The Great Escapism: The Theatrical Entertainers of Stalag Luft III

The Great Escapism: The Theatrical Entertainers of Stalag Luft III With David McCormack POW and Internment Camps    • POW and Internment Camps in WWII   1939-1945 playlist    • 1939-1945   There is a long history of theatrical performances in prisoner of war camps as both captors and captives alike have recognised the benefits of encouraging artistic and creative expression. For POWs, the organisation, performance, and patronage of camp theatre served to reduce apathy, stimulate creativity, and produce a powerful sense of solidarity, community, and identity. For the camp authorities, the granting of artistic and performance privileges was regarded as a means towards diverting the prisoner’s mental energy away from escape activities. The opportunity to either perform on stage or to take part in the production of plays and reviews behind the barbed wire produced not only a sense of purpose, but for some POWs including Peter Butterworth, John Casson, Rupert Davies, Roy Dotrice, and Cy Grant, camp theatricals also provided the foundations for their successful future careers on the stage and screen. At Stalag Luft III, the purpose-built theatre in the North Compound also had a purpose beyond pure entertainment in that it provided useful cover for escape activities, most notably for ‘The Great Escape’ and the construction of a fourth tunnel that was to be reserved for emergency use. Buy the book: USA https://www.amazon.com/Great-Escapism... UK https://www.barnthornpublishing.co.uk... David McCormack had a long career in health and social care as a trained nurse and social worker before enrolling as a mature student at the University of Salford in 2006. In 2009 he graduated with first class honours in Contemporary Military and International History. In 2010, David graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Management, following which he continued to work as a volunteer at the Museum of the Manchester Regiment in Tameside. Since then, he has worked as a private tutor and as a battlefield guide and tour manager with a number of operators. Social Media links -   / ww2tv     / ww2tv     / ww2tv   WW2TV Merchandise https://ww2tv.creator-spring.com/ WW2TV Bookshop - where you can purchase copies of books featured in my YouTube shows. Any book listed here comes with the personal recommendation of Paul Woodadge, the host of WW2TV. For full disclosure, if you do buy a book through a link from this page WW2TV will earn a commission. UK - https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV USA - https://bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV Patreon Brigadiers: Timothy Manion, Andrew Harris, Tonet Rivera, Susan Yu, David Keahey, Tom Mullen and Jim Walsh Become a WW2TV Brigadier and become part of this Hall of Fame   / ww2tv