Wheels squeak as rows of barbed wire are rolled on stage. The lights dim, and a bright spotlight appears on a wooden Star of David platform that covers the middle of the stage. 

Lily Moon ‘24 steps forward. Playing lead character Raja Englanderova, she begins to tell her tale, the story that this year’s fall play, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” follows. 

Highlighting Jewish children and families in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, during the Holocaust, the play featured real characters and stories, and projected real pictures and poems from these characters in the background. The actors and actresses also took turns listing names of real Jews who died during the Holocaust, as well as their death dates and locations.

Opening night took place 7 p.m. Sept. 28, followed by two more nights of the play Sept. 29 and 30. Tickets sold for $5 for students and $7 for adults.

“I want to accurately represent these stories and honor every individual that’s mentioned in this show. I’m insanely grateful for this role because I worked so hard for it, but more importantly, I am beyond honored that I get to tell these stories,” Moon said. “Take note of the meanings you see in this play. The main message that I take from [the play] is that there is always hope in the darkness. Do not take your life for granted. Find happiness in the hard moments. Life is beautiful, even if you have to search for the beauty. There are so many interpretations [of the play], and take yours to heart. This story is one that needs to be heard, and I hope the audience really [learned] from our telling and grow from what they see.”

Gallery • 15 Photos

media by Claire Bauer

Stella Catalano '24, playing Irena Synkova, checks for a tattooed number on the wrist of Lily Moon '24, playing Raja Englanderova, during the final dress rehearsal of the fall play "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" Sept. 26. Dress rehearsal took place Sept. 22, 25 and 26, with a break Sept. 27 and opening night Sept. 28. "I play Raja Englanderova, who starts out as 12 years old, and by the end of the show she is about 15," Moon said. "Throughout the course of the show, there are flashes to when she is older, and these scenes are her memories. She represents all the children of Terezin who were sent to this camp, thinking it was a safe haven for the Jewish, but instead, ultimately, everyone [in the show] died, except for Raja."

The next production will be the winter show, “Murder on the Orient Express. The show will take place in mid-November.