Open Stage To Stream THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
By: A.A. Cristi
For 20 years, Open Stage produced The Diary of Anne Frank for schools in the Harrisburg area, and was seen by over 35,000 students across Pennsylvania. Like countless shows across the country, the 21st production was shut down the week before opening in March of 2020.
On the final night that the cast and crew were able to gather back in mid-March, and as Governor Tom Wolf was expected to make an imminent announcement regarding a statewide shutdown, staff members made the decision to capture the last dress rehearsal with three HD cameras they had available, and archive the show. The cast and crew, of course, never saw an audience as the upcoming performances, which had over 2500 tickets booked, were cancelled.The staff set to work to work to contact the licensing company to get permission to stream performances of the edited video, be shared with the city that had supported the show for two decades. Now, as the pandemic continues, and theatres are share online content across the country, the importance of this final performance where the artists of Open Stage were able to gather has not been lost on any of the people who worked on the production.
With the permission of Dramatists Play Service, Open Stage will be streaming this production on July 19 at 7:00pm. Access will be available through tickets purchased at openstagehbg.com, and will be streamed through the website. Set during one of history's most brutal periods, the Holocaust, the play is based on the actual diary of a young girl who comes of age while hiding from the Nazis in a tiny, overcrowded attic with her family for more than two years. During their confinement, Anne discovers herself as a beautiful, thoughtful, and extraordinary girl. Her story is a constant reminder to us all of the power of the human spirit, a reminder that lifts us up in a torrential an uncertain time in our history.
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