Central High School Theatre Presents The Diary of Anne Frank

Salina Public Schools— 10/27/2023 7 pm; 10/28/2023 7 pm; 10/29/2023 2:30 pm

On October 27-29, Central High School Theatre will be presenting the play, The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman. THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK KESSELMAN is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

Tickets are on sale online and will also be available at performances. Ticket prices for the production are $7 adults, $5 students with ZERO credit service charges added to this price if using a credit card online to pre-purchase tickets. Running time is approximately 2 hours including one 15 minute intermission between each act. The production is directed by Bill Weaver, Central High School Technical Director, who is assisted by Barbara Hilt, Central High School Theatre teacher and program director.

Synopsis
In this transcendently powerful new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman, Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination. An impassioned drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic, The Diary of Anne Frank captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence—their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief. Each day of these two dark years, Anne's voice shines through: "When I write I shake off all my cares. But I want to achieve more than that. I want to be useful and bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death!" This is a new adaptation for a new generation.

Quote about the production from the director:
"The play The Diary of Anne Frank is an important piece of theatre that needs to be done and done again and again. We need to be reminded that the Holocaust should never happen again. These are real people and their stories need to be told.” -Bill Weaver (director of the production)

“I want to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to be a part of the telling of Anne’s story. I say story rather than show because that’s what The Diary of Anne Frank is; a story accounting real events that happened in real people’s lives. They aren’t made up characters who live lives on the stage that never actually happened in real life. They’re people who had to go through the horrors of the Holocaust. I believe that this story is vital to be shared beacuse of how it humanizes the victims of the Holocaust. It wasn’t just six million Jewish people that died. It was six million lives, and each life had their own story just like you and I. I hope you will join us as we walk through the stories of eight people whose lives were turned upside down by the Holocaust. While I can’t promise that it’ll be as fun as a comedy…I can promise that it will truly touch your heart.”-Alyssa Maas (portrays Anne Frank)