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No Way Out Testimonials
No Way Out stuns the audience with the inherent power of original words. This extraordinary collection of
family letters brings to life the insistent onslaught of Nazi edicts, flashed behind the players. There is also
No Way Out for the audience which cannot avoid the horrific personal tragedy of this historic cataclysm.
Please know, again, how incredible I think this piece is. I don't think I will ever forget it. Your work is so
honest. The power, as I said, is inherent. Nothing else need be said.
Dr. Josey Fisher, Director, Holocaust Oral History Archive,
Gratz College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No Way Out
was well crafted and poignant, vivid, shocking, gripping without being horrific. You should feel
a great satisfaction for accomplishing the tremendous task you undertook by turning your family's history
and tragedy into a literary drama of relevance for all of us who consider ourselves worthy members of
humankind. You have my admiration and respect.
Wallace Klein, former German teacher, St. Louis, Missouri
The piece went wonderfully and my feedback from the actors was that it was all very moving and a truly
satisfying experience, both artistically and emotionally. The story you let us witness is deep and personal
and very important.
Roberta Gasbarre, Director, Discovery Theatre, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.
It's a haunting tale with so many layers of issues.confirming that nothing in life is ever "black and white".
What simpletons we are when we forever try to find easy answers to complicated questions. Then rolled
into all this horror is the gentle, tender and authentic story of a loving family.
Connie Browne, KETC Channel 9 PBS, St. Louis, Missouri
I feel great respect for the very effective way you constructed the script. Congratulations! All the family
letters were so personal and eloquent. You've created a very important piece which should be seen by as
many 21st century humans as possible.
Debbie Waldman, Actress, Providence, Rhode Island
I have just read No Way Out and have managed to stop crying long enough to type this short note; how
wonderful it is!! I felt the prayers of deliverance being said by the audience on your grandfather's behalf,
the murmurs of thanksgiving as most of your family escaped, and the sighs of despair as the post-war
letter was read...A riveting experience. The audience became the participants in the heartbreak and hope
of one family's search for refuge. Your use of the chronological Nazi decrees against the Jews,
interspersed with the increasingly desperate letters, gave the production a historical grounding, adding
power and legitimacy. No one who sees No Way Out can stand silent in the face of contemporary moral
injustice.
Francie Schwartz, Educator, New Jersey
"No Way Out" is an engaging, innovative and deeply personal dramatic presentation. From a collection of
letters, Susan Shear brings to life on the stage a real family, her own; sundered by war and by the horrors
of the Holocaust. The warmth, intelligence, dignity and, yes, humor with which these individuals faced the
daily insults and violence of life in Nazi Germany simply shine through their words. Ms Shear's play is an
extraordinary feat and all the more so for being constructed entirely of simple readings from actual letters.
Dr. Lauren Kempton, Adjunct Professor, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut
Bravo! We were completely caught up in the story of your family's history. It was an excellent production,
cast, sets and, of course, the flow of the letters as the vehicle to narrate the play. All your efforts as
detective, story teller and educator were realized.
Sharon Sackin and Mark Weisel, Tucson, Arizona
I want to say again that seeing and feeling your most extraordinary work has been and always will be a
highlight for me. You have created an amazing piece of work; a true masterpiece! I'm challenged when I
try to think of the people I know who have done something so important, so big, that can impact so many
people in such a strong way. Congratulations and thanks for sharing the message of your family's
experience.
Norman Davis, Memphis, Tennessee
The presentation of "No Way Out" at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was very powerful
and moving. Not only was the story told on a personal level, but also modeled an outstanding approach to
this complicated history.
Warren Marcus, Director, Teacher Workshops and Conferences, United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, Washington, D.C.
Thank you for bringing No Way Out to Rhode Island. Working on my wife's family tree I have come across
many lost branches whose stories must have been heartbreakingly parallel to your family's story, but I've
never felt any of them as real people. Your remarkable dramatization has changed all that for me.
Richard Plotz, Providence, Rhode Island
This quick note won't do justice to helping you understand what I felt as I read your script twice. Both
times I was moved to tears as I finished it and both times I was struck silent by the power of the text and
the authenticity of it. Its documents, authentic, brief, utterly engaging, address the major question of why
the Jews didn't leave. It is outstanding.
Dr. Karen Shawn, Scholar/Author, Teaneck, New Jersey
Constructed from hundreds of letters assembled through exhaustive research, Susan Shear's compelling
history of her own German Jewish family's struggle to escape Nazi Germany, No Way Out, is a new and
important resource that teachers can use to explain the depravity of Nazi Germany and to draw lessons
from history's darkest moment. Because it is such an intimate story and because Susan Shear is such a
masterful storyteller, her No Way Out gives us an incredibly valuable tool to teach about conscience
formation and to learn about the tragic consequences of remaining indifferent to evil. I can't imagine
teaching my courses in German history or our department's seminar on WWll without including Susan's
No Way Out as a central text.
Dr. Dan Clayton, History Professor, Regis University, Denver, Colorado
The teachers at the US Holocaust Museum Conference loved it because you shared a story that is so
personal. Your whole theatre piece embodies exactly what the Museum is trying to teach; your family's
story told through those letters offers just the right mix of history, real life, culture, devastation, family
struggles and if I can say "normalcy".
Aimee Young, /Teacher, Ohio
No Way Out Presented in Fourteen Cities:
Theatre Format:
Stories on Stage Denver, Colorado
Performed twice by New York Equity actors
Mountain States Anti-Defamation League, Boulder, Colordao
Performed by local actors
PrimeTime Players: Community Theatre, Tucson, Arizona
Performed twice by community actors
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
Full Play Format, Three performances by local actors
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC
Performed four times (over two years) by regional actors from
The Discovery Theatre of The Smithsonian Institute
(In 2008 No Way Out will be presented there again).
Missouri History Museum St. Louis, Missouri
Three performances by regional actors
(In 2008 No Way Out will be presented there again).
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado
Two performances by local actors
Regis University, Denver, Colorado
One performance each year for four years, performed by
Student actors and Professors
Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, Providence, Rhode Island
Four performances by regional actors
Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, Kansas City,Missouri
Two performances by local actors
Consortium on Holocaust Education, Englewood, New Jersey
Performed once by local actors to an audience of 50
Pennsylvania Holocaust Education Task Force, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania Performed once by local actors
Jackson Public Schools, Jackson, Wyoming
Workshop Format:
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri
KETC Television, St. Louis, Missouri
Public and Private High Schools, Denver, Colorado
Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada
Mizel Museum of Judaica, Denver, Colorado
Holocaust Awareness Institute, Denver, Colorado
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