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 just completed tour of Etty in Minnesota.
Awarded an artist-in-residency grant from Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, teaching artist, Susan Stein, has just completed the ettyplay prison project in two Minnesota prisons - MCF-Stillwater and MCF-Shakopee. Inmates from each of these prisons participated in a reading group where they read Etty Hillesum's diaries and letters and wrote in response to her writings.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 2014 Jul 09 15:30 | Yad Vashem, Ha-Zikaron Street, Jerusalem, 91034, IL - map. |
Performance of Etty followed by post-performance discussion as part of Through Our Own Lens: Reflections on the Holocaust From Generation to Generation. |