Spotlight On: Playwright Erik Kahn
ATG is thrilled to present the world premiere of Erik Kahn's provocative new play, Canned Goods, beginning May 9th. This historical drama focuses on the little-known incident which Hitler hoped would delay the United Kingdom's entrance into World War II -- a harrowing account of a false attack intended to justify Germany’s invasion of Poland. At its heart, it is a psychological exploration between prisoners with hours left to live and the SS Major who engages and spars with them.
In 1939, SS troops staged a Polish attack – code-named Grandmother Died -- on a German radio station. The SS broadcasted scripted descriptions of the attack on air. They also drugged and shot the prisoners, transported them to the radio station and dressed them in Polish army uniforms. The SS referred to these prisoners as ‘Canned Goods.’
An intellectual property attorney, artist and playwright, Erik Kahn first became aware of ‘Grandmother Died’ when he read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.” He immediately realized the obscure incident would lend itself to a dramatic presentation.
Several aspects of the incident intrigued him. How would someone react, knowing death is imminent? Would prisoners facing death be free to express their inner thoughts and project themselves as they truly are? He also wished to explore the relationship between the SS Major and the prisoners. He wanted to portray the Nazi characters as three-dimensional, rather than as “stock villains.”
Kahn began writing the drama about four years ago, and after input from theater industry advisors, the play was streamlined, and historical details fine-tuned. ATG Producing Artistic Director Jim Vagias received the script from a Board member and also from a producer who had read the play. In March, 2022, ATG presented a well-received staged reading of the play and decided to include it in the current season. Respected NY-based Director Charlotte Cohn was soon hired to direct. While Kahn stresses that some of the exact details of the historical event are uncertain, there is evidence of the basic story of the staged attack. The play is also supported by transcripts from interviews that preceded the Nuremberg Trial. While the dialogue is imagined, the quotes attributed to Hitler are accurate.
Religion factors prominently in Canned Goods. Kahn thought it interesting to have Jewish characters knowledgeable about Christian theology. The play explores how religion fits into a world so unprincipled, a world that does not reflect what religion advocates. “I did not want to portray a distorted view of Christianity that unfortunately exists.”
Kahn said he hopes audiences find the drama interesting, moving and engaging, and that it makes them question what is happening in the world today, in terms of leadership, politics and war. He wishes to raise awareness of the pragmatism and hypocrisy of many leaders. “We have experienced the brutal ‘science-fiction’ goals of Hitler of mass extermination, enslavement and the death of truth. Obviously, the rise of totalitarian regimes and the abandonment of the truth have become normalized,” he notes.
Following ATG’s World Premiere production, another theater company will bring the play to London for a six-week run, and eventually to New York. Jim Vagias notes, “Canned Goods is a fascinating, compelling new work that deserves to be seen and discussed and ATG is proud to have played such an integral part in its development.”
Canned Goods run May 9-11th at Hamilton Stage in Rahway and May 16-19th at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge. Tickets available here: https://www.americantheatergroup.org/tickets.
More information about Erik Kahn can be found at: www.erikkahnplays.com and www.erikkahn.com