"Anne & Emmett should be seen in every school in America!"

--Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Anne and Emmett, a play by Janet Langhart Cohen, will be performed at the Jewish Educational Alliance, Tuesday, February 27 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 3rd at 3:00 p.m. before going "on the road" to area locations.

The play is about an imagined conversation between two figures from history – teenagers, who were the victims of institutional terrorism. The discussion takes place between Anne Frank, a Jewish girl killed in 1945 during the Holocaust, and Emmett Till, a young black man, from Chicago, murdered while visiting family in Mississippi in 1955. They meet in a place called Memory, where they share their experiences with bigotry and injustice, highlighting the striking similarities between their horrific deaths.

PERFORMANCE DATES & LOCATIONS

Sophia Sutton is an actress who was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama - better known as the Rocket City. She began acting in theater on community stages and in junior high and high school productions growing up. She studied film and television acting after graduating from college to further pursue her professional acting career.

Sophia has been cast in over a dozen films and has been part of the theater cast of Grease, Dracula, Country Fried Murder, and No Safe Refuge.

She is the founder of Cuddle Puddle, an experimental narrative, long-form team and is a stunt actress (horseback, stunt falls, light combat, and weapon handling).

Austin Bradford is a sophomore at Savannah Arts Academy. His passion for theatre was ignited at age 8. He has been in over a dozen productions, just closing a 20-show tour playing the lead role in Backpack of Power, an original work by local playwright Kendra Norwood Brown.

Austin loves acting for live theatre and has held lead or supporting roles in several notable productions including: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Charlie Brown), Phantom of the Opera (Pianji), Les Miserable (Comfefere), and The Wizard of Oz (Nikko). Austin was recently awarded All Star Cast at the Georgia Theatre Conference, the GHSA Regional Competition and the GHSA State Competition in The Love of Three Oranges (Truffaldino).

A.Jae is a trained Actor, Writer, and Dancer who is making a return to stage after spending the last 5 years working in Film & Television.

She received her master’s degree in Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and has performed in over 40 Stage, Theatrical, and Short films. She also won Best Actress in the 2022, Savannah short film fest.

Recently, A.Jae wrapped up working on the set of Clint Eastwoods movie Juror #2, and can also be seen as one of the Chefs in The Menu, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult.

When she's not on set or stage you can find her volunteering around Savannah or spending time with her Friends and Family. She is excited to be back on stage and wants to thank you all for coming.

Rabbi Samuel Gelman is honored to be in this production of Anne & Emmett. He was most recently seen on stage at the Historic Savannah Theater in their production of Fiddler on the Roof (Innkeeper).

Previous credits include: Godspell (Judas), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), Much Ado About Nothing (Leonato), and Congregation Agudath Achim (Rabbi). You can find some of his rabbinical work at rabbisamuelgelman.com

Love you Naima.

Chip is a working actor, guest starring in feature films including The Mulligan, Untouched, Final Run and in popular television shows as, Women of the Movement, Manhunt, Underground Railroad and the New Wonder Years.

He began First City Films in 2008, casting and producing feature films. He has produced independent films including Untouched, In Search of Liberty, The Little Mermaid, and Farmer and the Belle. Chip has written feature films and produced and directed numerous short films, music videos and commercials. He has over twenty years’ experience as an actor and is a native of Savannah Georgia.

Joanna Walchuk is a talented Actor, Director, and Teaching Artist with over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Joanna had the pleasure of collaborating on-screen with two Academy Award winning actors, Richard Dreyfuss and Mira Sorvino, in the film "Crime Story." She showed her comic chops in "Living the Dream" and as a regular company performer with Front Porch Improv. As a multi-hyphenate, Joanna has valuable experience both on stage, on camera, and behind the table. Based in Savannah, GA, Joanna frequently travels to Atlanta and New York.

Joanna is SAG-AFTRA and AEA Actor. She is represented by The Avery Agency in ATL.