THEATRE + COMEDY

KVPAC's Encore Players presents The Diary of Anne Frank. The play is a dramatization by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Directed by Tina Morille. Performances are February 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 & 20, 2011.  All shows begin at 8:00pm, except for Sunday's which are matinees beginning at 2:00pm.

On a rainy night in 1942, the Frank family is on the run from the Nazis. Margot, the eldest Frank daughter, has received a notice to report to a work camp-a notice of certain death- and the family has decided to go into hiding. As the family arrives at secret apartments above Otto Frank's business, each character reacts differently to the family's changed circumstances. Mrs. Frank is overwhelmed, Margot is depressed, Otto is businesslike, but Anne, the youngest daughter, seems delighted and full of a sense of adventure. Miep Gies, an employee of Otto Frank, has agreed to help the family find food and supplies, and helps them to settle in. A short time later, the van Daan family arrives with their shy son Peter. He has brought his cat, which delights Anne.

Life in the annex quickly becomes difficult and irritating, and made more so by the addition of another resident, a disagreeable dentist called Albert Dussel. Mr. Dussel and Anne get on each other's nerves when they are forced to share a room. The friction between Anne and Mr. Dussel increases the friction between Anne and her mother, who bicker constantly. Anne's nightmares of the war are a particular source of irritation to Mr. Dussel.

The residents of the annex endure many months there, often in silence lest they give away their whereabouts. They experience happy moments such as a Chanukah celebration and bitter ones such as catching a fellow Jew stealing their food. The announcement of Allied landings brings hope of a quick release, but shortly before the liberation their hiding place is betrayed. Anne and the others are sent to the gas chambers. Only Mr. Frank manages to escape.

The play was based on the real Anne Frank's diary (published in English as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl), which had become a worldwide best seller after the war.

CAST LIST

Otto Frank: Gregory Magyar
Anne Frank: Brittney Thorne
Miep Gies: Ariel Theiss
Edith Frank: Amanda Barker
Peter Van Daan: Frank Mena
Margot Frank: Ashleigh Dera
Mr. Van Daan: Jason Evetts
Mrs. Van Daan: Lisa Connolly
Mr. Dussel: Andy Midkiff
Mr. Kraler: Chris Mason

Pictured below: 

The cast of Encore Players' The Diary of Anne Frank (top row from left to right) Gregory Magyar, Andy Midkiff and Frank Mena (middle row) Amanda Barker, Brittney Thorne, Lisa Connolly and Jordan Morille (bottom row) Ashleigh Dera and Ariel Theiss. Note: missing from cast photo is Chris Mason.

Show Logo by ACampbell Designs exclusively for KVPAC

Encore Players Logo for KVPAC.