound effects created by a musical ensemble.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hazlett Theater Center for Performing Arts | Pittsburgh | PA | 02/28/2025 | 03/09/2025 |
| Harnett Central High School | Angier | NC | 04/18/2025 | 04/18/2025 |
| Beijing World Youth Academy | Chaoyang District | 04/18/2025 | 04/19/2025 | |
| Seminole HS | Seminole | TX | 03/04/2025 | 05/15/2025 |
| Cartersville High School | Cartersville | GA | 10/18/2025 | 10/19/2025 |
Downloads
| File Description | File Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Poster | Download |
Poster Suggestions
- Each poster includes a text box which allows you to customize it with your production information. Once a poster has been opened, position your mouse over the lower third portion until you see a label with instructions on entering your production information. Use the Text Select Tool to customize your poster.
- You can print the poster in its original format and hand write your information.
- Your local copy shop should be able to create prints from a file saved to disk. They might even be able to increase the size of the poster for you (although some loss of resolution will occur).
Gallery
I Never Saw Another Butterfly - North Coast Repertory Theatre, Solana Beach, CA
I Never Saw Another Butterfly - St. Stephens High School, Hickory, NC
Also By These Authors
Angela Robbins, Cumberland County High School, Crossville, Tenn.