“I will put my country before my career and my fellow human beings over my art. This time I say no,” Peter announces defiantly to his fellow actors in a pivotal moment in “The Ice Front,” making its world premiere at Plan-B Theatre Company.
Eric Samuelsen’s profound and powerful play is set at the height of World War II in Nazi-occupied Norway, where the acting company at the National Theatre is desperately trying to decide how to resolve an impending crisis of conscience. The Nazis understand the importance of keeping the theater operating for propaganda purposes, so the company has been staging safe classics; suddenly the actors are asked to perform a new play, “The Last Scream,” which Peter (Daniel Beecher) describes as “anti-Jewish excrement.