Etty is a touring one-woman
theatrical play based on the diaries and letters of Etty Hillesum,
adapted and performed by Susan Stein. Directed by Austin Pendleton.
Using only Etty Hillesum's words, Susan Stein's adaptation brings us to
1943 when Etty, a young Jewish woman, is about to be deported out of
Holland. As she prepares for the three day journey eastward, she digs
deeper into her soul to understand this
piece of history
and root out any hatred or bitterness, believing
that humanity is the best and only solution for survival. 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
circumstances. In her gentle yet forthright way, Etty asks us not to
leave her at Auschwitz but to let her have a bit of say
in what
she hopes will be a new world.
Esther "Etty" Hillesum was a young Dutch Jewish student living in Amsterdam during WWII. Upon the recommendation of her therapist, Julius Spier, she began a diary on 8 March 1941 to help her with her depression. Hoping to become a writer, the diaries take on their own literary life, presenting both Etty's growth as a writer and spiritual transformation. Etty's diaries and letters from 1941 - 1943 describe life in Nazi-occupied Holland and Westerbork Transit Camp where she was interned. Etty Hillesum was 29 years old when she was murdered at Auschwitz/Birkenau.
News About Etty
The American Jewish World has an article about Susan and the on-going tour of Etty in Minnesota.
Awarded an artist-in-residency grant from Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, teaching artist, Susan Stein, will begin the ettyplay prison project in two Minnesota prisons - MCF-Stillwater and MCF-Shakopee. Inmates from each of these prisons will participate in a reading group where they will read Etty Hillesum's diaries and letters and write in response to her writings.
Frank
Stasio, the host of The State of Things on North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC, interviewed Susan
about Etty Hillesum and her play Etty on Thursday, March 14th, 2013. Susan
also performed excerpts from her play. You can listen on The State of
Things "The Hidden
Diaries of a Young Jewish Woman" web page or stream the podcast
directly.
Book Etty
You can book Etty at your venue. We perform Etty and lead discussions at primary schools, higher education institutions, community organizations, religious organizations, festivals, and nonprofit theaters.
Please contact us if you are interested in learning more.
Upcoming Events
| Date | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Dec 08 02:00 PM | JSB TEKBOX, The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, US - map |
Performance of Etty as part of the Rimon Artist Salon. This project was made possible in part with the support of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, an initiative of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. |
| 2013 Dec 09 01:00 PM | Ramsey County Correctional Facility, 297 South Century Avenue, Maplewood MN, US - map |
Performance of Etty followed by post-performance discussion. Open to the Ramsey County Correctional Facility community.This project was made possible in part with the support of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, an initiative of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. |
|
2013 Dec 12 07:00 PM
2013 Dec 13 07:00 PM |
Frey Theater, St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolp Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, US - map |
Performance of Etty with post-performance discussion. Sponsored by Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality and St. Catherine University. This project was made possible in part with the support of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, an initiative of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. Online registration. $10. Free for students with ID. |
| 2013 Dec 17 01:30 PM | Ramsey County Correctional Facility, 297 South Century Avenue, Maplewood MN, US - map |
Performance of Etty followed by post-performance discussion. Open to the Ramsey County Correctional Facility community.This project was made possible in part with the support of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, an initiative of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. |
| 2014 Jan 14 20:00 | The Etty Hillesum Research Centre (EHOC) 2014 Congress, Ghent University, Ghent, BE. map |
Performance of Etty at the EHOC 2014 Congress. Open to attendees of the 2014 Congress. |
| 2014 Jan 20 to 2014 Jan 22 | Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Addiewell, 9 Station Road, Addiewell, West Lothian, EH55 8QF, Scotland, UK - map |
Performance of Etty with post performance discussion. Artist in residency includes a three day writing workshop with inmates culminating in a public reading of original work. Sponsored by HMP Addiewell. |
| 2014 Jan 24 | Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School, Queens Road, Brentwood, CM14 4EX, UK - map |
One day residency. Performance of Etty with post performance discussion. Open to the Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School community. |
| 2014 Jan 25 18:00. | Brentwood County High School, The Main Hall, Shenfield Common, Seven Arches Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 4JF, UK - map |
Performances of Etty with post-performance discussion as part of Holocaust Memorial Day. Please send an email to register. |
| 2014 Jan 27 10:00 | The North Wall Arts Centre, South Parade, Oxford, 0X2 7JN, UK - map |
Performances of Etty with post-performance discussion. Sponsored by The North Wall Arts Centre. |
| 2014 Jan 27 15:30 and 19:30. | Dugdale Centre, 39 London Road, Enfield Town, Enfield, EN2 6DS, UK - map |
Performances of Etty with post-performance discussion as part of Holocaust Memorial Day. By invitation only. Sponsored by Enfield Council. |
| 2014 Jan 28 18:00 | Persephone Books, 59 Lamb's Conduit Street, London, WC1N 3NB, UK - map |
Performances of Etty with post-performance discussion in the bookshop that publishes Etty's diaries. Open to the public. Sponsored by Persephone Books. |
| 2014 Jan 30 13:00 and 18:00 | Morlan Centre, Queen's Road, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 2HH, UK - map |
Afternoon student performance and evening adult performance of Etty followed by post-performance discussions. Open to the public. Sponsored by Morlan Centre for faith and culture. |
| 2014 Feb 04 19:00 | Muswell Hill Library,Queens Avenue, London, London Borough of Haringey N10 3PE, UK - map |
Performance of Etty followed by post performance discussion. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Muswell Hill Library. |
| 2014 Feb 08 19:00 | Friends Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA, UK - map |
Performance of Etty with post performance discussion. Sponsored by the Jesus Lane Friends - Cambridge Quakers. Tickets £10, students and seniors £5. |
| 2014 Apr 29 07:30 PM | Parker Theatre at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz, 1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY, US - map. Venue provide map. |
Performance of Etty followed by post-performance discussion. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by SUNY at New Paltz. |
|
2014 Jun 05 07:30 PM
2014 Jun 06 07:30 PM 2014 Jun 07 07:30 PM 2014 Jun 08 04:00 PM |
Deep Dish Theater, 201 South Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, US - map |
Performance of Etty followed by post-performance discussion. |