A new play written by UMass theater professor Milan Dragicevich, “Refugee,” examines a forgotten chapter in the history of World War II migration and displacement: the El Shatt camp in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where over 25,000 evacuated Yugoslavs were housed in white tents under the blistering desert sun, from 1943 to 1946.
Based on the experience of Dragicevich’s mother, the play follows two Serbian sisters across five decades, when their grandchildren have become scattered across two continents: one caught up in the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War, the other in southern Appalachia.
The play is directed by Serbian director Nikita Milivojević, and features music by the Valley’s Oscar- and Grammy-nominated ethnomusicologist Tim Eriksen. Remaining performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Saturday at 2 p.m. in UMass’ Curtain Theater. 545-2511