Under the Wire

A Play in Two Acts by Jason Douglas

Under the Wire is a powerful historical drama inspired by the forgotten story of Holocaust survivors imprisoned in British detention camps in Cyprus after World War II.

In 1947, thousands of Jewish refugees attempting to reach Palestine are intercepted by the British and held behind barbed wire on the island of Cyprus. Among them are Miriam Chen, a sharp-witted survivor of the Shanghai ghetto, and David Levi, a haunted survivor of Dachau. In a place meant to break hope, the two form an unexpected bond.

As life inside the camp unfolds—with secret theatre performances, quiet acts of resistance, and the constant presence of barbed wire—David and Miriam join a daring plan to escape. With the help of fellow detainees and unlikely allies, they risk everything by digging a tunnel beneath the wire.

But freedom does not end their struggle.

Arriving in the emerging state of Israel, the survivors must confront new moral choices as they try to build lives from the ruins of the past. Old wounds, new conflicts, and difficult questions about justice, forgiveness, and belonging follow them into the future.

Spanning Cyprus, Haifa, and the Galilee between 1947 and 1950, Under the Wire is a deeply human story about survival, love, and the challenge of building a home after unimaginable loss.

Ideal For:

• Professional theatres

• Community theatre companies

• University and drama school productions

• Historical and educational theatre programmes

• Holocaust remembrance and cultural events

• Drama festivals and touring productions

Cast:

• Miriam Chen – survivor of the Shanghai ghetto and the emotional centre of the story

• David Levi – Dachau survivor determined to build a new life

• Esther Yotnor – fearless young survivor who organises resistance in the camp

• Officer Hastings – British officer struggling with duty and conscience

• Major Pemberton – rigid British commander enforcing camp policy

• Hannah Levi – David’s sister, believed dead but later found alive

• Mehmet – Turkish Cypriot worker who quietly helps detainees

• Nechama Foreman – compassionate nurse delivering babies in the camp

• Sa’adia – Iraqi Jewish refugee whose quiet courage changes lives

• Esti – Sa’adia’s wife building a fragile new life

• The Captain – Palestinian fisherman helping refugees reach Palestine

• Teenage Boy / Orphan Boy – young survivor searching for a future

• Ensemble – guards, detainees, refugees, kibbutz members, and children

Set Requirements:

Minimalist staging designed for flexible theatre spaces. The production uses a multi-zone stage layout with lantern lighting to shift locations between camps, tunnels, beaches, and kibbutz scenes. A central frame ladder structure represents multiple locations such as a boat ladder and a water tower.

Props:

• LED lanterns (15–20 for scene transitions)

• Barbed wire sections

• Wire cutters

• A frame ladder / rope ladder structure

• Letters and envelopes

• Rag doll

• Baby basket and baby doll

• Tomato plant (progressively growing prop)

• Bread bundle / food parcel

• Red Cross parcel box with food items

• Notebook and pencil

• Chalk and small chalkboard

• Medical bag and bandages

• British military cap and sidearm

• Keffiyeh scarves

• Cloth bundles / personal belongings

• Small crate boxes used as seats, desks, or beds

• Hot water bottles or incubator box

• Simple cooking items / cups

• Wire rattle prop