ETTY

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Mercy High School, San Francisco, will host “ETTY”, a one women play based on the diaries and letters of Etty Hillesum, adapted and performed by Susan Stein and directed by the acclaimed actor, director and playwright Austin Pendleton. ETTY is a portrayal of one woman’s struggle to sustain humanity in the face of Nazis’ unspeakable brutality. The performance will be open to the public on Sunday, March 8, 2015 at Mercy High School, 3250 Nineteenth Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132. The event will be free of charge and the first fifty reservations will receive the book, Etty Hillesum: An Interrupted Life the Diaries, 1941-1943 and Letters from Westerbork (one per family)
Using only Etty Hillesum's words, Susan Stein's adaptation brings us to 1941 when Esther "Etty" Hillesum, a young Dutch Jewish woman, is living in Amsterdam. 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. As deportations begin, 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 a say” in what she hopes will be a new world.
Susan Stein appeared in Arthur Miller's American Clock, directed by Austin Pendleton. She was seen at Luna Stage in A Parent's Evening. Susan studied acting at NYU Graduate School of Arts & Science and Purchase College, SUNY. She served for thirteen years on the faculty of Princeton Day School in Princeton, NJ teaching Dramatic Literature, playwriting and the history and literature of the Holocaust.
“Susan Stein's Etty is a powerful, moving, and thought-provoking performance. The words of Etty Hillesum that come alive in this play engage so many facets of life under Nazi rule, both profound and mundane. Susan Stein vividly captures Etty's distinctive responses to the ethical, religious, social, and personal challenges faced by so many Jews and non-Jews during the Holocaust. The emotions Etty inspires range from deep sorrow to soaring hope, but perhaps the primary audience response is empathy. This play is a fine addition to the programmatic offerings of high schools and universities as well as cultural and religious organizations.”
Rabbi David Freidenreich, Pulver Family Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, Colby College