Susan brought Etty to our playwriting workshop last spring. I can still remember the way in which the room was immediately transformed the moment Susan stepped into Etty's shoes. A room of women diverse in age, background and interest became intimately involved in the life and struggles of a woman we never knew. We watched Etty as she saw a Nazi solider picking yellow flowers. We thought about our own beliefs as we heard Etty questioning her faith in God. It was more than a performance — it was a shared experience. We were invited into the private places of Etty's suitcase and Susan's writing process and because of this we asked deeper questions of ourselves, and of each other. In this room full of writers, ranging from 13 to 70 years old, I saw emerge in all of us the courage to share both our writing and our doubts, taking our cues from Etty.
Meghan McNamara, Program Director, Girls Write Now
It has been a long time since I have seen a play that provides such powerful and challenging insights into how a person can come to terms with our human capacity for good and evil. Using a set that consists of a suitcase and a chair, Ms. Stein eloquently evokes Etty's circumstances and moral dilemmas. While the play addresses one of the saddest chapters in history, it also affirms Etty's life and enduring importance and portrays her as a three-dimensional character with a sense of humor and perspective.
I understand there are more than one version of the play, depending on the age of the audience and the time available for the performance. In our case Ms. Stein held the audience - both students in grades 9-12 and teachers alike - spellbound for almost an hour
If you are ever looking for a play that will engage and challenge its audience and stimulate good discussion afterwards, I would enthusiastically recommend Etty.
Rist Bonnefond, Headmaster, Kents Hills School
Susan Stein is a playwright and performer of exceptional talent. Speaking in the voice of Etty Hillesum, she mesmerizes the audience with a monologue of enormous depth of thought, of love and hate, fear and hope, despair and resilience, wit and humor.
Ulla Reidel, German Professor Emeritus, Colby College
It wasn't like watching a play, it wasn't like watching a movie. It was like sitting inside her memories, watching them unfold from behind her own eyes. It is truly one of the most moving, poignant, and evocative performances I have ever seen.
Justin, Junior High School Student, Kents Hills School
I have seen Etty four times now … each time I meet a different Etty — not a new version of the old Etty, but a different side to a woman I feel I have known all my life. This performance does more than bring Etty's inspirational words to life: it challenges the audience with a renewal of Etty's strength, passion, and pure love in a world that has betrayed her.
Lindsay, Student, Columbia University
Etty’s story by itself, and enhanced by the actress who portrays her, is captivating. The nature of the play — a one woman, bare stage show, with no special effects, or other aids — forces the audience into a harsh reality, not over dramatized with elaborate descriptions or facts. The sheer simplicity of Etty’s words and Susan Stein’s gripping portrayal of her allows you to truly be drawn in and see the story of an incredibly brave and unique woman.
Selena, High School Student, Princeton Day School