Student Blog: Doing What You Know: Putting Yourself Into Your Work

Growing up, the two places that defined me and my identity were the theatre and my synagogue. I would be nowhere without either of these character-defining places and communities. As Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) approaches on April 14, I thought I would reflect on how my two loves have combined. Since now making my own work through the theatre, I have found myself using what I know to inform my work.

I know it sounds cliché, but the theatre people and the Jews I grew up with are very similar kinds of people. They are both loud and musical, always down for a snack, and are groups that conceive strong familial-like relationships. I have found my best friends at both of these places and truly do not think I would be the person I am today without them.

Throughout the past couple of years, my passion for directing has grown, and I have found myself in positions to tell stories about my people with my people. Last year, I had the opportunity to direct two stories about young girls during the Holocaust: a piece of history that I have always felt connected to and interested in. I directed The Diary of Anne Frank at my high school, and an original play called Never Forget through a friend’s Bat Mitzvah project.

Growing up in such a strong Jewish community, I was surprised that I didn’t read “The Diary of Anne Frank” until I set out to direct it myself. What began as a response to rising antisemitism became something much more personal. I immersed myself in Anne’s world - reading her diary, visiting exhibits, and speaking with Holocaust survivors - and found myself deeply connected to her. Despite the unimaginable circumstances she lived through, Anne felt familiar: outspoken, imaginative, and hopeful, with a deep belief in the goodness of people.

As I worked on the production, that connection only deepened. I found pieces of myself in Anne - her witty nature, her curiosity, even her frustrations - and it shifted how I approached both the story and the process of telling it. That experience became the foundation for how I approached my next project, Never Forget.

Following The Diary of Anne Frank, I had the opportunity to direct Never Forget, a 40-minute piece built from real Holocaust texts and testimonies. Originally created as a Bat Mitzvah project written by Bat Mitzvah girl Charlie Seigel for her friends Olivia, Isabella, and Maddie, the show follows young girls living through the Nazi regime, tracing how their lives—and identities—changed as violence escalated around them.

What made this experience so exciting was that I learned about these young women through research, museums, and familial stories with girls who were the same age as the individuals they were portraying. Similar to how I felt with Anne, the girls and I got to find truth and personalization in these stories that feel so far in the past.

Ultimately, these experiences showed me that theatre is more than just performance—it is a way of preserving memory, building empathy, and strengthening community. By telling stories like The Diary of Anne Frank and Never Forget, I was not only honoring the lives of those who came before me, but also deepening my own connection to my identity and the community that shaped me. The intersection of theatre and my Jewish upbringing has given me both a voice and a responsibility: to continue telling meaningful stories with honesty, care, and intention. As I continue to grow as a director, I know that the work I create will always be rooted in these two defining parts of who I am, using storytelling as a way to remember the past and inspire the future.