Holly Shiveley, Cleveland State Community College Speech Instructor
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Ravensbrück concentration camp (April 30, 1945) and the effectual end of World War II (May 1945), Storyteller Productions is pleased to present The Hiding Place, the inspiring true story of Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom, directed by Holly Shiveley, Cleveland State Community College speech instructor. The Hiding Place will be performed at the Colonnade Theater in Ringgold.
With the World War II Nazi invasion of Holland, the ten Boom family joins the underground resistance to protect Jews and political prisoners from Nazi persecution. Betrayed by a fellow Dutchman, they are arrested and imprisoned in the Ravensbrück camp as their faith in God and love for others overcomes the feelings of despair where “no pit is so deep that He is not deeper still.”
“Our production company is called Storyteller Productions,” stated Ms. Shiveley. “It came out of an idea from Woodland Park Baptist Church. Many of us had either acted or been stage managers or something like that. We wanted to perform with a production company that would produce family friendly programs, as well as be an extension of our church as a way of our ministry into the community.”
Ms. Shiveley continued, “This production is a work of nonfiction. While Storyteller is committed to family friendly theater, we are also committed to theater with a purpose, and we believe there are significant lessons to be learned from the life of Corrie ten Boom. Some of the realities of the ten Boom's story, however, may not be appropriate for some children specifically as it relates to life in a concentration camp. This show is not intended for young children, and parents should use their discretion when bringing older children to the shows.”
Ms. Shiveley had some background with Corrie ten Boom. She had read her book when she was younger and performed part of her story for a teen competition. Her graduate recital for Bob Jones University was on children in World War II, so Ms. Shiveley said this topic is very special to her.
“This particular script was written by Timothy Gregory in a theater in Chicago,” stated Shiveley. “They have had numerous Broadway reviews. We are the first company to do this script in the Southeast. It is a very powerful script, and I think accurately portrays a lot of Corrie ten Boom’s Story from the book. I think stories like this need to be told. Unfortunately, we are reminded of what man is capable of doing to fellow man. Love and forgiveness is always the answer.”
Ms. Shiveley received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Interpretive Speech from Bob Jones University. She has been employed with Cleveland State Community College as the Speech Instructor since 2011.
Performances of The Hiding Place will be held on May 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on May 23 at 1:00 p.m. at the Colonnade Theater in Ringgold, GA. To purchase tickets, visit the website at www.colonnadecenter.org. You may also visit the Storyteller Productions website at www.Storytellerchattanooga.com.