Weaving together a narrative storyline with Irena’s poetry, the play describes seminal moments in her life and her role as the “accountant” of a vanished world. The vignettes describe her escape from the Warsaw Ghetto and survival in war-torn Poland. After immigrating to New York, she tells of her struggles with a new language and the pull of the world she left in Eastern Europe. Irena reveals intimacies as she explores her passions as a lesbian, the pleasures of a life-long relationship, and the death of a loved one. Ever present are the haunting memories of her father—a martyr of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.

The play travels between two worlds: the poet’s present reflections, and the past. The Old Poet sits at her desk with her beloved typewriter as she taps out her poems. Her study spills over with treasured books, old photos and manuscripts. She speaks directly to the audience, inviting us into her world.

On stage the ghosts of Irena’s story come to life. The actors portray the characters through movement, gesture, and choral vocalization of the poems, accompanied by musicians performing an original score. The staging also includes vivid video backdrops and graphics by technical director/ production designer Jeremy Knight to animate Irena’s worlds and words