Chestnut Hill College to Host Performance of “ETTY” February 19, 2013

Chestnut Hill College will host a performance of the 2010 Philadelphia Fringe Festival selection, “Etty” on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 7 p.m. in the East Parlor. The event, which has been brought back to the College by popular demand, is sponsored by the Institute for Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Chestnut Hill College.

“Etty” is a touring one-woman theatrical play based on the diaries and letters of Etty Hillesum, adapted and performed by actor Susan Stein and directed by Austin Pendleton. Following the performance, there will be a panel discussion and time for audience response.

Using only Etty Hillesum's words, Susan Stein's adaptation transports us back to 1943 when Etty, a young Jewish woman, is about to be deported from 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 of 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.

The performance of “Etty” is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Catherine Nerney, SSJ, Ph.D. at 215.248.7099 or e-mail nerneyc@chc.edu. For more information about the Institute for Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Chestnut Hill College, please visit www.chc.edu/forgive.