The Belmont Theatre Relives THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

The Belmont Theatre will produce the play THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK in the theatre's Bon-Ton Studio April 13-15 & 19-22. The play is by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman. Experience the horrors of German occupied Amsterdam in World War II as documented by a young girl during the Holocaust. Based on one of the world's widely known books, The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank emerges from history a living, intensely gifted young girl. She confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with 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!"

The play will be held in the theatre's Bon-Ton Studio. This theatrical experience in the studio will give the audience a feeling of how it was to be hidden in close quarters with the theatre-in-the-round setting. None of the actors leave the stage and the front row of the audience is actually sitting on the stage with the actors. The intimate setting will add to the claustrophobic reality of what happened during this horrific period of history.

One of the most discussed victims of the Holocaust, Anne Frank gained historical recognition with the publication of The Diary of a Young Girl, in which she documented her life in hiding from 1942 to 1944, during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, she lived most of her life in or near Amsterdam, Netherlands, having moved there with her family at the age of four and a half when the Nazis gained control over Germany. Born a German national, Frank lost her citizenship in 1941. By May 1940, the Franks were trapped in Amsterdam by the German occupation of the Netherlands. As persecutions of the Jewish population increased in July of 1942, the family went into hiding in some concealed rooms behind a bookcase in the building where Anne's father worked. From then until the family's arrest by the Gestapo in August 1944, Anne kept a diary she had received as a birthday present. Following their arrest, the Franks were taken to concentration camps. In the Fall of 1944, Anne and her sister, Margot, were moved from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they died from typhus a few months later.

Frank's father, Otto, the only survivor of the family, returned to Amsterdam after the war to find that her diary had been saved by one of the helpers, Miep Gies, and his efforts led to its publication in 1947. It was translated from its original Dutch version and first published in English in 1952 as The Diary of a Young Girl, and has since been translated into over 60 languages.

The play is directed by Jacklyn Keagy. The role of Anne Frank is portrayed by Syvia Weiskopf. Jack Hartman plays her father, Otto Frank. Joan Crooks plays Edith Frank. Michaela Monticchio plays Margot Frank. Rich Mehrenberg portrays Mr. Van Daan. Jen Reider as Mrs. Van Daan, Randy Kerr as Peter Van Daan, Robert Eisenhour plays Mr. Dussel. Kelly Warren plays Miep. Frank Jarrell plays Mr. Kraler. Dann Griffin, Jens Rutkowski and Dan Gilbert round out the cast as first, second and third men.

The play is sponsored by The Markets at Hanover. Supporting Sponsors include Barley Snyder LLP and The Doris and Bernard Gordon Center for Jewish Student Life at York College. Showtime is 7:30 p.m Fridays and Saturdays and the second Thursday. Sunday matinee's begin at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.thebelmont.org, by calling the box office at 717-854-5715 Monday through Friday, or at the door, if available. There is a senior citizen discount and group sales are available. The theatre is located just off of I-83 with free parking.

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