The Diary of Anne Frank

by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman

Production Dates: August 1-3 and 8-10

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.

Additional Audition Dates

- Sunday, June 8 — 2 PM to 4 PM
- Monday, June 9 — 5 PM to 7 PM

Characters::

Anne Frank (Female; 15-21): 13 year-old girl, ages to 15,
warm, witty, intelligent, charming, self-aware, sensitive, often impatient, sometimes a know-it-all
open, determined, easily hurt, spirited, hopeful, fun-loving, desperate, with all the longings,
expectations and attitudes that adolescence brings. Though hiding and living in constant fear and
isolation, she never gave up. She had a fraught relationship with her mother, adored her father, and
lovingly envied her sister.


Margot Frank (Female; 16-25) 15 year-old sister of Anne, ages to 17, pretty, quiet, obedient,
demure, frail, friendly, very intelligent, overwhelmed by the trials of hiding, very close to her mother
and father. Like Anne, she longed for a friend in whom she could confide. She played the role of peacemaker
when Anne overstepped. She was a good girl and was admired by all.

Edith Frank (Female; 30’s or 40’s) A lovely woman, wife and mother, from a wealthy German family,
reticent loving, moral, concerned, gracious, cultured, devoted to tradition, devastated by her relationship
with Anne, barely able to cope with the demands of everyday life in hiding and isolation, tries very hard to
accommodate the lower middle-class van Daan family whose uncouth and argumentative ways are an irritant to her
and causes her to finally erupt into a seething rage.

Otto Frank (Male; Mid 40’s to 50’s) Father of Anne and Margot and head of the group living in his Annex,
upper middle class background, a wise man, fair, loyal, attentive, patient, intelligent, soft, level-headed,
optimistic, genuinely liked people, decision-maker, teacher, beloved by his workers who protected him and his
family as well as the other tenants of the Annex throughout the war. He was especially susceptible to Anne’s charms.
He was devoted to his wife, Edith, and comforted her whenever she was depressed about their living conditions,
the attitudes of the van Daans/Dussel, or her relationship with Anne.

Peter Van Daan (male; 15-21) 17 year-old boy, ages to 19, withdrawn, unsure, awkward, immature, shy,
sometimes amusing, attached to his cat, tries to stay out of everyone’s way, hates his mother and father’s constant
quarrels, ages from the introverted teenager to the more mature 19 year-old who enjoys the company of the girls
and who begins to be interested in all the other occupants of the Annex.

Petronella Van Daan (female; 30’s to 40’s) Loud, egotistical, talky, often crude, suspicious, bossy, moody,
self-important, overbearing, critical of others, flirtatious, manipulative, sometimes depressed, enjoys a good laugh
or story, more accepting of her introverted son, delusional about her younger self’s popularity and looks, feels
if she is the Queen Bee in the group, chafes under her husband’s control, tries to run the household.
A big stirrer-upper! Yet she is amazingly acceptable.

Hermann Van Daan (male; late 40’s to 50’s)Dour, selfish, complaining, ungrateful, superficial,
quarrelsome, dictatorial, highly critical of his son Peter, easily irritated, is rather withdrawn from the other
occupants of the Annex. His transgression causes the great blow-up in the Annex.

Mr. Dussel(male, 50’s) Dentist, stodgy, old-fashioned, disciplined, hypercritical, selfish, horrified
at Anne’s behavior, genuinely does not like people, picky, unhappy with everything, a man who has not come to terms
with his situation, whiny, a perfectionist, ungrateful, and easily angered.

Miep Gies(Female; mid’s 20’s to 30’s) Austrian refugee living in the Netherlands, employed by Mr. Frank,
entrusted by Otto Frank with provisioning the occupants of the Annex and hiding them from the outside world, she collected
fake ration cards, purchased all their foodstuffs, visited the library on their behalf, and generally tried to keep their
spirits up. She was courageous, empathetic, compassionate, and friendly.

Mr. Krahler (male, 40’s) Dutch, helps Miep with the responsibilities of feeding and hiding the occupants of
he Annex, is an employee of Mr. Frank’s company, a trusted colleague and friend. He is sympathetic to their plight, does
what he can for them, and runs the company in Mr. Frank’s name, an honest and good man.

Audition Notes:
Actors of all gender-identities, ages and races are welcome and highly encouraged to audition.
However, as this play is based on real people and a historically tragic event, all actors need to be comfortable and willing to portray the characters on stage as their listed gender.

CREW:

Director

Elle Winchester

Stage Manager

Jacque Cohoon

Producer

Cynthia Taylor

Light Design

TBA

Sound Design

TBA

Set Design

TBA

Costume Design

Stephanie Moeller

Props Chair

TBA

Set Builder

TBA

Poster Design

Madison Duling

Email us at office@playcrafters.com, to ask about any open positions.