‘And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank’

BY JUSTIN SILLNER

Writer

Cabrini College Theatre will present the unique dramatic play, “And Then They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank” written by James Still, from Nov. 10-20. This multimedia play mixes videotaped interviews with Holocaust survivors Ed Silverberg and Eva Geiringer-Schloss with live actors reenacting scenes from their lives during World War II.

“I hope the audience is able to see our performance as not just another Holocaust story, but a story about the strength of a family and the hope that keeps them going. The message is too important to take away from the show,” Cathy Matta, junior mathematics major said.

Silverberg was Anne Frank’s first boyfriend, which she wrote about in the beginning of her now world-famous diary. Geiringer-Schloss was the same age as Anne and lived in the same apartment building in Amsterdam. Both the Geiringer and Frank families went into hiding on the same day. The Nazis arrested Eva’s family on her 15th birthday and they, like so many other families, were sent to concentration camps. Only Eva and her mother survived and her mother married Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank.

“It’s a perfect depiction of how Jewish families dealt with the Holocaust,” Alex Saboe, junior communication major, said. “Even though it is rather sad, the audience will have more of a realization of what the people who survived went through.”

The play has won an American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE) Distinguished Play Award in 2000.

“It’s a tough play to perform because it’s not fiction,” Kait Finegan, junior English major, said. “I think after the play, the audience will have more of an appreciation for those who survived the Holocaust after all the horrors they went through.”

The cast is composed of Cabrini stu- dents under the direction of Dr. Thomas Stretton with Michael Krencicki as the production’s stage manager. The set designer, Joe Urbanik and technical director, Bob Iodice, are all responsible in producing the show.

Stretton has been directing a variety of productions for 48 years. From academic and community theaters to original productions at the Walnut Street Theater, Stretton brought his directing abilities to Cabrini 10 years ago. Directing shows like, “The Laramie Project,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Godspell,” this is Stretton’s sixth season with the school.

“This is a play about the indomitability of the human nature,” Stretton said. “It’s a play that offers the opportunity for the audience to understand, be educated and be inspired.”

“Something should be said about a play that is different. It’s one of a kind.”

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WMMR’s Preston and Steve bring together an evening of comedy with Michael Ian Black. Black continues on with his “Black is White” tour, featuring Doogie Horner.

The Trocardero Theatre (1003 Arch St., Philadelphia), $20, 18+, 8 p.m.

FITZ & THE TANTRUMS

This newcommer on the music sense has gone from basement to center stage. XPN welcomes Fitz & The Tantrums to Philadelphia in a big way.

Theatre of Living Arts (334 South St, Philadelphia), $32, 7 p.m.