Could you forgive someone who betrayed you and your family to an occupying military force, even if that betrayal led to the tragic deaths of your father and your sister?
Could you help the persecuted, facing imprisonment and perhaps execution as a result? Could you remain true to your faith, even in the midst of the most horrific of atrocities?
These are just some of the questions Gallery 7 Theatre will be exploring in their latest production, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom’s inspiring true story of faith, forgiveness and survival set against a backdrop of war and genocide.
The Hiding Place, adapted by Timothy Gregory from the book by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, tells of Corrie ten Boom’s post-war mission to bring healing and forgiveness to victims of the Holocaust, and how her mission reaches a crisis point when she comes face to face with the man who turned her and her family in to the Nazi police during the war.
What follows is an incredible recounting of the ten Boom family’s work with the Dutch underground to hide Jews in a secret room above the family’s watch repair shop and their subsequent internment in a concentration camp.
Wrestling with her own emotional scars, Corrie must come to terms with her need to forgive in this grim yet beautiful story that celebrates faith, mercy and courage.
“The Hiding Place is another one of those incredible, yet inspiring stories coming out of an extremely dark time in our recent history,” explains executive/artistic director, Ken Hildebrandt.
“While the play challenges us to ask what we would do in similar circumstances, it also inspires us to hold on to our faith and our humanity, even in the face of fear, injustice and persecution.
“Though the context of her story is dark and tragic, Corrie ten Boom’s journey ultimately moves toward hope and reconciliation.”
Gallery 7 Theatre’s production, which will be the Canadian premiere of Timothy Gregory’s adaption, will feature 23 performers hailing from across the Fraser Valley — including Langley’s Brittany Suderman — and is the largest cast ever assembled in the company’s 23-year history.
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The Hiding Place will run March 14 and 15, 20 to 22, 27 to 29 at 7:30 p.m. with discount matinees on March 15, 22 and 29 at 2 p.m. at the MEI Auditorium, 4081 Clearbrook Rd., Abbotsford.
Tickets for evening performances are $20 adults, $18 seniors and students, $17 each for groups of eight or more and $12 children (12 and under).
Tickets for matinee performances are $15 general admission and $12 children.
They can be purchased at House of James, 2743 Emerson Street, Abbotsford (1-800-665-8828 or 604-852-3701). They are also available online at www.gallery7theatre.com.
Brittany Suderman
