AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME Opens February 1 At MainStreet

MainStreet Theatre Company, the resident professional company at the Lewis Family Playhouse will present And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank for two weekends only, from February 1st - 9th, 2020.

The play, by James Still, is based on the memories of two survivors of the Holocaust who were friends of Anne Frank's in Amsterdam in 1942. It is geared for middle and high school students as well as adults. The director is Abigail Deser.

The play combines actual videotaped testimony of Helmuth (Ed) Silverberg and Eva Geiringer Schloss as they recount their experiences during the Holocaust. Mr. Silverberg was Anne Frank's boyfriend and is mentioned in her diary by his nickname "Hello". Mrs. Schloss was the same age as Anne and lived in the same apartment block. Her family went into hiding at the same time. The play goes back and forth between Eva and Ed's stories, with actors portraying them when they were teenagers, as well as their family members. It is a powerful work of theatre, and we hope that the teens in the audience will get a small sense of what teenagers endured during that time, as well as encourage them to think about their own lives and the importance of the choices they make.

The 4-person cast play multiple roles, and includes Heather Taylor as Young Eva, Connor Sullivan as Young Ed, Cat Black playing Eva's mother and Anne Frank, and Doug Harvey playing Eva's brother Heinz and others. The Scenic and Projection design is by Yee Eun Nam, Costumes by Sherry Linnell, Lighting by Brian Gale, and Sound Design is by John Zalewsky.

Post-show talk-backs with the audience will be held after the 6pm performance on Feb.8th, and the 4pm performance on Feb. 9th. The cast will be joined by Carol Oberg from the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. As a docent for the museum, she works with many students, sharing with them both the horrors and The Miracles that occurred during the Holocaust. Her knowledge and passion for the material, as well as her perspective as the daughter of Holocaust survivors will help put the play into context for our audiences. .

In addition to the public performances, middle and high school students will be attending weekday morning matinees, along with groups of Senior Citizens. More information about booking for the morning performances can be found on the Playhouse's website: https://www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com/ under the "Arts and Education" link.

In tandem with the play, MainStreet will host two exhibits in the Lewis Family Playhouse lobby throughout the run: Childhood Left at the Station: A Tribute to the Children of the Kindertransport on loan from the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust and Heinz Geiringer Paintings, on loan from Iowa's Danville Station. Local student art will also be displayed. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early or stay after the show to experience the exhibits.