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by Gail Louw (Author)
Blonde Poison is based on the true story of a Jewish woman during World War II who betrayed up to 3,000 fellow Jews. Gail Louw's powerful play examines the motivation of evil. Stella Goldschlag was living illegally in war-torn Berlin when she herself was betrayed and tortured. When offered the chance of saving herself and her parents from the death camps, she agreed to be a 'Greifer' for the Gestapo and inform on Jews in hiding. She was extraordinarily successful in this and her activities increased after her parents had finally been deported.
The vast dimensions of Stella's character range from tortured victim to cruel killer, from loving daughter to betrayer of friends, from gentle lover to depraved promiscuity. She was given the name 'Blonde Poison' by the Gestapo who revelled in her treachery. Decades after the war Stella agrees to be interviewed by a well-respected journalist - her last chance for redemption. Can she ever be released from her past? Winner of an Argus Angel Award for artistic excellence (Brighton Festival 2012). Winner of the San Francisco Best Fringe Award 2016.Author Biography
Gail Louw is now a full-time playwright and adoring grandmother. Having spent much of her previous life as an academic she now has the luxury of concentrating on writing exhaustively researched plays. Gail is Jewish, but thinks "she may not a terribly good one"! However, her life has been shaped by the death of both her mother's parents in a concentration camp and the rich culture of her upbringing. This has inspired many of Gail's professional productions including Killing Faith, Two Sisters and more recently Joe ho ho.
