Set in May 1940, The Banality of Evil follows three German Jewish women — political theorist Hannah Arendt, artist Charlotte Salomon, and Communist schoolgirl Eva Daube — who are arrested in France and transported to Camp Gurs, an internment camp run by the French state that had promised them refuge. As German forces advance, each woman faces a choice between remaining in the camp or risking escape into an uncertain and dangerous future. The play draws on archival research and testimony to reconstruct a largely forgotten chapter of wartime history, centering on a pivotal moment in Arendt's life that would later shape her thinking on power and human rights.

The production blends satire, physical theatre, and cabaret to stage the experiences of women caught between exile, imprisonment, and survival. The Banality of Evil is a world premiere written and directed by Julia Pascal, whose previous works include Blueprint Medea and Crossing Jerusalem.