Hitler's Tasters at Matrix Theatre

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2. Hitler's Tasters

A dark comedy based on the largely unknown story of young German women conscripted to taste Adolf Hitler’s food for poison, this fictional account explores the way girls navigate sexuality, friendship, and patriotism during the Third Reich. Using an anachronistic retelling of a historical footnote, Hitler’s Tasters considers what girls discuss as they wait to see if they will survive another meal. Inspired by a 2014 interview with 94-year-old Margot Wölk who, for the first time, revealed her harrowing past as one of Adolf Hitler's food tasters. Margot, a German secretary at the time, was among fifteen young women selected for this "honor" at Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair.

"A gripping and darkly comedic allegory that explores how fascism can easily seduce a complacent and distracted population into rejecting democracy. Fevered — and often funny” - Stage Raw

“I thought I had heard every crazy, twisted story possible about Adolf Hitler, until a 94 years old woman named Margot Wölk told her extraordinary tale of being conscripted to be one of his food tasters. Times change, people don’t. One day, as I was thinking about this story, I watched a group of young women take photos of themselves in pursuit of the perfect selfie, and I realized that those women…those girls, really, were likely the same age that the Tasters would have been. Their dreams and desires would be the same. I determined that I wanted the girls of Hitler’s Tasters to feel very present and very alive. I did not want them to be sepia-toned people in history. That is why Hitler’s Tasters is woven with anachronisms and contemporary references. Hitler very specifically chose young, German women, the future of the Reich, to test his food for poison. The idea of young women stuck in a room together waiting to see if they were going to live or die after every meal - could there be a riper situation for drama and (dark) comedy? Isn’t adolescence hard enough?” -  Michelle Kholos Brooks (playwright).

"This peppery, piquant satire is daring, entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny, and boldly thought-provoking. In between the brazen dark comedy and nonstop laughter from the audience, this Rogue Machine play reflects on the incalculable damage inflicted on women and girls by war. Engaging, thoughtful, fearless performances throughout … well-tuned direction. Many moments of absolute, unfiltered hilarity. Likewise, there is some profound drama" – Discover Hollywood