Varian
Varian
Solo | Historical | Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
By Michael London
1 M | Age 35
90-100 mins without an intermission
VARIAN is a new solo play about the journey of Varian Fry, an American writer and editor, who traveled to Vichy France during World War II.
He helped rescue Anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees, including artists Marc Chagall and Max Ernst, writer André Breton, and philosopher Hannah Arendt.
A determined, clever and, at times, a very naive man, Varian used his energy to save thousands of lives. When traveling to a world that was not his own, he managed to employ a variety of legal and illegal efforts to rescue a collection of celebrated scientists, intellectuals, and artists, as well as everyday refugees from across Europe.
Varian is the second play in The Resilience Series.
Setting
The setting is simple. It is 1943.
There is a comfortable chair for the patient in this doctor’s office and we see a coffee table with a teapot and cup, and maybe an end table with a lamp. It is all of the 1930’s.
Behind the Story
ARTISTIC COMMISSION
This new play is the result of a special commission by the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center that was funded by an Innovation Grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, with the support and assistance of the Human Race Theatre Company.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I extend a special thank you to Dr. James Fry for his assistance and kindness as I developed this play.
Media
Jared Mola
Photo credit: Adam Alonzo
Jared Mola
Photo credit: Adam Alonzo
Testimonials
“Anschel is an incredibly powerful play that provides accessible and engaging Holocaust education for audiences as young as 6th grade. At the JCC of Greater Columbus we welcomed over 230 attendees, of which 60 were students. There are very few Holocaust education programs that have such broad appeal to audiences of different ages. The story itself is inspiring and the performance captivated everyone in our theater for the entire time. I would highly recommend bringing Anschel to your community.”
— Ronnie Conn (Jewish Community Center, Columbus, OH)
“What an amazing and rewarding experience to participate in Anschel, last night in Springfield. 90 minutes of attention, concentration and emotion. It was very personal and the setting felt very right. The young actor was electrifying – and this must be hard duty as the story is as hard to watch as it is compelling. No looking away.”
— Audience Member (Springfield, OH)
“Touching, moving, and beautifully told story.” — Audience Member (Columbus, OH)
“It was a very moving and spiritual experience!”
— Audience Member (Dayton, OH)
Performance History
| DATES | TYPE | VENUE | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2026 | Staged Reading | Jubilee D-Lab Theatre Wright State University | Dayton, OH |
| Feb 2, 2026 | Staged Reading | Loft Theatre Human Race Theatre Company | Dayton, OH |
| Jan 25, 2026 | Staged Reading | Jewish Community Center | Centerville, OH |
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Michael M London
Playwright | Educator | Speaker
- His plays have been produced in the USA, UK and Canada
- Artist-in-Residence with many Ohio arts and educational organizations
- Playwright-in-Residence with the Benjamin Franklin House (London, UK)
- Master’s Degree from Royal Holloway, University of London (UK)
Other Scripts
Solo | Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
1 M (age 30s)
ANSCHEL is the true story of a teenage Holocaust survivor.
Historical | Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
2 F (late 30s)
Sisters Ida & Louise used Opera as a cover to help refugees escape Hitler’s Germany.
Connect
I also maintain the Ohio Playwright’s Circle program, a resource that focuses on service and education to Ohio playwrights.
To contact me about the Ohio Playwright’s Circle, email me at ohioplaywrightscircle@gmail.com
Or visit the blog site at ohioplaywrightscircle.wordpress.com
Those English Girls
Those English Girls
Historical | Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
By Michael London
2 F | Ages 37 & 39
90 mins without an intermission
Sisters Ida & Louise used Opera as a cover to help refugees escape Hitler’s Germany.
On a night in 1941, during the Blitz, in a Bermondsey area bomb-shelter in London, two sisters share their story of saving the lives of 29 refugees that were trying to escape Hitler’s Germany before the outbreak of World War II. Escaping their average work-a-day lives in Opera became their passion. But when their friends needed help, Opera became their cover to help an escape from evil.
THOSE ENGLISH GIRLS is the third play in The Resilience Series.
Setting
LONDON | 1941
The setting is one night in 1941 in a bomb shelter in London during the Blitz. We see what looks like a personal campsite in the middle of an empty warehouse.
STAGING NOTES:
- There is a folding cot with a colorful patchwork quilt thrown on it and a couple of old wooden side chairs with a small table at the bedside.
- A spindly coat/hat rack sits to the side, with a trunk or two, and some boxes etc., which are piled about.
- Another folding cot is sitting on the floor folded up beside the open cot.
- A bag with another quilt inside sets nearby.
Behind the Story
ARTISTIC COMMISSION
This new play is the result of a special commission by the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center that was funded by a generous Grant from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, through Culture Works, and with the support and assistance of the Human Race Theatre Company.
WHY THIS STORY?
Those whose courage saved lives is often overlooked and forgotten. Ida and Louise Cook bravely stepped forward to use a love of Opera to create a cover for their efforts to rescue friends from the devastation of the Holocaust. We can learn from their story.
This play is the third in The Resilience Series, which shares stories of survival, rescue and resilience; stories that are always important to know.
Media
Actor Name | Jewish Community Center | Oct 2025
Photo credit: Photographer Name
Show preview | Jewish Community Center | Oct. 2025
Video credit: Videographer name
Testimonials
“Anschel is an incredibly powerful play that provides accessible and engaging Holocaust education for audiences as young as 6th grade. At the JCC of Greater Columbus we welcomed over 230 attendees, of which 60 were students. There are very few Holocaust education programs that have such broad appeal to audiences of different ages. The story itself is inspiring and the performance captivated everyone in our theater for the entire time. I would highly recommend bringing Anschel to your community.”
— Ronnie Conn (Jewish Community Center, Columbus, OH)
“What an amazing and rewarding experience to participate in Anschel, last night in Springfield. 90 minutes of attention, concentration and emotion. It was very personal and the setting felt very right. The young actor was electrifying – and this must be hard duty as the story is as hard to watch as it is compelling. No looking away.”
— Audience Member (Springfield, OH)
“Touching, moving, and beautifully told story.” — Audience Member (Columbus, OH)
“It was a very moving and spiritual experience!”
— Audience Member (Dayton, OH)
Performance History
| DATES | TYPE | VENUE | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2026 | Staged Reading | The Human Race Theatre Company | Dayton, OH |
| Jun 25, 2026 | Staged Reading | The Wright Library | Oakwood, OH |
| Jul 1, 2026 | Staged Reading | The Jewish Community Center | Centerville, OH |
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Michael M London
Playwright | Educator | Speaker
- His plays have been produced in the USA, UK and Canada
- Artist-in-Residence with many Ohio arts and educational organizations
- Playwright-in-Residence with the Benjamin Franklin House (London, UK)
- Master’s Degree from Royal Holloway, University of London (UK)
Other Scripts
Solo | Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
1 M (age 21)
ANSCHEL is the true story of a teenage Holocaust survivor.
Historical | Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
1 M (age 35)
An American writer traveled to France during WWII to rescue Anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees.
Connect
I also maintain the Ohio Playwright’s Circle program, a resource that focuses on service and education to Ohio playwrights.
To contact me about the Ohio Playwright’s Circle, email me at ohioplaywrightscircle@gmail.com
Or visit the blog site at ohioplaywrightscircle.wordpress.com
Anschel
Anschel
Solo | Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
By Michael London
1 M | Age 21
90 mins without an intermission
ANSCHEL is the true story of a survivor.
An 11 year-old boy when German Soldiers overran Poland in 1939, Anschel was a Polish Jew who was clever beyond his years. Time after time, year after year, when captured by Nazi Soldiers and armed SS guards, he repeatedly escaped. At the end of the war, he was a teenager and the only one in his family to survive the Holocaust.
This is his story.
ANSCHEL is the first play in The Resilience Series.
Setting
GERMANY | 1949
The stage is empty, save a small round pub table to the left with a cup/glass for a drink and a wooden crate for a seat. This represents a small makeshift pub in postwar Hannover, Germany in 1949.
STAGING NOTES:
- An empty stage except for a single table and a box seat.
- A soundscape and lighting design characterize the story’s tension.
Behind the Story
THE ADAPTATION
ANSCHEL is an adaptation of the Holocaust memoir Anschel’s Story by Renate Frydman., PhD.
WHY THIS STORY?
Anschel’s story is a story from many ages. Although it is a story from the Holocaust, it is a story of a young person’s reality caught in a war not of their making. This is a story of yesterday and today and a story of resilience that we are all capable of.
This play is the first in The Resilience Series, which shares stories of survival, rescue and resilience; stories that are always important to know.
ARTISTIC COMMISSION
This new play is the result of a special commission by the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center that was funded by a grant from the Leon Norman and Mildred Miriam Nizny Memorial Fund and the Eleanor and John Kautz Fund of the Dayton Foundation, with the support and assistance of the Human Race Theatre Company.
Media
Dawson Hudson
Photo credit: Kyle Long
Anschel Trailer | Oct. 2025
Video credit: Kyle Long
Dawson Hudson
Photo credit: Kyle Long
Testimonials
“Anschel is an incredibly powerful play that provides accessible and engaging Holocaust education for audiences as young as 6th grade. At the JCC of Greater Columbus we welcomed over 230 attendees, of which 60 were students. There are very few Holocaust education programs that have such broad appeal to audiences of different ages. The story itself is inspiring and the performance captivated everyone in our theater for the entire time. I would highly recommend bringing Anschel to your community.”
— Ronnie Conn (Jewish Community Center, Columbus, OH)
“What an amazing and rewarding experience to participate in Anschel, last night in Springfield. 90 minutes of attention, concentration and emotion. It was very personal and the setting felt very right. The young actor was electrifying – and this must be hard duty as the story is as hard to watch as it is compelling. No looking away.”
— Audience Member (Springfield, OH)
“Touching, moving, and beautifully told story.” — Audience Member (Columbus, OH)
“It was a very moving and spiritual experience!”
— Audience Member (Dayton, OH)
Performance History
| DATES | TYPE | VENUE | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2026 | Production | Mandel JCC | Cleveland, OH |
| Apr 29, 2026 | Production | Temple Emanu-El | West Field, NJ |
| Mar 23-24, 2026 | Production | Wittenberg University | Springfield, OH |
| Mar 15, 2026 | Production | Dayton Art Institute | Dayton, OH |
| Oct 21, 2025 | Production | Jewish Community Center | Columbus, OH |
| Nov 12, 2024 | Staged Reading | Black Box Theatre Sinclair Community College | Dayton, OH |
| Nov 4, 2024 | Staged Reading | Bassani Theatre | Dayton, OH |
| Oct 21, 2024 | Staged Reading | Loft Theatre Human Race Theatre Company | Dayton, OH |
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Michael M London
Playwright | Educator | Speaker
- His plays have been produced in the USA, UK and Canada
- Artist-in-Residence with many Ohio arts and educational organizations
- Playwright-in-Residence with the Benjamin Franklin House (London, UK)
- Master’s Degree from Royal Holloway, University of London (UK)
Other Scripts
Historical Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
1 M (age 30s)
An American writer traveled to France during WWII to rescue Anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees.
Historical Bio-Drama
Part of The Resilience Series
2 F (late 30s)
Sisters Ida & Louise used Opera as a cover to help refugees escape Hitler’s Germany.
Connect
I also maintain the Ohio Playwright’s Circle program, a resource that focuses on service and education to Ohio playwrights.
To contact me about the Ohio Playwright’s Circle, email me at ohioplaywrightscircle@gmail.com
Or visit the blog site at ohioplaywrightscircle.wordpress.com
