Austin Pendleton Directs Susan Stein’s Etty At Museum of Jewish Heritage 2/2
By: Gabrielle Sierra Jan. 06, 2011
On Wednesday, February 2 at 7 p.m., the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present Etty, a moving play adapted from the letters and diaries of Etty Hillesum and performed by Susan Stein. Acclaimed director Austin Pendleton will direct the one-hour play, which the Philadelphia Inquirer calls "by turns thrilling and enthralling." Pendleton will join Stein, Professor Gerd Korman, and Holocaust survivors Jaap and Ina Polak for a post-performance discussion.
Tickets are $15, $12 students and seniors, and $10 for members. Tickets are available online at www.mjhnyc.org or by calling the Museum box office at 646.437.4202.
Etty, a bright young Jewish woman in Amsterdam, documented her insights while facing Nazi brutality in 1943. The play explores her dire ethical dilemmas and struggle to maintain her faith in humanity on the eve of deportation to Auschwitz. Praised for its unflinching honesty, complexity, and focus on human rights, Etty was nominated by Amnesty International for their Freedom of Expression Award.
"Etty's struggles are contemporary, mirroring many of our own at a time when it remains easier for many to ignore news of human rights violations," says Susan Stein. "Moving beyond its historical context, Etty ultimately addresses issues of human nature and its complexity with regards to issues of human rights and genocide. She asks us to consider our own responsibility today, in a world where the promise of 'never again' has not yet been realized."
Etty has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Anne Frank Center, USA, the Etty Hillesum Center, in the Netherlands, and in other theaters and educational centers around the world. For more information on the play, visit www.ettyplay.org.
Etty Hillesum was born in 1914 in Middelburg, Netherlands. She moved to Amsterdam in 1932 to study law. On July 15, 1942, she got a job at the department of cultural affairs of the Jewish Council in Amsterdam. She worked there for two weeks. She was then, by her own request, transferred to Camp Westerbork. As a member of the Jewish Council she had a special travel visa, which made it possible for her to return to Amsterdam on several occasions. It was there that she became ill in the winter of 1942-43. When she had recovered, she refused the offers of her friends to go into hiding. She chose to stay and returned to Westerbork to share the fate of her fellow Jews. On September 7, 1943, the Hillesum family was transported to Poland. On November 30, 1943, Etty Hillesum was murdered in Auschwitz.
She left behind beautifully written, wry, and insightful letters and diaries with the request that they be published. In 1981 the first volume of her work was released around the world in several languages. Her words have become a monument of spiritual resistance against persecution and hatred. The diaries and letters now reside at the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam.
Susan Stein appeared in Arthur Miller's American Clock, directed by Austin Pendleton at HB Playwrights Foundation. Other roles include Louise in Lanford Wilson's The Great Nebulae of Orion, W1 in Beckett's Play, and Wanda in Christopher Durang's Wanda's Visit. Susan studied acting at NYU Graduate School and SUNY Purchase.
Austin Pendleton has an extensive career that spans over 40 years. He is an American film, television and stage actor, a playwright, and a theater director and teacher. He was seen as Friar Lawrence at The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet in 2007; he played the Army Chaplain in their 2006 production of Mother Courage. He is an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the author of Orson's Shadow, Uncle Bob, and Booth.
Gerd Korman is a professor emeritus of American History at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. His books include the prize-winning Industrialization, Immigrants, and Americanizers and several works that established him as an early student of the Holocaust, including the anthology Hunter and Hunted. Born in Hamburg, Professor Korman took part in the Kindertransport to England when he was 10 years old. He and his younger brother were later reunited with their parents.
Jaap and Ina Polak are the subjects of the award winning documentary film Steal A Pencil for Me, which follows their unique love story at the Westerbork concentration camp.
About the Museum of Jewish Heritage
The Museum's three-floor Core Exhibition educates people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century-before, during, and after the Holocaust. Special exhibitions include Project Mah Jongg, on view through February 27, 2011; Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh, on view through August 7, 2011; and The Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service, on view through September 5, 2011. It is also home to the award-winning Keeping History Center, an interactive visitor experience, and Andy Goldsworthy's memorial Garden of Stones. The Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule in its Edmond J. Safra Hall and receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
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