The 2021 Theater J Patty Abramson Jewish Play Prize Winner

The Helpers

By Maggie Lou Rader 
Directed by Holly Twyford

Cast:

Maggie Lou Rader as Miep Gies
Justin McCombs as Jan Gies, Mr. Richter
John Phillips as Otto Frank, Silberbauer
Jo Twiss as Mrs. Stoppelman, Aliens Officer
Todd Scofield as Jo Koophuis, Stranger
Charli Simone as Elli Vossen, Adawolfa, and Alfie

Stream On-Demand January 14 – 16, 2022 | Live Zoom Reading took place on January 13, 2022 at 7:30pm (US ET) 

Inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank, The Helpers is a new perspective from the other side of the most famous bookshelf in history. Miep Gies, an immigrant and secretary for Otto Frank’s famous Opekta Company, leads a group of helpers to preserve the residents of the Secret Annex and the spirit of goodness and survival during World War II. The Helpers is a tale of joy, hope, friendship, and resistance during one of history’s darkest moments.

Your link to the on-demand stream will be included in your confirmation email from boxoffice[@]tickets.edcjcc.org | Only one registration per household is necessary 

About Maggie Lou Rader: A produced playwright, member of the Dramatist’s Guild, and AEA Actor, Maggie Lou Rader (she/her/hers) tells epic stories of epic women. She’s obtained degrees from William Jewell College in Kansas City and the Birmingham School of Acting in the UK and has called Cincinnati home for nearly 10 years. She has been the winner of the Notre Dame College New Play festival, a finalist for the Henley Rose Playwrighting Award for Women, Utah Shakespeare’s Words Cubed, Central Florida Community Arts TYA New Play and Musical Festival, and was selected for Miami University’s inaugural Digital Play Reading Series, as well as a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Garry Marshall Theatre New Works Festival, Dayton Playhouse’s Future Fest, and UP Theater’s Renewal Reading Series. She’s has had the privilege of having her work developed at DePaul University, the Theatre School, and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Her plays have been produced at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, InBocca Performance, and The Marsh, MarshStream International Solo Fest, as well as staged readings with Theatre Pro Rata and Green Buffalo Productions. She’s also been published with Smith and Kraus as well as Madwomen in the Attic. Keep an eye out for her work at Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, Skeleton Rep, and Dean Productions in 2021. As a performer, she has performed in over 75 professional productions with Know Theatre of Cincinnati, StageOne, The Human Race Theatre, Kentucky Shakespeare, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, and has been a resident actor with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for 10 seasons. In Cincinnati, she lives happily on her homestead with husband Justin, and three fur babies with four eyes between them.