Notre Dame students forgo fall comedy for Holocaust drama

Forget the annual fall comedy at Notre Dame Regional High School this year. When the house lights go down tonight, students will be tackling a genre much deeper and darker.

"And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank" tells the story of two Holocaust survivors: Frank's boyfriend, Ed Silverberg, and Frank's friend and neighbor, Eva Schloss. Students say they have been haunted by scenes.

"When I first read through it, I admit, I cried. It is really powerful," said sophomore Clay Goodman, who plays Ed's father and Eva's brother.

The multimedia show uses videotaped interviews with present-day Silverberg and Schloss, displayed on a large screen on stage. The interviews are used for background; in some cases, the two set the scene and then the actors perform a flashback.

"This is something no one is expecting. Our plays have always been very light, very comedic. And we have never done multimedia," said junior Amanda Bruns, assistant director.

For Mariah Thompson, studying for her character, Schloss, opened her eyes to the real-life implications of atrocities committed during the war.

"In history class, you learn, well, this happened or these are the dates. You don't get a feeling about what they felt as people. These were normal people," she said.

"When you think of Anne Frank, you think of a historical figure, but she was just a normal teenager like us who went shopping and to the movies."

Thompson met the real Schloss this summer at an international thespian festival in Nebraska. One of the schools attending performed the play, and afterward Schloss held a book signing. Thompson said Schloss told the crowd that no matter how many productions she has seen, each is beneficial because it teaches others to not let history repeat itself.

When Thompson discovered Notre Dame would be performing the play, she said she was thrilled but slightly uneasy. Putting herself in Schloss' shoes has been particularly challenging for her, she said.

"This is probably the toughest role I'm going to have to play. None of us can come close to comparing our lives to what they went through," she said.

Taylor Palmer, a freshman, said she was "just very overwhelmed" by the magnitude and intensity of the play. She, too, said it has changed her perspective. "Most of the time all you hear about is Anne Frank and you don't really hear about everyone else. Anne Frank wasn't the only little girl who went through this."

Some students were initially disappointed by the play selection, said teacher and director Cindy King. Seniors expected something more traditional, and others didn't want to share the stage with a video. But as rehearsals progressed, they grew to appreciate the power of the script.

"There's just something that happened to them. ... I know the Holocaust is over, but it isn't. It's still going on in the world. Those injustices are still happening. If this can open a few eyes, even if it's just for that moment, then we will have accomplished something," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

388-3627

Want to go?

• What: Notre Dame's production of "And Then They Came for Me"
• When: 8 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday
• Where: Cafetorium