Georgia Ensemble Theatre to Host Holocaust Education Event

Georgia Ensemble Theatre (GET), the professional North Fulton theatre company hosts a special night of theatre and education on the Holocaust to take place on March 1st, 2020, at the company's home in the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. The centerpiece of the evening is the performance of And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, a powerful multi-media performance that GET has produced annually for 23 consecutive years. The company tours this production to Georgia schools every year and does at least one public performance. Mary Saville of GET takes the helm as director of this year's production.

About The Event:

This educational event welcomes families to experience the stories of the Holocaust through personal perspectives and is recommended for ages 10 and up. Doors open at 5:30pm and the performance is at 7pm.

Beginning at 5:30pm in the GET lobby, patrons can visit exhibits and talk with educators examining specific aspects of the Holocaust. At 5:45pm, a talk by an educator from the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust will take place in the theatre. These pre-show activities are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Doors will open at 5:30pm. The lobby displays and activities will remain open all evening.

The theatre space will be cleared at 6:15pm, after the featured guest speaker is finished, and reopen at 6:45pm, for seating for the play, And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank by James Still. Tickets are required for the performance ($10 at get.org), and seats are reserved.

GET's Education Director Laurel Crowe noted, "And Then They Came for Me is one of the most important projects we work on every season. To create a piece that not only illuminates the stories of these survivors but also reminds us that it is still relevant, there is no greater thing. Our personal relationship to this play and these stories run deep. We are now performing it for schools whose educators saw it as young people themselves. We are incredibly excited and grateful to have these prestigious organizations joining us for our first community conversation/education night. The outpouring of support for this evening is humbling and I look forward to sharing their gifts and work with our patrons."

About the Play:

Two childhood friends of Anne Frank--Eva Geiringer Schloss and Helmuth "Ed" Silverberg--recount their stories on video as professional actors portray them on stage. Part oral history and part dramatic interpretation, And Then They Came for Me tells the story of a huge, worldwide event through the lens of two children's up-close, personal experiences. This play is part of GET's FamilyStage Series which is graciously sponsored by Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

At the end of the play there will be a panel Q&A with the actors, director, and expert educators.

Director Mary Saville had this to say about the production, "Storytelling is a powerful way of transmitting our history as humans. It's our responsibility to teach upcoming generations about what happened in the Holocaust, to make sure it's never forgotten and never repeated-and because we are theatre-makers, we teach through story. Every year we meet students who are learning about the Holocaust for the first time when they see our play. At this special evening, we'll also be able to share terrific resources from five local educational organizations and museums so families can learn together and see historical events through the eyes of people who were there. For me, it's an honor to be part of the tradition of sharing this incredibly important story with new generations."

Joining Saville on the play's creative team is: assistant director and fight choreographer Christopher Holton, set designer Stephanie Polhemus, costumer Alicia Kot, props master Cody Russell, with sound and projections by Preston Goodson. Technical direction is done Karl Dickey. The cast features Patricia de la Garza, Allen Dillon, Ryan Duda, Adam Hobbs, Kayla McCaffrey, & Maddie Steele.

Participating Educational Groups (to date):
Georgia Commission on the Holocaust
Eternal Life-Hemschech
Museum of History and Holocaust Education at Kennesaw State University
The Daffodil Project (Am Yisrael Chai Atlanta)

The Bremen Museum

Tickets:

Tickets for the performance are $10 for all ages, everyone must have a ticket. Tickets are on sale now at www.get.org, or by calling the Box Office at 770-641-1260.

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