Eleanor's Story:
An American Girl in Hitler's Germany
Written and Performed by Ingrid Garner
Sunday, October 19, 2025 · 5pm
Approx. Run Time: 60 minutes · No Intermission
Based on Eleanor Ramrath Garner’s acclaimed memoir, this 16-time award-winning adaptation—written and performed by her granddaughter, Ingrid Garner—details her childhood as an American caught in WWII Berlin.
During the Great Depression, when she is nine, Eleanor’s family moves from the U.S. to Germany in pursuit of work, but when war breaks out as they are crossing the Atlantic, any hope of returning home vanishes. Now enemy aliens trapped in the epicenter of a world war, her family faces bombings, Gestapo threats, the final battle for Berlin, and the perils of Russian occupation.
Eighty years later, Eleanor’s coming-of-age odyssey springs to life in a fascinating performance by her granddaughter, accompanied by cinematic sound and video and punctuated with humor, delivering a timely account of war.
Audience members are invited to stay for a Q&A with Ingrid Garner immediately following the performance.
Content Advisory: Due to discussion of suicide, sexual assault, and wartime violence, including wartime sounds (artillery, bombings, sirens, etc), this performance is recommended for audiences 13 and up.
This production is part of Amplify — an initiative to address the inequality in performing arts programming. This program provides a platform and outlet for performing artists of all kinds, while expanding the inclusivity and outreach of the Curtis Theatre to a diverse artistic community.