Written by the award-winning novelist and playwright John McKenna, and with music and lyrics by Leonard Cohen, the play tells the story of Lotte Borowski, who spent her early teenage years in the concentration camp where her family died. Forty-five years later she returns to the camp for the first time and relives the events of her childhood.

Performed in a 600-year-old castle in Athy, which will be transformed into a Nazi stronghold for the occasion, complete with swastika flags and banners, the play begins the moment theatre-goers arrive at the castle, where they will be met by Nazi troops, segregated by sex, stamped and marched to their seats.

Writer John McKenna has a long-time affiliation with Leonard Cohen and was given permission to change the lyrics for the purpose of the play. "The songs are a real part of the story, " says the play's producer, Charlie Hughes of the Water to Wine theatre company.

"John picked the songs first, then wrote the show around them. [Cohen's] connection with John and the fact that he trusts him was a huge bonus for us and to get permission to use songs was fantastic."

The play sounds controversial and possibly even insensitive, but Hughes says they're not trying to be deliberately provocative and that they had the full input and approval of Belsen survivor and author of Final Witness Zoltan Zinn-Collins.

"I'm not going for a cheap theatrical trick here, " says Hughes. "Zoltan spoke to the cast and everyone feels we're doing the right thing. We must question, we must remember. Our intention is not to offend anyone, we're not making a political statement, we're just setting a mood.

"We've been in touch with different communities and the Evening Herald's Polish supplement to try to get the word out that this is not to offend. It's a way of commemorating this horrific thing that happened. For an hour-and-a-half we wanted to take away that wonderful control that we have over our lives."

The Water to Wine theatre company will be touring Ireland with 'Who By Fire' from 13 February to 17 March