"Etty," a One-Woman Play About the Holocaust, Nov. 1
On Tuesday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m., “Etty,” a one-woman play based on the diaries and letters of Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch Jewish woman who died in Auschwitz in 1943, will be performed at ¶¶Ňô»ĆƬapp’s Quick Center for the Arts Wien Experimental Theatre.
Adapted and performed by Susan Stein, the play employs the writings of Etty Hillesum to promote social justice, to challenge prejudice by examining the consequences of genocide and to enable participants to explore their own personal stories alongside Etty’s, as they consider their role in the struggle for human rights.
Using only Etty Hillesum’s words, Stein’s adaptation brings us to 1941 when Esther “Etty” Hillesum is living in Amsterdam. Upon the recommendation of her therapist, Julius Spier, she began a diary on March 8, 1941 to help her with her depression. The diaries take on their own literary life, presenting both Etty’s growth as a writer and spiritual transformation. Etty’s words, insights and beliefs reach out from the Holocaust and allow us to see the power of hope and individual thought in the most extreme circumstance.
The play is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested. The event is sponsored by ¶¶Ňô»ĆƬapp’s Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies. For reservations, e-mail bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or call 203-254-4000 ext. 2066.
