The success of the play “A Shayna Maidel,” put on earlier this month by Sinclair Community College’s Theater department, has many reflecting on the events of the Holocaust, the main theme of the production.
“I cried,” Sinclair student Lauren Allen said, who was present at the show’s premiere. “It was a really powerful performance.”
Which was exactly the point, according to Leah Mikesell who played Lusia, one of the lead roles. Mikesell began reading the script for the play as far back as September.
“We wanted to put on a show that the audience would remember long after the curtain dropped,” she said.
“A Shayna Maidel” is a story about two sisters who were separated shortly before Hitler took power. One escaped to America with her father, while the mother and second sister’s getaway was blocked by the rise of the Nazis. After their experience at a concentration camp, only the sister survived. The play takes place years later in a Manhattan apartment when the two sisters are finally reunited.
“It’s about the similarities between the two girls and how it brings them together,” Jennifer Smith, who played the sister who escaped with her father said.
To help prepare for the performance, the two sisters along with other cast members, had the opportunity to visit the Cincinnati-based Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education where they met Werner Coppel, an actual Holocaust survivor.
“Meeting Werner and hearing his story brought a whole new meaning to my character and to the script,” Mikesell said. “It was so much worse than we ever hear about growing up.”
One of the highlights of the experience, according to Mikesell, was that Coppel was able to attend one of the performances.
“He was the first to stand and we could hear him clapping louder than anyone else,” she said. “It was so moving.”
Mikesell said it was the main goal all along to leave the audience affected.
“The actor never knows how well they’re doing on stage, but I thought if I can play this character and make someone else feel enough to take action, that’s what I was trying to do,” she said. “There are atrocities still going on all over the world today, that’s one of the reasons why this topic is still relevant.”
Sinclair also hosted three Holocaust exhibits to coincide with the production, two of which were traveling exhibits from the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education.
“Seeing the exhibit in the Green Room before the show really set the tone,” Allen said.
Allen was speaking of the digital photo presentation developed by Sinclair Faculty Member Amanda Hayden that displayed “then and now” photographs, highlighting concentration camps and how their locations appear today.
Jamie Fries, a history professor at Sinclair who teaches a course once a year on the Holocaust, has seen the actual camps shown in the presentation. She too was greatly impressed with the performance.
“I think it’s so easy to see history as just words on a page, but something like ‘A Shayna Maidel’ really illustrates the human impact,” Fries said.
The show was only the second production to debut in Sinclair’s new Black Box Theater.
“I truly believe we had a new audience for this show and it was an amazing experience for all involved,” Theater Department Marketing Specialist Patti
Celek said.
Professor named one of the top African-American males
Andrew Fisher
News Editor
Sinclair Community College Professor Dr. Boikai Twe has been named one of the area’s top 10 African-American Males of 2014 by Parity Inc., a local non profit organization that honors those who have demonstrated outstanding service in the community.
“When I found out, I thought it was a privilege to receive the honor,” Twe said. “I see it as representing the work I’ve done for about 40 years.”
Twe is Professor and Chair of the Psychology department and Africana Studies program at Sinclair, and is actively involved in multiple organizations, clubs and events on campus, Twe has put extensive time and effort into improving and working locally in the community.
“I started this work in Liberia where I grew up, when I was a part of what was called the Urban Youth Council,” Twe said. “It was through this organization that I was able to travel to America, find a scholarship, find a college and really to find my calling in psychology through counseling youth. It launched my career.”
Twe came to America to study psychology at Berea College in Kentucky. Through his studies he again became involved in service and working with youth through the Appalachian Outreach Program, mentoring children in surrounding towns.
He continued his studies in psychology, obtaining a masters from Xavier University and a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati in 1985. In 1988, he came to Dayton to work at Sinclair.
“I started once again working with youth as soon as I got here, beginning by starting the African American Culture Club here on campus,” Twe said about the club that is still active today.
Twe also got involved in the Dayton community, working with local programs such the Dayton Mentorship program, sponsored by the Good Samaritan Hospital. He later helped start the Able Youth Leadership Program and last summer, helped create the Dayton Africana Elders Council.
The award, given by Parity, is meant to honor those who dedicate their time to strengthening the community and improving educational and social opportunities for African Americans.
“It was good to see some of the young people I’ve mentored over the years present at the event, to see the work that I do reflected back in the community,” Twe said. “I didn’t do it for the recognition, but it good to be recognized, especially if it helps others see the work I’ve done.”