JULY 1 • 2021 | 27

resonate with the younger 
generation.
“It’s a much better way, it 
might be the only way,” said 
Kevin Wang, a 16-year-old 
Novi High School student. 
“Especially Curtis, I loved his 
song and would definitely lis-
ten to it outside of this event, 
at home while I’m studying or 
something. The way his lyrics 
are worded gives an accurate 
depiction of what actually 
happened, and it’s not just 
random words thrown togeth-
er, so it’s really cool.”
Paul Glantz, founder and 
chairman of Emagine Novi, 
believes being able to serve the 
community with important 
cultural opportunities such as 
this one is critically important 
to their mission.
“That’s what I think this 
event represents, it’s a way to 
become more familiar with 
the Holocaust as well as a 
way to bring in students to 
share knowledge,” Glantz said. 
“Knowledge will guide behav-
ior going forward and it’s 
important we learn from the 
past and, if we do that, then 
hopefully we will avoid such 
tragedies in the future.” 

SUPPORT FOR FILM
In attendance was Frances 
Rose, daughter of local 
businessman Warren Rose, 
who along with her family is 
helping finance the film and 
serve as executive producers. 
Rose’s confidence in the proj-
ect began when hearing what 
would set the film apart. 

“There are Holocaust 
documentaries all over the 
place now, but I thought, 
OK, maybe Keith Famie can 
bring something different to 
the table and take a different 
approach — and he is,” Rose 
said.
Hearing statistics of how 
many young people didn’t 
know about the Holocaust, 
Rose said it was eye-opening, 
which is why supporting the 
film was so important to her.
“What I want these kids to 
learn is this is what a genocide 
looks like, and I don’t want 
them to just learn about the 
Holocaust on its own, I want 
them to be able to recognize 
the warning signs of a geno-
cide, that it can take many 
forms,” Rose said. 
“I want them to be trained 
to have a good eye and an 
ear that will let them know if 
something like this is going 
to happen again, you have to 
do something to stop it and 
step up.” 
Rose believes the topic is 
personal for her family, having 
lost family in the Holocaust 
with no survivors, and not 
knowing exactly where or how 
they died. 
“We don’t have a lot of clo-
sure, but one thing I can take 
solace in is doing things like 
this and saying, ‘okay, I’m not 
going to let what happened to 
my family happen again, not 
just to other Jewish people, 
but to other marginalized or 
persecuted groups around the 
world.’” 

For years, this fun, family-friendly, Tony
Award-winning musical has charmed
audiences across the country with its wit
and humor. Featuring a fast-paced,
wildly funny story and fresh and vibrant
score, this bee is unforgettable!

For ticket info and sales,
visit nicelytheatre.org or call or text the
Berman box office at (248) 406-6677.

Outdoors on the grounds of the
Berman Center for the Performing Arts
6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48322

