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Karen Bottjen Plaster - is honored to have this opportunity to direct “Brundibar”. She has taught music for over 20 years with the Craven County Schools and currently serves as lead music teacher. Karen received a Bachelors of Music Education degree from Westmar College and a Master of Music Education from East Carolina University. She was fortunate to study voice with Louise Toppin and choral conducting with Rhonda Flemming while she pursued her degree at ECU. She earned her National Board Certification in 2005.
Karen has been active in music and theatre since high school. She started performing in vocal and choral music and has appeared as a soloist throughout Eastern North Carolina with the New Bern Messiah Chorus, Beaufort Choral Society and other community choruses, recitals and churches. Some of her favorite theatre roles include Lily in “Carnival”, Mother in “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, Opal in “Everybody Loves Opal” and Agnes in “I Do!, I Do!” (in which she co-starred with her husband, Allen). Directing credits include “Godspell” at Centenary United Methodist Church and numerous school productions.
She wants to thank Ratio Theatre for this opportunity to continue her growth as an artist and as a person through this amazing show.

Karen Plaster - Director

Original Terezin Cast
In 1938, composer Hans Krasa and librettist Adolf Hoffmeister wrote Brundibar in the ghettos of Prague. The opera made its way to Terezin, where it was performed 55 times by the children of the concentration camp under the direction of Jewish music teachers. The Nazi command permitted concerts at Terezin in order to delude the outside world into thinking the Jews were being treated humanely. In 1944, the Nazis filmed a performance of Brundibar for their propaganda film, "The Fuehrer Presents the Jews with a City." Nearly all of the children who performed in the opera were deported to Auschwitz and died in the gas chambers. Hans Krasa met the same fate. This children's opera, a parable of good conquering evil, was performed 55 times by the children of the Nazi concentration camp Terezin. Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner collaborated on a new illustrated book based on the opera, published in 2003 as well as a reimagined full scale production using the original Krasa score.