Cottey Department of Theatre to Host Two Holocaust-Focused Events

The Cottey College Department of Theatre is hosting a pair of Holocaust-focused events. The first event is a free lecture on Thursday, February 20, at 7 p.m. by Dr. Shelly Cline. The second event is the department’s play From Silence by Anne Marilyn Lucas, which will be performed on Friday and Saturday, February 28-29, at 8 p.m. and a matinee performance on Sunday, March 1, at 2 p.m.

Dr. Shelly Cline, public historian of The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, will present: “Lessons from Nazi Germany—the rise of the Nazi party and the propaganda they used throughout their time in power.” The discussion will feature post-war Germany, historical events, and Dachau Concentration Camp.

This lecture is brought to Cottey College in conjunction with the department’s production of From Silence. Following the matinee performance on Sunday, the department will present a talk back with the playwright Anne Marilyn Lucas.

Lucas had this to say about the play. “Speaking truth to authority is frightening and telling your loved ones dark secrets impossible. Holocaust survivor Esther Gold has been silent all her life. But the Temple is on lock down and her granddaughter Elaina is being held inside. As she waits for news Esther travels back in time and we see the damaging results of her decision to remain silent about her years in Ravensbruck. We meet the German political protester who saved her life in the camp and witness her vow to speak out. Esther finally realizes that her family has been hurt by her silence. Now her granddaughter is threatened with death and the opportunity to comfort her by answering her questions may be lost. Can she finally come from silence to speak out?”

Lucas has built a body of work as a playwright from a career in the theatre. She has directed for over 30 years and holds an MFA from Boston University and a second MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen from Lesley University. Lucas has been a professor at Salem State University.

Lucas’s play From Silence was produced at The Theatre for The New City in November 2016 to sold-out houses and standing ovations. Broadway Box recommended it alongside Hamilton, as one of six plays audiences should see after the election. From Silence was produced in the Boston area at Marblehead Little Theatre in Oct. 2017 and was staged by director Arin Arbus at The Museum of Jewish Heritage in April 2018. The Gloucester Stage featured it in their Never Dark Series 2019 and it is now being performed by Cottey College in 2020.

The Center for the Arts is on the northeast corner of Austin and Tower streets in Nevada, Missouri.

Tickets for the play are $5 for adults and $4 for those under age 18 or over age 62. The address on February 20 is free and no tickets are required.