Penobscot Theatre to present ‘Diary of Anne Frank’

loading...

BANGOR – Penobscot Theatre Company-Maine Shakespeare Festival continues its 2002 season with “The Diary of Anne Frank,” by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman, directed by Laura Schutzel, running Nov. 13-24 at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St.

Half-price previews are scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 13-14. Opening night is 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15. PTC-MSF will also offer student matinees at 10 a.m. Nov. 20-22, and a Pay-What-You-Wish performance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12. An American Sign Language-interpreted performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 17.

“The Diary of Anne Frank” is the centerpiece of PTC-MSF’s community outreach program titled “Beyond Tolerance: Steps to Acceptance, Compassion, Respect and Understanding.”

The theater is partnering with several community groups and businesses including Bangor Public Library, Cole Land Transportation Museum, the Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine, the Jewish Community Council, WLBZ 2, the Bangor Daily News and others to produce several events dealing with tolerance and related issues.

At the center of “Beyond Tolerance” is PTC-MSF’s production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The original 1955 version was based on the 1947 book, “Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl,” edited by Anne’s father, Otto Frank. The play won both a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award and had a successful run on Broadway.

The version of the play penned by Kesselman ran on Broadway for six months in 1997 and starred film actress Natalie Portman as Anne. Kesselman’s version contains incidents and passages edited out of the book by Otto Frank upon its publishing, providing a more complete, less censored view of Anne’s life as a young woman.

PTC-MSF’s producing artistic director Mark Torres said, “Of the many important and inspirational stories to come from the terror of the Holocaust, the story of Anne Frank seems to lend itself particularly to the stage. By nature, theater creates an empathetic experience, and the new script by Wendy Kesselman provides a unique window into the Frank family’s harrowing yet hopeful existence while hidden. In addition, the play gives even greater attention to Anne’s awakening into womanhood. These elements only add to the story’s universality.”

“The Diary of Anne Frank” will be directed by Laura Schutzel, who directed this summer’s productions of “Anne of Green Gables” and “The Tempest.”

“I first read the diary as a young teenager,” Schutzel said. “While I have always been fascinated by World War II, the diary left a lasting impression. For me, it was a personal look at what is usually studied in a much broader way. Anyone can read about the horrors of the war and view pictures of the events, but Anne Frank’s diary presented an intimate view of one girl’s responses to the world around her as she was growing up. For a few hours, the play allows us to go beyond Anne’s words and actually watch and hear her.”

The cast of “The Diary of Anne Frank” includes several PTC-MSF returning players and local actors. Nicole Raphael has played Anne Frank twice before, at the New American Theatre in Illinois and at the Meadow Brook Theatre in Michigan. Her other credits include the Theatreworks/USA tour of “Oliver Twist” and “Miss Julie and Zastrozzi” at Circle in the Square Downtown in New York City.

Jay Doolittle as Otto Frank returns to PTCIMSF having appeared in “King Lear,” “Twelfth Night” and “Coastal Disturbances” in 2001.

Other cast members include: Alison Cox as Edith, Jennifer Fine as Margot, Amy Cain as Miep Gies, Jeff Pagliano as Peter Van Daan, Sofia Wilder as Mrs. Van Daan, Tom Crutcher as Mr. Van Daan, Putnam Smith as Mr. Dussel, Adam Kuykendall as Mr. Kraler and James Bocock, and Joshua Copeland and Mike Worboys as the soldiers.

The creative team includes costume designer Sandra London, lighting designer Lynne Chase and set designer Greg Mitchell.

“We see this production of ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ as an excellent opportunity for building bridges to particular sectors of our community,” said Mark Torres.

Several activities have been scheduled as part of “Beyond Tolerance.”

The Bangor Daily News will produce a Newspapers in Education series dedicated to the making of a professional theatrical production, to run in the NEWS Oct. 28-Nov. 1.

On Nov. 11, World War II veterans will attend an invitation-only dress rehearsal of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The performance is designated as a “Salute to Veterans” and is underwritten by a grant from the Cole Land Transportation Museum.

The Bangor Public Library will be host to two discussions related to “The Diary of Anne Frank.” At 7 p.m. Nov. 7, Pat Shulman, a teacher at the William S. Cohen School in Bangor, will lead a family discussion on the original book version of the diary titled “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.”

At 7 p.m. Nov. 21, Kathleen Ellis, an English instructor at the University of Maine, will lead a discussion comparing the 1947 book and the 1997 adaptation of the play by Kesselman. Copies the texts are available at the library’s circulation desk.

On Nov. 17, Rabbi Barry Krieger of the University of Maine Hillel will join director’s forum participants including PTC-MSF producing artistic director Mark Torres and actors from the show, immediately after the performance. Nov. 17 is also World Peace Day.

Student matinee performances are scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 20-22. Each performance will be followed by a discussion about the Holocaust In addition, participating schools will provide student artwork, poems and other materials for display in the theater lobby during the run of the play.

A display titled “Soul Survivors: Legacy of the Holocaust” by Jack Montgomery, will hang in the Bangor Opera House Nov. 11-24. The collection contains 19 black-and-white portraits of Maine Holocaust survivors accompanied by their oral testimony. The exhibit is curated by Steve Hochstadt, a professor at Bates College.

Major sponsors of “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Beyond Tolerance” include the National Endowment for the Arts, the Maine Community Foundation’s Cummings Fund and the Hampton Inn. Patrons include Affiliated Healthcare Systems, the Cole Land Transportation Museum, Dead River Co., Jewish Community Endowment Associates, the Max Kagan Family Foundation, Jerry and Jacqui Kaufman, the Kenduskeag Foundation and Leonard and Renee Minsky.

Additional support is provided by WLBZ 2 as Season Sponsor and the Bangor Daily News. Information may be obtained by calling 942-3333 or visiting the box office at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St., noon-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The box office also is open performance Saturdays and one hour before shows. Regular performances will be held:

. 8 p.m. Nov. 15, 22, 23.

. 5 p.m. Nov. 16.

. 2 p.m. Nov. 17, 24.

. 7 p.m. Nov. 21.

Information is available on the Web at PenobscotTheatre.org or MaineShakespeare.org. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more, students, educators, seniors and military personnel.

Closing the 2002 season is the annual family classic, “A Christmas Carol” at the Bangor Opera House, Dec. 11-23. The 2003 season starts in March with the season opener, “Blithe Spirit” by Noel Coward.