Things We Couldn't Say

The biographer of the story of Berendina (Diet) Eman is interrupted by Diet herself as he begins a lecture about the Second World War and Nazi resistance in occupied Europe. Diet explains that her efforts to hide Jewish people were not unique, but were undertaken by many ordinary people. To explain, she begins to tell the exciting stories of her Resistance work. As she does, her younger self appears and narrates stories in ways which occasionally vary from the descriptions offered by her older self. In addition, her fiancé, Hein Sietsma, appears, and all three reminisce, telling each other much of what they couldn't say while separated by their work in the underground and their imprisonment in concentration camps. Sietsma, who died in the camp at Dachau, eventually asks Young Diet whether she would take up the cause of Resistance again, given the way they suffered for what they did. Diet's answer concludes the play by reaffirming her belief that, despite her almost overwhelming pain, she knows they did the right thing. Using letter and journal entries the courageous story of Diet and Hein comes to life in a touching and intriguing way.