You know the saying you learn something new every day? That’s how playwright Michelle Kholos Brooks (she/her) feels a lot of the time. Then, she makes a play out of those feelings like with her latest project, H*tler’s Tasters, which returns to the Rogue Machine Theatre in LA tomorrow. If you just did a double take reading that title, don’t worry, so did I when I first saw it. “The dark comedy is about the young, German women who were conscripted to be Adolf Hitler’s food tasters,” she says. “Based on true events in history with shades of contemporary life, the play explores the way that girls navigate sexuality, patriotism, and poison against the backdrop of war. It also discusses the dark places that disinformation and misinformation can lead us, and about the dangers of complacency. So, it utilizes anachronisms like cell phones and contemporary music to make the story feel pertinent for the modern world. It’s a reminder that even the privileged are not safe in a dictatorship. Once the tyrant gets rid of all the “others,” he always turns on his own. But I swear it’s funny, too.”

You’re probably wondering if all of her productions are… complex? Confrontational? Evocative? And the answer to all those is, “Of course!” After all, it’s often controversial topics that make us go, “What… what?” That’s the question Michelle uses as a creative compass in all her endeavors. “That moment tells me that there’s a question in me screaming to be investigated,” she says. “Like, when I heard that Hitler used young German women to taste his food for poison. Or when I heard that the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooter shot into a Holocaust history class while the students were doing reports on hate crimes. Or when I heard that the mother of one of the American hostages was allowed to visit her son during the Iran hostage crisis. I lean toward stories about ordinary people shoved into extraordinary, geopolitical events. I love researching these subjects and figuring out why these stories hit me in such a personal way. Who knows, maybe it’s a form of therapy. Whatever works, right?” Right!

Ok wait, let’s back that up a bit. She has what production going on later this year? “Room 1214 is one of the hardest projects I’ve tackled,” she says. “It’s about the intersectionality of gun violence, hate crimes, and memory. It’s unfathomable to me that we live in a society where children get shot in their classrooms. Aren’t we doomed to extinction if we can’t protect our future generations? I’ve always wanted to find a way to write about it, but what can one say when the real world is so absurd it’s beyond comprehension or parody? I finally found my opportunity when I met this extraordinary woman named Ivy Schamis, a teacher whose classroom was shot at in Parkland, Florida. She was teaching a Holocaust history class when a disturbed, 19-year-old boy shot into her classroom and killed two of her students. When I asked her if I could interview her, she said she wished I would because it’s rare that anyone talks about the experience of the teachers in these situations. I loved hearing Ivy’s perspective—her insight, her passion for education, her love for her students, and her incredible ability to retain her sense of humor. I believe, very strongly, that humor is a critical gateway emotion that can open us up to other emotions.”

As for how Flordians will feel about it, she plans to bring Room 1214 to the Florida Repertory Theatre to workshop the play for a few days and see how it lands with them: “With any play, I believe my job is to entertain and keep people glued to their seats. But my greater hope is that Room 1214 will be a call to action. Perhaps it will encourage people to write postcards, agitate for stricter gun safety laws, or even just be more aware when they vote. I obviously have my feelings about guns, but no matter where you land on this issue, I do believe that none of us want children being shot in their classrooms.” You can say that again. Then, say it louder for the people in the back.

As you can see, Michelle hears a historical snippet or someone’s POV and doesn’t question whether or not she should tell the world about it, especially if the world needs to hear it. Which is why it seems like her work is never-ending. Speaking of: “I’m excited to share a recent development, War Words, which is scheduled to be presented at the Library of Congress this fall,” she says. “The docu-play is based on interviews I did with people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Long War. I was the last person you would expect to explore military life, but I was entrusted with extraordinary stories while doing this project—not just the usual tragedies of war, but also the touching, funny, and strange experiences that come from being in circumstances that are fundamentally different from anything you’ve ever known.”

Yes, that! Right there. Creating plays about circumstances that are fundamentally different from anything people have ever known is what makes Michelle’s storytelling extremely crucial in today’s society. That said, I know the topics she shares are super sensitive to read about, let alone learn about. But, they’re important to be aware of, specifically ones that have altered history like they have again and again and again. I thought about this article a lot when talking to Michelle that says, “Stories have always played a pivotal role in transmitting culture, values, and traditions from one generation to the next. Whether through oral traditions, folklore, myths, or religious texts, stories have been used to convey the beliefs, customs, and moral codes of societies throughout history.” And I think that’s all she’s trying to do in the only way she knows how—just with a sprinkle of dark humor.

G2G learn some more 📚,
Chloe Trout, associate managing editor