The tragic story of Anne Frank and her family has become one of the best known chapters in the history of the Holocaust. Two families and one dentist, eight Jewish people in all, crowded into the top floors of the annex of a manufacturing plant in Amsterdam, hiding from the Nazis. For over two years these amazingly brave individuals lived their lives at night when the plant was closed and spent each day in complete silence lest a noise alert the workers below them. It is the story of the simple events of daily living suddenly made remarkable and precious by the constant threat of discovery and disaster that lay outside the annex. Chronicled in the diary kept by Anne Frank, the play brings to life the joys, the tensions, the yearnings, and the passion for life expressed especially by Anne in her own words. The play is in effect a dramatic exploration of the spirit and uncanny wisdom of Anne Frank, and the powerful retort it makes to the brutality of Nazi tyranny.
For Suffield Academy's production, we decided to find a balance between Anne's words and the reality of the world outside the annex walls. By including audio and visual elements to enhance the reality of their situation, we hope to tell a story of hope set in the reality of a nightmare. When the cast explored the Holocaust, we visited with Margot Jeremias, a survivor, in Hartford. She told her story and it became clear to these group of students why this production is so significant. We must always remember, even if some of those memories are hard to reimagine.
I am extremely proud of this cast and crew. They have handled this material with maturity and professionalism.
Enjoy the show!
-Thomas Dugan
