A reading of a new musical inspired by the extraordinary true story of Otto Weidt and the visually impaired Jewish workers he fought to protect from Nazi persecution.
It’s Berlin, 1941, and Otto Weidt has just inherited his late father’s brush and broom workshop. A blind man living in a society obsessed with racial supremacy and physical perfection, Otto refuses to be dismissed as a burden. He assembles a team of blind and visually impaired Jews, saving them from deportation. But when Alice – the Jewish woman he falls in love with – is sent to Auschwitz, he has to risk his workshop, his pride, and his life to try and save her.
Otto Weidt’s Brush & Broom Workshop for the Blind is a new musical created in collaboration with blind and visually impaired artists. The piece features integrated audio description, weaving visual information into lyrics, dialogue, and soundscapes to elevate the experience of audience members with any level of sight.
This rehearsed reading is the first public sharing of the complete musical, offering audiences the opportunity to experience this powerful story and give feedback on its development.
Book & Lyrics by Caitlyn Burt
Music & Lyrics by Amir Shoenfeld
Directed by Alex Bulmer
Age guidance: 12+ (Contains themes of Nazi persecution, antisemitism, the Holocaust, deportation, ableism, and death)
