Special Performance of Diana Rissetto's WARMTH Raises Over $25,000 for the Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center

WARMTH, a new American play written by Diana Rissetto (Pigeons, Knishes and Rockettes, Margot Frank: The Diary of the Other Young Girl) and directed by Annette Curran, was presented at the Goodwin Holocaust Education Center on May 21st as part of their 4th annual fundraiser.

The special one night only performance raised over $25,000.

The play was praised for its unique approach of telling a story with Holocaust themes with great sensitivity, humor and "warmth."

WARMTH was one of three finalists in 2013's New Jersey Playwright's Contest and went on to a publicly-acclaimed, sold-out and extended run at the Grange Playhouse in Howell, New Jersey last summer.

Sweet, innocent, well-meaning Gemma (Marylee Sumeriski) has a happy and wholesome life as a Catholic kindergarten schoolteacher, a hilarious sidekick in her cousin and roommate Luke (Brendan Keffner), plenty of Jewish moms trying to set her up with their sons, and a heart of gold...even though it gets her into trouble sometimes. When she finds herself volunteering with a foundation which helps (and makes scarves for) rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust, Gemma wants to do more than good deeds from overseas and arranges for Magdelone (Maria DeAngelo), an 88-year-old Polish woman, to stay with her for two weeks. As Gemma grows close to Magdelone and her long-lost Jewish-American grandson, Victor (Matthew Gochman), she becomes obsessed with the atrocities of the past and struggles with an odd form of Christian guilt, intent on healing all the world's problems. WARMTH also stars director Annette Curran.

For more information on the Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center, visit www.JewishSouthJersey.org.