About the Play:

The Poor Relation (English-language version of Der arme Vetter) is a full-length play by Ernst Barlach, translated by Naomi Jackson Groves.

As described in the Paul Cassirer Exhibition Catalogue:

"Out of a chaos of triviality and mass stupidity the action of the drama develops with wonderful and gripping consistency. Amidst the crazy goings-on, scene after scene emerges, the action takes place with concentrated brevity. Longing for life and despair about life encounter the everyday crowd enjoying a free Sunday. The bit of red blood that flows is just the thing to increase the enjoyment of the inane onlookers: "Is the world not a beautiful place? Why should it be better — are we not all the happiest of souls?" asks the veterinarian surgeon disguised as the goddess Venus."

"The woman born with complete purity, the man who struggles through to purity out of the downcasting defeats of life — they are unable to bridge the way of life that separates them, and both fall victim to it amidst the jeers of the mob."

" Ernst Barlach's play is more than an unusually deep drama of the soul. It is the ecstatic Mystery of a new salvation."

Naomi Jackson Groves brings her wit and love of language to this translation of The Poor Relation, which includes reproductions of the illustrations Ernst Barlach made to accompany his dramatic work. With five Barlach museums in Germany, frequent presentation of his plays, Ernst Barlach continues to thrive.

Cast: 4 woman, 10 men, plus extras

About the Playwright:

Ernst Barlach (1870-1938) was a master of both visual and verbal creations. Better known at first for his sculpture in ceramics and in wood, Ernst Barlach also wrote eight plays. All have become increasingly appreciated and performed, first in German-speaking countries, later in translation with many interpretations.

Naomi Jackson Groves (1910-2001) was an accomplished writer and translator, publishing a number of works that focused on the life and career of her uncle Canadian artist A.Y. Jackson. Widely respected for her scholarship and philanthropy, Groves was awarded the Order of Canada in 1993. Some of her paintings can he found in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the McMaster Museum of Art.