Seemingly half of the school is suddenly juggling.
OK, half may be hyperbole.
But Chana Laya Gilden observes more of her classmates than usual at Torah Academy of Milwaukee are honing skills commonly spotted under the big top as they prepare to put on their annual play.
“One teacher said, ‘I feel like I’m walking into a circus every single time I come in to teach, because people are just juggling,’” she said. “So that’s really fun.”
The Glendale-based Jewish high school for girls puts on an annual show, oftentimes adapting a musical or material from another source. This year’s show, “The Escape Act,” started with TAM students’ enthusiasm for a circus theme and quickly took on greater significance.
The play tells the story of a family of Jewish circus performers in Nazi Germany and their efforts to ensure survival. That brings them to a circus operated by a non-Jewish family, the Althoffs, who help them hide in plain sight from the Nazis.
The plot is based on real events: German circus executive Adolf Althoff and his wife Maria are recognized by the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial as “righteous among the nations” for their work sheltering Jews from the Nazis. According to a New York Times obituary for Althoff, who died in 1998, he is quoted in Herbert Straeten’s book “Other Germans Under Hitler” as having said, “Circus people don’t ask if you are Christian, Jewish or heathen.”
Gilden, who plays Maria in “The Escape Act” and is one of the show’s student directors, said the concept was inspired by students’ interest in the movie “The Greatest Showman.” They had a desire to use some of its songs in their 2026 play, she said.
That gave way to producing a show Gilden characterizes as an “emotional rollercoaster.”
“There’s antisemitism, and there’s the Nazis coming and they’re trying to kill you, and everyone’s super terrified and afraid,” she said. “But at the same time, you’re in a circus, and there’s hope and joy and happiness.”
“The Escape Act” was created with the help of community volunteers, including producer and director Lisa Hiller. She echoed Gilden’s takeaway that the play shares a message of hope.
Each year, Hiller said, those involved with the production endeavor to incorporate some Jewish content. It can vary, ranging from adapting a Jewish story to weaving in Jewish material.
“We don’t always do Holocaust stories, but this seemed like a good year to do one, in light of everything,” Hiller said.
Gilden also pointed to current events making “The Escape Act” – a show for women and girls ages 4-plus – a timely production. She noted the prominence of antisemitism around the world, as seen, for example, in the shooting in December 2025 during a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
“And yet,” Gilden said, “we still live with happiness and hope. It’s such a Jewish thing to live with hope. And I think that’s such a message that is going to resonate with a lot of people in the audience.”
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“The Escape Act”
A show for women and girls ages 4-plus
Time: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Date: Feb. 22, 2026
Location: Brown Deer High School theater, 8060 N. 60th St., Brown Deer, Wisconsin 53223
Cost: Adult tickets: $18 in advance, $22 day of performance. Student tickets: $15 in advance, $18 day of performance. $72 patron tickets.
To purchase tickets or for more information, contact TAMoffice@torahacademymil.org or call 414-352-6789.
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