Corrie ten Boom story 'The Hiding Place' to hit theaters, tells profound story of forgiveness
A stage adaptation of "The Hiding Place," which tells the remarkable story of Corrie ten Boom and her courageous family during the horrors of World War II, will hit the big screen, reaching a nationwide audience with the message of hospitality, forgiveness and unwavering faith.
The play, adapted from ten Boom's memoir for the stage by A. S. Peterson and directed by Matt Logan, was filmed live for cinema audiences at the Soli Deo Center in Nashville, Tennessee, during a four-week run to sold-out audiences in 2022. And next month, it will hit theaters for three nights only.
"The Hiding Place" follows ten Boom (Nan Gurley) and her family, including her father, Casper, and her sister, Betsie, as they quietly resist the evils carried out by the Third Reich in 1940s Haarlem, Holland, fueled by their love of God and their neighbor.
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In an interview with The Christian Post, Peterson said "The Hiding Place" is more than a historical tale set against the backdrop of World War II; it's a timely story that speaks to the human heart, encouraging viewers to confront their own choices, beliefs and capacity for love and forgiveness.
"One of the things that I think is so remarkable about the ten Booms is they were committed to fighting the war with hospitality," he said. "They were committed to kindness, to loving their neighbors at the risk of their own safety. They were willing to love people that believed other than they did, which is a really remarkable thing. The world needs more of that."
"As Christians, we're called to love our neighbors," he continued. "The Bible doesn't say, 'Love your neighbors if.' It just says, 'Love your neighbors.' The ten Booms are such a great example of how that works out and can actually change the world. If you followed the family trees of the refugees that they saved, there is a whole, exponentially growing section of the world that wouldn't exist without them. And that's thanks, exclusively, to their attempts to love their neighbor, without concern for their own safety."
The stage adaptation of "The Hiding Place" was initially commissioned by a theater company in Houston, honoring the memory of the late Jeannette Clift George, who founded the company and starred as ten Boom in the 1975 biographical film "The Hiding Place."
Peterson said he subsequently embarked on a journey to bring "The Hiding Place" to Nashville, where it became an even fuller realization of the story's power.
"What we've captured on film is actually 'The Hiding Place' 2.0," he said. "In a lot of ways, it's the same show, but it is an evolution of that show in ways that I'm really excited about. It's the fuller realization of the show."
A Christian herself, Gurley said bringing ten Boom to life had a "profound impact" on her. She delved into the life and writings of ten Boom and immersed herself in video footage of the late author speaking to capture her Dutch accent authentically.
"She's an icon of the faith," Gurley said. "It caused me to think, 'What would I do if I had to die on a hill, if my life was at stake? If I had that choice, be true to what I believe the Lord is calling me to do or compromise, what would I do? Which is very sobering."
She stressed that "The Hiding Place" seeks to tell the ten Booms' story honestly, highlighting how Corrie struggled to forgive and show mercy in the face of evil.
"Betsie kind of was more fully formed spiritually at the beginning than Corrie; Corrie struggled, as I would have struggled with, 'Why is this happening if God is sovereign? And truly He is, then why is He allowing this?' And then at the end, 'How in the world do I forgive?' We get to see Corrie do this in the play, and now thankfully, in the film, as well."
Just as Corrie ten Boom's journey unfolded through hidden obedience, the play urges viewers to find courage and faith in their own lives, ready to face any crossroads that may come their way. Viewers are confronted with a challenge: to be faithful and obedient, to make choices aligned with their beliefs and to embrace "long obedience" in the same direction.
Still, Logan stressed that "The Hiding Place" seeks to be art, not propaganda. Rather than dictating what audiences should think or feel, the play presents a true story that leaves space for personal interpretation.
"Propaganda is telling you what to think," he said. "Even if it's great, it's telling you what to draw from something, whereas art is leaving space for your interpretation, and bringing truth to the surface and allowing it to hit you and any realm of your life that it resonates."
Peterson expressed his desire for audiences to view the ten Booms as witnesses whose testimonies hold invaluable lessons. Rather than dismissing their experiences as unimaginable, he urged viewers to trust the testimony of those who have endured and let it impact their lives positively.
"I think one of my big takeaways from the show, and the thing that I hope a lot of people will take away is a new understanding of what a witness is," he said. "In the Church, we tend to hear words like 'witness' and 'testimony' a lot. And we assign them a sort of Christianese meaning. ... I spent a lot of time thinking about Corrie and Betsie, and they talk a lot about 'witness' and 'testimony.' And it forced me to recognize the fact that these are actually legal terms; a witness is a person who gets up on the stand, swears an oath on the Bible to tell the truth and then talks about the evidence that they've seen."
"When I encounter a story like the ten Booms, and I'm baffled by these people's ability to love one another in the context of a concentration camp, when I'm baffled by their gratitude for fleas, when I'm baffled by their ability to forgive Nazis … my real job is to trust the cloud of witnesses that surround me and listen to the witness on the stand who's given a testimony because they've been in a place that I have not."
"The Hiding Place" will show in select North American theaters Aug. 3 and Aug. 5 only before a one-day theatrical run in various international territories on Aug. 16. Tickets are available now at thehidingplacefilm.com.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]
