National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene to Present Hannah Senesh in English

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) will present Hannah Senesh, a play with music based on the diaries and poems of the young woman who risked her life to save European Jews from the Holocaust, running October 19-November 9, with opening night scheduled for October 23.

Although NYTF is known for its Yiddish-language productions, including Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, Hannah Senesh will be performed in English.

Starring Jennifer Apple (The Band’s Visit first national tour), Hannah Senesh is a one-woman show that tells the true story of Hannah Senesh. One of many Jews who escaped from Axis-allied Hungary in 1939 to the safety of British Mandate Palestine, she joined the Haganah and volunteered for a Special Operations mission to parachute back into Europe to save Jews from Nazi hands, including her own mother. She was ultimately caught by Nazi forces, tortured, and executed at the age of 22, never betraying her comrades.

The play, written and directed by David Schechter (Soul Doctor), was originally developed in collaboration with Lori Wilner, who first played Hannah onstage in 1984 and received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Solo Performance. The script, adapted from Hannah Senesh’s diaries, was translated from the Hungarian by Marta Cohn and Peter Hay. Music for Hannah Senesh was composed and arranged by Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) with additional songs by Elizabeth Swados (Runaways) and David Schechter.

The production includes set design by Court Watson, costume design by Isabelle Fields, and lighting design by Vivien Leon.