THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

Director:Deborah Merola

Group:One World Theatre, Nepal

Playwright:Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich

Duration Of The Play: 1 hr 55 mins

Languages:English

The Play

The Diary of Anne Frank chronicles the true story of Anne Frank and her family while they were in hiding during the Holocaust. For two years they lived in a secret annex with Mr. Frank’s business partner, Mr. Van Daan, his wife and son, and a dentist, Mr. Dussel - all Jews trying to escape the Nazis. While in hiding, Anne struggles with the challenges of being a teenager: schooling, parental relationships, maturing from child to adult, and falling in love. These challenges are heightened by the experience of being locked away with seven other people in one room for two years. Moments from these years are shared with the audience through the words of Anne Frank’s actual diary.

Director’s Note

Such is the influence of Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl that many young girls the world over identify with her. Her determination “to be somebody” – to go to Paris, to be a journalist, to write – resonates deeply with the youth in Nepal today, trying to find their own voices. This play also gives us a moral lesson of what gets lost in hatred and discrimination; and the capacity of ordinary people, like the Dutch who aid the Franks, to act with courage. As Mr. Frank says to Anne, we “can only try to set a good example…point the way. The rest you must do yourself. You must build your own character.”