Hitler's Daughter

The play begins early morning somewhere in the Australian countryside. Four children wait for the school bus and they decide to play a game; a simple game of story-telling. As they shelter in the bus stop from a raging storm Anna creates an intriguing story and simultaneously on stage we begin to hear the bombing of Berlin and we see Heidi crawl from a bunker. With a large birthmark across her face, we discover that Heidi is the disfigured daughter of Hitler. Caught in the turmoil of war, she is hidden away by her father, one of the most dreaded men in history.

Back at the bus shelter Mark becomes so engrossed in Anna’s story; he begins to wonder how it would feel to be the child of someone as evil as Hitler. As the play evolves, Mark’s search for truth in a world of half-truths becomes clearer and the story culminates in the bombing of Berlin, the fall of the Third Reich and the end of Heidi’s innocence.

Hitler’s Daughter poses powerful questions and examines moral issues in relation to society’s fears and prejudices.

When Monkey Baa first presented Hitler’s Daughter in 2006, the notion of a factual and historical event being told through the 'story' of a fictional character was exciting in that it allowed audiences to immerse themselves in history as it came to life onstage. The audience is left with the lingering question, as Mark is: Did Hitler really have a daughter? Was she real?

Today, in an age of fake news and fact manipulation, extreme ideologies and rising nationalism, there has never been a more important and relevant time to present this work. Hitler’s Daughter demands its young audiences to question the reality of truth, and notions of personal responsibility and prejudice.

ABOUT MONKEY BAA

Australia’s leading professional theatre company for young audiences, Monkey Baa Theatre Company is Australia’s widest-reaching touring company, having conducted over 26 national tours to 138 regional and remote communities across every state and territory of Australia, four international tours and over 2,800 performances, and engaged with over 1.3 million young people. Monkey Baa believes Australian stages should be filled with stories that represent all the extraordinary cultures living in this land, and that it’s important to create work that offers young people a truly multifaceted reflection of the world we all inhabit. Monkey Baa takes a “whole of childhood” approach, creating plays and arts education programs for ages 0-18, and providing professional development opportunities for teachers. The company strives to ensure that young people, wherever they are located and whatever their economic circumstances, have the opportunity to share in fantastic theatre experiences that reflect their own lives.

Awards

2018   Glug Award - Diary of A Wombat
2017   Sydney Theatre Awards – For 20 years of Service to the Children and Young People of Australia
2017   Drover Award – The Peasant Prince Tour of the Year 
2016   Sydney Theatre Awards – The Peasant Prince  
2016   Glug Award – The Peasant Prince 
2015   Drover Award – APACA Touring Legend 
2015   Glug Award – The Unknown Soldier 
2014   Glug Award – Pete the Sheep 
2011   Glug Award – Hitler’s Daughter 
2010  Helpmann Award – Thursday’s Child 
2010  Glug Award – FOX  
2007  Helpmann Award – Hitler’s Daughter  
2007  Drover Award Touring Excellence – Hitler’s Daughter 
2006 Drover Award – Audience Development