On the night of November 9, 1938, hundreds of synagogues, Jewish homes, and thousands of Jewish owned businesses were destroyed across Germany and Austria. In addition to this attack on property, individuals were beaten and assaulted in their homes and nearly 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. This violent pogrom became known as Kristallnacht — the Night of Broken Glass.

Beyond Broken Glass is a performance exploring the human experience of Kristallnacht beyond the destruction of property.  Universal experiences of childhood, school, community, home, family, citizenship, race, religion and relocation are shared through eye witness testimony within the framework of Kristallnacht.

Composer John Currey and choreographer Suzanne Ryanstrati’s research in collaboration with the MCHE informed the movement of dancers Nora Burkitt-Davis, Katarina Fitzpatrick, Maggie Nicholls, Kerry Miller, Andrea Wolfe, and three from Encore! at The J. Suzanne Ryanstrati is a professional choreographer.  Her research-based dances explore culture and the global human condition to bring awareness of human rights.