L.M. Seniors' Play "Blank Pages" Premieres Tonight

At this point in the year, if Lower Merion High School seniors have any worries at all, it might be about making it to next Tuesday's commencement ceremony.

Not so for David Silberthau, a LMHS senior whose play "Blank Pages" will be performed by the Lower Merion Players tonight, Friday and Saturday in the LMHS black box Theater. 

"Blank Pages" is a 45-minute one-act play that draws inspiration from the story of Anne Frank, and centers around the informant who told the Nazis of the whereabouts of Frank and her family during World War II, Silberthau said.

"The play centers around … why he did that, and how that decision affected his life afterwards, in the 70 years since World War II," Silberthau explained.

Silberthau developed the idea for his play following a family visit to Amsterdam two summers ago, he said. "We visited the Frank house, walked through it and left, and then my dad turned to me and said, 'No one knows who told the Nazis that they were there.'

"That idea stuck with me—that there’s this person out there responsible for this, especially as Anne Frank is a major face of innocence about the Holocaust."

Silberthau mostly let the idea germinate for the semester following the Amsterdam trip, then poured himself into the writing of the play on another family vacation that winter.

"There was probably an eight- or nine-day period where I'd ... ski from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day and then come back to the house and write for a few hours, sometimes longer, sometimes late into the night," Silberthau said.

He nearly finished the play during that vacation, editing and receiving feedback from his parents in the process. Silberthau eventually spoke with teacher and Lower Merion Players coach John Grace about the work, especially during the later editing process. By the end of the 2009-'10 school year, Silberthau had submitted his play to a few different competitions.

Philadelphia Young Playwrights awarded "Blank Pages" second place in its 2010 Annual Playwriting Festival, which received 291 high school submissions. 

"I placed in [the Annual Playwriting Festival], which gave me some validation ... something to be proud of," said Silberthau. "At that point, I just had it, and didn’t know what to do with it—so when Players asked me if I'd be interested [in seeing it performed], I was thrilled.

" has been really accommodating, and struck a balance between what’s practical and the artistic vision."

"Blank Pages" premieres tonight at 7 p.m. in Lower Merion High School's black box theater. Additional show times are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors, and $10 for the general public.

Cast