Detroit Public Theatre has opened its new season with the play “Here There Are Blueberries.” The play tells the true story surrounding an album of photographs donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007. The album was filled with pictures of Nazi officers at a concentration camp, going through the everyday activities of their lives in a way that had rarely been previously seen. The play follows the museum curators as they examine the history and impact of the photos. Detroit Public Theatre is the first theater to produce the play outside of the Tectonic Theater Project in New York where it was created. 

“Here There Are Blueberries” was developed in a collaborative process by the Tectonic Theater Project. The theater company worked closely with the curators at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum who were investigating the photo album. The play is based largely on actual interviews with children and grandchildren of the Nazi officers photographed in the album.

The director of Detroit Public Theatre’s production, Amy Marie Seidel, was involved in those interviews that took place in Germany and Poland. She came to Detroit to direct this production in what Detroit Public Theatre producing artistic director Sarah Winkler describes as a deep partnership with Tectonic. The Zekelman Holocaust Center is also partnering on the production and provided the actors with resources and background about the work of museum archivists as well as set pieces for the play. 

“Here There Are Blueberries” was conceived by Moisés Kaufman (“The Laramie Project”), written by Kaufman and Amanda Gronich, and produced by Matt Joslyn. It runs at the Detroit Public Theatre through Nov. 2. There are post-show discussions following some performances featuring speakers from The Zekelman Holocaust Center as well as members of the production.