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
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.
Jeff Messer, the host of The Jeff
Messer Show on the Asheville The Revolution
880 AM radio station,
interviewed Susan Stein prior to the North Carolina premier of Etty at the NC Stage Company. You can listen to the
full interview at the podcast.
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 May 22 17:30. | Institute of Education’s Centre for Holocaust Education at the University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, UK - map | Performances of Etty followed by post-performance discussion. Open to the public. Free. Reservations required. Sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. |
| 2013 May 22 15:00 to 15:00 | Trinity College, Neil Hoey Theatre in the Long Hub Room, Dublin, IE - map |
Performances of Etty followed by post-performance discussion. Open to the public. Free. Reservations required. Sponsored by the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland. |
| 2013 Jun 04 10:00. | Settlebeck School, Long Lane, Sedbergh, Cumbria, LA10 5AL, UK - map | Performances of Etty followed by post-performance discussion. Open to the Settlebeck School community. Sponsored by Settlebeck School. |
| 2013 Jun 11 18:30. | University of Roehampton, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5PJ, UK - map | Performances of Etty followed by post-performance discussion as part of Humanities Research Day. Open to the University of Roehampton community. |
| 2013 Nov (date to be announced) | State University of New York (SUNY) Canton, 34 Cornell Drive, Canton, NY, US - map |
Performance of Etty with post-performance discussion. Open to the public. Free. Sponsored by the Office of Diversity Affairs at SUNY Canton. |