Dr. Eric Conway writes:
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the opening-night performance of the superb production of Anne & Emmett written by Janet Langhart Cohen and directed by Reggie Phoenix.
This
is the imagined story of Anne Frank and Emmett Till meeting in a place
called “memory”. At first, one might think these two important
characters in our world history are rather disparate, but the
similarities of their lives and demises are abundant. Both characters
were killed as teenagers. Both were pre-judged while alive based on
their religion or race, rather than the content of their character.
Both posthumously became icons of both the Holocaust in Western Europe
and racial hatred in America, respectively. The play also suggests
that "we must never forget our past!” As long as these characters
remain in our memory, they will never be lost.
Everything
about this production I believe was excellent. This was newly-hired
Theatre faculty member Reggie Phoenix’s first Theatre Morgan straight
play, who gave excellent direction to the cast. The lighting and set
worked together to support the production, as principals came in and out
of the light brilliantly for the audience to focus on their dialogue.
Although not a musical, the peripheral music helped to support the
action on the stage. Each and every one of the actors totally embodied
their respective characters convincingly.
After
an enthusiastic ovation for the performers at the end of the show, a
post-performance dialogue was held onstage, where the audience and cast
were given an opportunity to reflect on what was just heard and share
their comments or ask questions regarding the performance to the four
principal actors on hand. Because the main characters were both Jewish
and Black, we had a very diverse audience. Throughout the play, one
could feel the Jewish members empathize with the character of Anne Frank
and Black audience members empathize with the character of Emmett Till.
Simultaneously, many Jewish member were learning more about the
abominations of Emmett Till and many Blacks were learning more about the
atrocities of the Holocaust era. The story of Anne Frank is more
widely-known since her father published her diaries which is often
required reading in high school curricula (I read it in tenth grade).
The story of Emmett Till was certainly in the forefront of this
nation’s consciousness during the civil rights era, however, as we have
gotten farther away from that horrid killing, Emmett’s death is not
remembered or taught in schools as it should.
I am strongly encouraging everyone to attend this play - Anne & Emmett. We
discovered during the post-performance discussion that many millennials
are only vaguely familiar with the story of Emmett Till, IF, they know
anything about him at all. Many millennials surprisingly, are taught
less and less about the Holocaust in schools, and certainly are not
always required to read Anne Frank’s diaries nowadays.
This
play must be seen by absolutely everyone, but especially if you are
Jewish or Black! We are all so comfortable with our lives, that we
often forget how we have gotten to this point. This play will remind
you of our respective heritages. I wish this could be a convocation for
all of the Morgan campus to see! The subject matter for me is
personal, because when I was in college, I backpacked through Europe
with a friend, Michael Epstein, and we visited the Anne Frank house in
Amsterdam - an experience that changed my life in many ways!
Performances
go through Saturday, May 4, 2019, (see flyer attached with the specific
times). The show is held in Turpin-Lamb Theatre in the Murphy Fine
Arts Center. Also see some photos of the performance with a copy of the
playbill. In fact, tonight, April 27 at 7:30, the playwright will be
on hand to lead in a post-performance discussion!
Please
try to make your way to this production if you are able. It is only
about ninety minutes in length, without intermission. Good theatre
makes one reflect. This is certainly good theatre!
EC
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