Holocaust drama seen by prisoners

Published on 18/02/2013 12:00

A POWERFUL one-woman play about the horrors of the Holocaust has been performed for prisoners at Saughton.

Susan Stein staged her Second World War drama Etty, an adaptation of diaries and letters written by Esther Hillesum, a Jewish woman who died aged just 29 in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1943.

The show has previously played to audiences at the Fringe and in New York.

James Chalmers, learning centre manager at HMP Edinburgh, said: “From an educational stance, the play provided an alternative platform for prisoners to engage with the arts and literacy, by demonstrating the power of the written word and dramatic performance through expressive word.”

One prisoner, named only as Michael, said: “Susan was a brilliant communicator and left our group with a high degree of respect from all of the guys.”