If you opened a storage unit and found an unusual artifact, potentially with historical significance, what would you do? This weekend at Palaver Tree Theater in Crawfordville the dynamic cast of “Sterling Legacy” explores this scenario.
The playwright Danielle Wirsansky “wanted to find a way to showcase the idea of a legacy, with sterling being pure and clean while most of the characters have a darker history. It showcases what we are comfortable having our legacies be.” Wirsansky, a Ph.D. candidate at Florida State University, is the North Florida representative for the Dramatist Guild.
Theater: A Holocaust historian brings the past to the contemporary stage
“Sterling Legacy” takes place in a resale curio store. Friends and business partners Nora, played by Aiko Austin, and Jess, played by Davey Remi Hansen, purchase a storage unit and discover an artifact with an unusual history. Discovering potential ties to the Holocaust, Nora begins to research the item’s history leading her and Jess to disagree about how they should handle the discovery.
Austin and Hansen portray the tension growing between the characters in a compelling and heartbreaking way. Co-director Maz Neamand worked very closely with Austin and Hansen on the friendship of Nora and Jess to “bring a complexity to both characters.”
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Danielle Wirsansky’s play “Sterling Legacy,” runs at the Palaver Tree Theater Nov. 13-15, 2025.
The play’s story has ties to Tallahassee. “It’s based on a historian I know in town. At the time of the artifact’s discovery, I was in London studying at the Imperial War Museum and I asked them what they would do if they found an object that may have been lost or stolen during the Holocaust and each person had a different idea of what to do, and what was ethical, with the items.” Wirsansky said.
An additional layer of emotions is showcased when researcher Dr. Miriam Feldman, played by Jessica Catherine Fraser, supports Nora in the research of the artifact as the group is struggling with determining the next steps for its legacy. Wirsansky goes into this in the show “It is very interesting that people didn’t realize that this is another consequence of the Holocaust – artifacts are out in the world missing.”
While the play often feels like a ghost story, from the way the artifact’s presence affects each person in the play, it is not without its humorous moments. As Nora’s research progresses, she speaks with storage unit’s Dale played by Carole McKay. McKay tries to be professional about her job but there’s a joyous energy as she cannot help but share about the previous owner of the unit.
Wirsansky has a long background in theater, and plans on using her studies to teach about the Holocaust through theater. She is going to present at a conference at the Swedish Holocaust Museum after “Sterling Legacy” is completed.
Co-director Jeff Mandel had been a fan of the playwright, and while the two were both usually in the Tallahassee area, they met when Wirsansky was in Israel for a conference.
After reading the script Mandel knew he wanted to direct the play’s world debut. “It all just kind of went from there” said Wirsansky.
Mandel and Neamand have taken the staging of the Palaver Tree Theater to another level creating a resale shop that patrons can shop at with the proceeds to benefit the theater. Neamand worked with local patrons and artists to provide these items for the set design and sale.
Palaver Tree Theater, owned by Herb Donaldson, was an original idea from a community of writers, directors, and actors. After Donaldson returned to Tallahassee a friend suggested the space, once a storage unit, for the theater’s current home.
It is a community theater, funded through donations from patrons and events. Palaver Tree Theater hosts plays, musical acts, and other community events. They partner with the Moose Lodge and will be hosting an event soon for a community turkey giveaway.
If you go
What: “Sterling Legacy” by Danielle Wirsansky
When: 8 p.m. Nov. 14 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 15
Tickets: $15; visit palavertreetheater.org
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Innovative ‘Sterling Legacy’ debuts at Palaver Tree Theater