The Diary of Anne FrankBy Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett Show Sponsor: Blue Cross Season Sponsor: Progress Energy Media Sponsor: The News & Observer Performed in the Cantey V. Sutton Theatre On this page:
Notes from the DirectorThe world that Anne Frank was born into, thankfully, seems inconceivable to most of us. Yet it was not so very long ago that Anne and her family were forced by unimaginable circumstances to interrupt their ordinary lives in a major European capitol to go into hiding in a last ditch effort to save their very lives. In many ways, Anne was like any other middle class girl her age: she was a favorite among her school friends; she was a gregarious conversationalist; she had an impish sense of humor; she enjoyed gossiping with her girlfriends…and she wrote. Anne’s diary continues to be one of the most amazing documents; a first-person record of one of the darkest chapters in the history of mankind. She was able to take the extraordinary events that took place after she and her family went into hiding, and report on them with a detached objectivity unusual for anyone in similar circumstances, much less a thirteen year old girl. The depravations suffered by those who made it into hiding were unimaginable; the discipline and care it took to remain undiscovered for nearly two years, sharing unbelievably cramped quarters with seven other people was incredible.
When I read The Diary of Anne Frank as a boy, it created a lasting and indelible impression. Anne was a remarkable wordsmith and her diary speaks so eloquently of a time filled with a horror and injustice that most of us cannot even imagine. Anne’s diary survived, incredibly, and, through it, we hear her unique voice, telling her own powerful version of a story that most of us find unimaginable in this day and age. Anne’s story serves not only as a tragic stark reminder of the horrors of the holocaust, but also serves as a testament to the heroics of an ordinary heart in the midst of unfathomable injustice. Anne Frank’s hope and bravery, in the face of one of the darkest chapters in human history, are most eloquently memorialized in these pages. The play by Albert Hackett and Francis Goodrich, based on her diary, was first produced in New York in 1955 and ran for over a year and a half. In 1997 Wendy Kesselman revived the play, making a revision of the script that used new materials from the diary. In this revision, Anne surfaces as a living, breathing human being; a preternaturally talented young woman who deals honestly and frankly with the horrors facing her and her family.
Some of the challenges of bringing this script to life onstage have to do with creating a setting that conveys the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Annex where the eight people lived over an operating warehouse in the business district of Amsterdam. Scenic designer Rick Young responded beautifully, creating a multi-level environment that absolutely captured the closed-in feeling of the actual place. Another challenge came in the casting of the play: the actress who played Anne need to be capable of, among other things, playing Anne from the ages of thirteen at the beginning to the age of fifteen at the end. We were fortunate to have the talented young actress, Chloe Novak playing the role as Anne. Another challenge, given the scope of the the time line, was finding how the actors make costume changes appropriate to the passage of time while effectively being held prisoner within the confines of the set. Costume Designer Vicki Olson created an amazing array of costumes that conveyed the passage of time and yet could be changed quickly and efficiently while onstage.
One of the most difficult challenges in producing this play, had to be taking a cast of contemporary actors and leading them on a journey, far from the sunlit lives we lead in the 21st century America back to a time where the freedoms we hold so dear, along with the ordinary and extraordinary people of a time and a place, their hopes, dreams and their very existance were trampled brutally into the mire of history. It was not an easy journey: most of us had to face sides of our own natures that we would just as soon have left alone. Yet, it is important to remember this time. We say “it could never happen again” and yet the terror and injustices of tyranny against the innocent and helpless are still ongoing. One has to look no further than Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, or, more recently, Iraq, to point out the most obvious, in order to see situations where the lives of ordinary people have been trampled under the foot of a totalitarian regime with an agenda that does not include the freedoms and rights of all. It can happen again. And it can happen here! Anne’s words help us all to realize the consequences of turning blind eyes to that possibility. -- Haskell Fitz-Simons Recollections from Kathleen RudolphThe Diary of Anne Frank holds a very special place in my heart. In 1979 while in college, I was part of a professional troupe touring the show to schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. I was cast as Margot and remember it as a huge learning experience. I was the youngest member of the ensemble and therefore gained lots of wisdom from the more seasoned players. Because we were touring the show, the cast was required to do an enormous amount of research to bring into the classrooms to prepare the students on the time period and what they were about to witness. So, when The Diary of Anne Frank was put on the RLT slate, all these memories were stirred up.
From first rehearsal to strike was only 56 days; but for everyone involved they were 56 days that changed our lives. There are not many people that remember the horror of World War II firsthand. I remember one of my children having a holocaust survivor come to talk to her class at school. My daughter said listening to the woman recount personal events from her years in a concentration camp was more disturbing then viewing any of the photos at the Holocaust Museum. The references were individual, personal and very specific. High school students had a difficult time truly empathizing with the speaker because it seemed so alien to them. Yet, they were mesmerized by her tales. I remember hearing once that the reason The Diary of Anne Frank was such a powerful book and play was because it told ONE story. To hear that 12 million Jews died in concentration camps is ghastly, but a little too hard to fathom. The Diary made it very private. After reading or seeing it, you know these people personally and then know that they were murdered. It becomes a little more real and close to home. The first night the newly formed cast got together, we read the script. There was not a dry eye in the room by the end. My thought was, "How can I do this everyday for the next 2 months and get through it?" Because of the intensity of the subject matter, Haskell initiated a "check in" procedure that we followed religiously at every rehearsal thereafter. He said we needed to keep tabs on how each of us was handling this heavy material. It helped us to all "start on the same page" each night. As a matter of fact, many of us in the cast and crew were experiencing nightmares and it felt good to be able to share that fact with others who would understand. We also ended each rehearsal with a "reinforcement" that let us put light on the things we felt were important or unique that evening. One of the reinforcements I'll never forget was from Jenny (Mrs. Van Daan): "I reinforce these people. They were really fascinating and I am so sad they had to die!" The cast bonded very quickly due to the intensity of it all and the fact that 8 of us were actually "living together" in the annex everyday.
The rest of the first week was dedicated to bookwork, and there was tons of it. It's one thing doing a play that is a creation of someone's imagination. It is quite another to try to tell someone's life story and keep it true and honest and believable. We read excerpts of The Diary, people's interpretations of The Diary, Miep's book and more. Amy Berenson (our own Miep), had previously done an enormous amount of research about Miep and shared all that with us too. Two members of the cast had been to The Secret Annex and described the physicality of it. Jenny also brought pictures she had taken of concentration camps. It was only then that we attempted to get on stage. Blocking was an adventure at first because the set was going to be 4 different levels and all we had was different colored tape on the floor to give us an idea of it. It was a bit funny. We heard lots of "Where am I?" and "Is this Peter's room or the WC?" Rick was amazing, though, and got our set up in record time. In fact, he and Roger worked around the clock because we would leave at 11pm with one level and I would come back to work at 10am the next day and find another added on. It was an incredible process that left us continually astonished that a set could be so intricate. Rick made the Annex so believable that it became home to the 8 of us very quickly. To define the different rooms, he used floorboards to represent walls. The interesting thing is that even when we were setting props before a show, we never crossed the floorboards and always used the doorways. It just showed how "real" the place was to us. Because of the multi-levels and confined space, Haskell became a choreographer as he had to know where all 8 of us were going at every minute so we didn't continually collide. Most of us were off-book for lines way before off-book for blocking. And props…aahh! It was a unique situation where all the props for the entire 2 hours had to be set before the show because no one left the stage and Haskell did not want the props crew in the Annex during intermission. It did help to create continuity because wherever we put something, it stayed (like it or not).
Besides the fabulous set, Ed Bodell kept popping into our rehearsals to work on sound. We were never sure what he was doing, except that every now and then we would hear a barking dog or a plane overhead. At one point, we were asked to record a Hebrew prayer and Haskell had a Rabbi come in to teach the correct pronunciation and inflection to us. We wound up doing a marvelous montage that led into the Hannukah scene. When we finally got to tech week and heard the sound that Ed had chosen, we were overwhelmed. It was so realistic that it was sometimes frightening. The cast even got a private sound preview because, as Ed put it, "the sound is for the audience not for the actors; you need to hear it from their perspective - in the house." One of the most delicious parts about being in this show had to do with our extraordinary Stage Manager, Paul Slovensky. Not only was he the nicest guy, organized, on the ball and all that stuff. He was a chef!!!! He brought us food every night! We would have a break in rehearsal and be eating chili, gourmet crock pot delicacies or chocolate covered strawberries. The only one unhappy about all this was Vicki: "I am costuming 8 people who are supposed to be starving for 2 years, and you are all gaining weight!".
Costuming for the show was also a unique situation. Since no one left the stage, we had to wear everything in at the start of the show and dress onstage anytime we wanted to change clothes. Since the Frank bedroom was downstage, Fred, Leigh and I changed about 5 feet from the first row. I remember Haskell giving notes one night and telling us not to all face upstage when we were changing clothes because it gave the impression that we were aware of the people in the audience. I told him, "We're not doing that because we're shy or modest, we're just all mumbling to each other 'what scene is this?, what dress do I put on?, where are my shoes?" Vicki will laugh if she reads this because I gave her a hard time from day one about my costumes and how unattractive they were making Edith look, and what had I done to deserve them?. But when I got several comments from patrons saying how the costumes made us look emaciated, I realized what a genius Vicki really was. We did look the part and those costumes helped us understand yet another facet about our characters. The jewel of the show was Chloe Novak, our own Anne. For a 13 year old to hold together an ensemble was inconceivable. Yet, that was what she did. Being Jewish, Chloe became our teacher on Hebrew pronunciations and holiday rituals, and we all looked up to her for guidance. I remember early on in the rehearsal process while we were all still on book, I was sitting next to Chloe looking at my lines for the next scene, all highlighted nicely. Then I glanced at Chloe's script and her whole book was highlighted! I don't know how she did it!
Audiences had mixed responses to the show - we rarely got applause at the end of the show, primarily because of the "concentration camp" photos at curtain call. The first time we rehearsed the final scene when the "3 men" came in to capture us, it was so eerie that we all had goose bumps and were physically upset when we heard the floor boards creak. At most performances, audience members would gasp when they saw the men climb up the stairs. Strike was very difficult for us emotionally. We watched in awe and despair as our home was destroyed before our eyes. It was quite a suitable ending to our 56 days together. I will never forget the experience or any of the people I had the privilege of spending it with. Notes from the Scenic DesignerHow is it that the set for one show can be so simple, an almost empty, barren stage, while another is huge, complex, awash with detail yet both are good sets? Some plays are about people in situations that could exist anywhere. Where the characters are does little or nothing to affect their story. In other plays where the story takes place is critical; it could not happen anywhere else. When this is the case, the set becomes another, often major, character in the play and, as such, can and should be used as much as possible to tell the story. The Diary of Anne Frank is just such a play. It would not be the same story if it were not these people in this annex of this building in this city at this time.
Although this is a true story, it is important to understand that it is not the job of theatre to recreate reality. We leave that to the museums. Perhaps the most exciting thing about theatre is that it digs beneath the surface of a story, fictional or true, to explore the underlying emotions and interrelationships making it more personal and accessible to the audience. This set is an example of that. The building in which Anne Frank and her family hid for over two years is now a museum restored to how it looked during the end of WW II, so we have a vast amount of research material. Despite the fact that I had detailed color photographs of exactly what this space looked like, I purposely chose not to duplicate it. They had made every effort to make the rooms they occupied as comfortable and homelike as possible. Though small, their surroundings where far more pleasant than some of the places I lived as a young adult. However I could leave whenever I wanted; I did not have an entire army wishing to drag me away to my death. That is the story I felt the set needed to tell. Since there was no way I could show the horror that existed outside their haven, I used the only space I had. The rooms are much smaller than in reality and the ceilings are much lower to emphasize the claustrophobia that they must have experienced. The rooms are stacked on top of each other in an almost chaotic manner, as these people must have felt their lives were. Other than in the tiny bathroom, there is no privacy, no place to be alone, no place to hide. Even though there was an attic as part of the annex, it was used solely for storage. I have made the entire annex into an attic placing these eight individuals in storage as much as their belongings were. The diagonal lines of the slanting roof both connote a subconscious sense of tension and conflict and present a genuine physical obstacle. This is not a comfortable place to live. Its inhabitants must continually duck and twist to avoid injuring themselves. The actual building, because of its age and location is predominately masonry and plaster using old world construction techniques. I chose to make it more familiar to our audience so that they could relate more easily.
Since I could not show the reality of the outside world, I made it as it was to them, non-existing blackness; but to show that that threat from the outside is always there, I have left cracks between the boards of their delicate fortress through which the horror of their reality inexorably seeps. The Diary of Anne Frank set during construction at Raleigh Little Theatre. -- Rick Young Notes from the Costume DesignerI started the process of costume design for The Diary of Anne Frank by reading and rereading the play and taking notes on the costuming needs. I read the diary itself to fill out the information that the play didn’t have. For further research, I read two other books about Anne Frank - Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies and Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven. Since this play is a true story I wanted to costume the show as realistically as possible, so I found as many pictures as I could. I didn’t find any pictures of the group when they were in the annex, so I had to think about what clothing each of them would have chosen to take with them when they went into hiding. Maybe they took something for summer, something for winter, underwear, sweaters, and toiletry items. What would a person take into hiding if limited to what could be worn or carried in small bags? Certainly you couldn’t carry a suitcase or wear anything that might arouse suspicion. Those who got caught would be killed. Naturally they had to wear clothing that was appropriate for the weather, the time of day (early morning) and the season.
The Franks went into hiding in July. On the day they left their home for the annex it was pouring down rain - very fortunate for them as they could wear several layers under their coats and not be suspected. They had to walk two miles from their home to the annex so they were soaked and very tired when they arrived. For this production I will be dressing the Franks in several layers of clothing - just as I imagine they wore when they got to the annex. And I will have to wet down their coats and hats for their first entrance. All Jews from early childhood to adult had to wear a yellow Star of David with “Jood” over their hearts. Jews could be killed for not wearing the star and Jews were not given the stars but had to purchase them. Every visible article of clothing had to have a star. There is a scene with Anne and Peter removing their stars upon arrival to the annex. I have sewn stars on all the residents first act clothing.
To make the scenes more powerful the director of this production has blocked the actors to stay onstage for the whole of each act. Clothing that they wear either has to be pre-set onstage before the show or they have to wear it on. They must dress and undress in front of the audience. This element points out both the lack of privacy that they had to deal with and the inability to leave the annex. The actors are captive onstage in front of the audience. The first act flows seamlessly from July to December of the first year in the annex. The actors haven’t much time to change clothing. When there are quick changes the actors must dress in semi darkness. They will have no mirrors or help in dressing. When there isn’t time for a complete change, they overdress a bathrobe or sweater to show time of day or passage of time.
Act II covers the last eight months of their two year stay in hiding - from New Year’s to August when they were captured. Anne has outgrown her clothing and shoes. Clothing is grayer and more worn. Though the Franks were always very clean and well dressed people, the last year in the annex forced them to boil clothing. There was little soap left in their stock of supplies. Soap was scarce all over Amsterdam just as food was scarce. The families of the annex barely had anything to eat towards the end, but neither did anyone else living in Holland. Actors appearing in the show had to learn to do the hairstyles from the forties and attempt to look as close to the character they are portraying as possible given the differences in appearance. They have gotten period haircuts and hairstyles. The clothing the female actresses wear is patterned from actual 40’s patterns. Some items of clothing could be pulled from our stock of vintage clothing, but most clothing had to be custom made for each actress. We have either pulled vintage suits for men or have been able to customize contemporary clothing when we couldn’t fit an actor in period men’s suits and trousers. The hat that Mr. Dussel wears is vintage 40’s and belongs to a friend who actually survived the concentration camps of Germany. The prayer shawl that he wears is also loaned by a woman whose father-in-law was a survivor of the holocaust.
Costumes are very personal and very important for both actor and audience members. An actor has to feel that he is able to believably portray the role. My role is to help the actor find his character and the audience to step back into history. -- Vicki Olson Members of the cast(in order of appearance) Otto Frank: Fred Corlett Production crewDirector: Haskell Fitz-Simons Box Office Volunteers: Joe Ali, Laura Barrier, Beckie Bumgardner, Harvey Bumgardner, Cornell Chappell, Patsy Clarke, Johnna Lynn Cottrell, Deanna Eckert, Joyce Donaldson, Bonnie Flynn, Vivian Gilfeather, Lynn Hardison, Connie McDaniel, Rose Melvin, Martha Noyes, Pats Palmer, Linda Pritchard, Linda Shore, Edythe Stanislaw, Jane Stikeleather, Marian Susann, Jean Wilkinson Costume Shop Crew: Marie Berry, Ruth Berry, Barbara Corbin, Kenna Covington, Kat Henwood, Susan Kimmel, Catherine Lambe, Connie McDaniel, Maria Myers, Wayne Olson, Maddie Parks, Claire Wagner, Lydia Wagner, Montana Wagner, Jean Wilkinson Dressers Crew: Mindy Styers (chief), Marie Berry, Kenna Covington, Jean Davis, Sara DeLuca, Wayne Fretwell, Catherine Lambe, Kristen Wingate House Managers: Diane Beth, Patsy Clarke, Lynn Freeman, Cathie Ingram, Lilo Miles, Elanah Sykes, Judi Wilkinson Light Crew: Brad Ainge (chief), Amanda Bitler, Chris Eckert, Asher Robinson, Keith Rothschild Light Hang/Focus: Brad Ainge, Amanda Bitler, Keith Bugner, Chloe Novak, David Petrone, Asher Robinson, Kelly Ruggles, G. Paul Slovensky, David Wilk Props Crew: Amy Bartley (chief), Brett Peterman, Keith Rothschild Public Relations Crew: Don Akin, Marlys Akin, Athens Drive High School, Barbara Corbin, Jordan Elliott, Catherine Lambe, Thomas Porter, Melissa Ricketts, Jacqueline Smallwood Set Construction Crew: Leigh Alstat, Mark Anthony Aman, Jenny Anglum, Amy Lynn Berenson, Ben Berry, Pat Berry, Ruth Berry, Keith Bugner, David Corlett, Fred Corlett, Larry Evans, Jon Kakaley, Chloe Novak, Kent Parks, Kathleen Rudoph, Jules Samitz, G. Paul Slovensky, Joseph Walter Sound Crew: Keith Doucet, Chris Eckert, Brian Hunt, Jeff McLamb (chief), Sarah I Blocher, Brett Peterman, Aleshia Van Duyn, Keenan Yokel Special Thanks To: John Adams for voiceovers; Arts Access for audio description; Chris Beaulieu for fight work; Geoff Brace for voiceovers; Capstone Production Group for Web hosting; Marshall Dayan for assistance with Hebrew prayers; Luna Designs for Web site design and maintenance; Julie Novak with Hebrew prayers; the Raleigh Chapter of the National Charity League; Brett Peterman for historical research; and PIP Printing for posters. You are here: Photo home > 2003-2004 Yearbook > The Diary of Anne Frank |
