Lee Street Theatre and St. Thomas Players Bring Anne Frank's Diary to Life

When the Nazis arrested 15-year-old Anne Frank in 1944, her diary was tucked away in a briefcase, and had the Nazis not dumped its contents during a search for what they might call "valuables," the diary would have been lost to time. Miep Gies, one of the Franks' Dutch protectors, found it on the floor. She knew how important the diary was to Anne, who had shared her dream of becoming a famous writer, and hoped to return it to her after the war. But that never happened, and Anne's father Otto, the lone survivor, worked hard after her death to get the diary published. He too understood its value, knew what Adolph Hitler did not and would never understand: that a girl's hope, laid out in words, is priceless.

St. Thomas Players, the drama company of Center for Faith & the Arts, partners with Lee Street theatre to stage The Diary of Anne Frank, created from the diary by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett and newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman. Directed by longtime Artistic Director Claudia Galup, the ensemble features a host of St. Thomas newcomers: 16-year-old Ava Holtzman as Anne, Bill Reilly as Otto Frank, Amber Watson as Edith Frank, Zoë Watson as Margot Frank, Chris Eller as Mr. van Daan, Blake Sakeli as Peter van Daan, GRay Miller as a Nazi, Dylan Ellerbee as Mr. Kraler, and Sara Lee as Miep Gies. Mike Cline as an arresting Dutch officer, Seth Labowitz as Mr. Dussel, and Alice Rich as Mrs. van Daan round out the cast. Set design is by Catawba student Larissa Garcia and Lee Street Technical Director Chris Speer.

This production may be inappropriate for young children.

Performances run February 23-25 and March 2-4 at 7:30pm with a matinee performance March 5 at 2:30pm. Performances will take place in the Lee Street Theatre and Performing Arts Center at the Tom and Martha Smith Event Center on 329 N Lee Street, Salisbury, NC 28144. Tickets are $15+tax and are available now at www.leestreet.org or via phone 704-310-5507.