Characters

Main Characters:

GISA PEIPER—Born in 1910, GISA, a young Jewish woman,
moves from Berlin to Hamburg in 1929 at age 19 to participate
with that city’s chapter of the International Socialist Kombat
League (ISK), a labor and political organization founded by pacifist
Leonard Nelson. The young idealists who participate in the ISK
seek to build a more equitable society in this time of combustible
economic and political circumstances. GISA, an avid learner with
deep passions for art, poetry and justice, comes from modest
circumstances. Her parents, MENDEL and BRONIA, operate a
bakery and store in Berlin, but are not happy with their daughter’s
freethinking path and youthful political exuberance. GISA ranges
from 19-28 in the play.

ADRIANA KUEHN—Seen throughout the entire play,
ADRIANA is the same person as GISA, above. She is 28 years old
and using false papers as she sits in the Munich train station for
two hours awaiting a transfer to Paris. All of her dialogue is her
inner thinking. Other than two words, she never speaks in realtime.
Although only 28, she has aged greatly in nine years.

PAUL KONOPKA—A labor and resistance activist and member
of the ISK, PAUL grew up in Hamburg. He is 23 in 1929 when he
meets GISA Peiper and they become companions. PAUL comes
from a working class Catholic family living in harsh circumstances.
A craftsman who works with his hands, he has clear and direct
political instincts and a penchant for argument.

HILDE HOCH—A member of the ISK in Hamburg, she grew up
as close friends with PAUL and becomes a confidante of GISA. She
is 22 in 1929.

FRANZ HABERMAN—A printer’s apprentice, FRANZ is a
Jewish man in Hamburg who works with the ISK as a labor activist
and resistance worker. He is approximately 24 in 1929.

WILLIE EICHLER—Leader, along with Minna Specht, of the
International Socialist Kombat League, a labor and political
organization founded by pacifist Leonard Nelson.

FRIEDA—GISA’s landlady in Hamburg, she is 30 years old and
a mother of one in 1929.

THE WOMAN in MUNICH STATION—Weaving throughout
the station while ADRIANA waits for a train on the day of
Austria’s capitulation to German rule, or Anschluss, she entertains
soldiers and keeps a present and watchful eye on ADRIANA.
SHE ultimately has a critical role in the play.

SOLDIER 1 at MUNICH STATION—A Nazi Reich soldier who
is thrilled with Anschluss.

SOLDIER 2 at MUNICH STATION—A few years older than
SOLDIER 1 but of similar ideas.

MENDEL PEIPER—A deeply religious Jewish man, MENDEL is
GISA’s father. He owns a small bakery in Berlin, living in the room
next door. After fleeing from Poland as a child, he is married to
BRONIA and has two other daughters: Ruth (younger than GISA)
and Hanna (older than GISA). After fighting in World War I for
Germany, he is embittered and cynical.

BRONIA PEIPER—GISA’s mother, she works alongside her
husband, MENDEL.
PROF. KALTENBACH—A professor at Hamburg University.

GESTAPO MAN—A person assigned to question prisoners.

OLD MAN GUARD—A longtime worker at the Fuhlsbüttel prison.

UNDERGROUND WORKER—A person who assists people
fleeing Germany.