"The Diary of Anne Frank" to be Performed at Southern Utah University

Published: November 04, 2004 | Author: Richard Bugg | Read Time: 2 minutes

Few plays have ever celebrated the nobility of the human spirit like “The Diary of Anne Frank,” by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, which opens November 11 at Southern Utah University.

Produced by SUU’s College of Performing and Visual Arts’ Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, the play runs Nov. 11-13 and Nov. 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. in the SUU Auditorium Theatre. There will be more than one special matinee showing of this production for school children. More than 1100 middle school students from Iron County are already scheduled to attend the show as part of a Theatre Arts & Dance Department community enhancement project.

“This play is a classic,” Shauna Mendini, chair of the Theatre Arts and Dance Department, states. “It is a historical treasure, and it teaches us about the incredible power and strength of the human spirit. For these reasons, we felt it very important and worthwhile to make this production available to school children during a matinee.”

The Diary of Anne Frank is a story adapted from the actual diary of a young Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam during WWII. To avoid the death camps, Anne and her family, and several Jewish neighbors, lived in a small, secret annex in the back of her father’s shop for two years. The diary tells of Anne's struggles as a Jew and her experiences as a young woman coming of age in a time of war and turmoil.

The versatile Lillian Castillo (seen most recently as the saucy maid in “See How They Run”), plays the title role. Andrew Hunsaker, memorable in last year’s production of “The Boys Next Door,” is the pitiable Mr. Van Daan. Other veteran SUU performers include John Anderson and Cassandra Case as Anne’s parents; Jillene Stark as Miep; Josh Stavros as Mr. Dussel; and Alexis Paul as Mrs. Van Daan. Rounding out the cast are actors Mary Milner as Margot Frank; Ben Campana as Mr. Kraler; and Dan Varas as Peter Van Daan.

For tickets and information, call the Box Office at 435-586-7878.

Written by MFA student, Jim Lord

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http://www.suu.edu/pva/

Contact Information:

435-586-5400
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