Peter Van Daan News

Playhouse on Park's eleventh season continues with Barbara Lebow's A SHAYNA MAIDEL, running October 30 a?" November 17. A SHAYNA MAIDEL is a powerful and poignant drama of survival and strength about two sisters trying to reconnect after years of separation brought on by the Holocaust. Although born in Poland, Rose, now in her twenties came to the United States with her father, Mordechai, at the age of four and is now completely 'Americanized.' A burden of guilt and deeply mixed feelings engulf the aging Mordechai as he awaits the arrival of his elder daughter, Lusia, who has, at last, found her way to America. A SHAYNA MAIDEL explores family, faith, and forgiveness in the pursuit of a better future.

As we remember the 75th anniversary of D-day, it is important to remember why D-Day was so important. When the allied forces invaded France, it was a turning point in World War II. When a little girl in hiding found out about the invasion, she had hope that she would one day be able to come out of hiding and live freely again. That little girl's name was Anne Frank. Ankeny Community Theatre is making sure her story is not forgotten with their current production of 'The Diary of Anne Frank.'

Anne Frank's diary is one of the best-known artifacts documenting daily life during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. Anne Frank's ability to describe every event in detail brings a deep understanding of the horrors of the time.

Sit in a crowded attic room, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You never get to go outside, and during the day you can't make any noise. If you do, monstrous people will find you can take you away to be killed simply because you're different from them. Do this for two years. Now, one last thing, have a positive attitude the entire time. Such is the ordeal Anne Frank, a 13-year-old girl, her family and others had to endure during the German occupation of Amsterdam between 1942 and 1944 and, of course, the subject of one of the most famous accounts during World War II, "The Diary of Anne Frank", currently being presented in play form at Seattle Children's Theatre. But beyond the lovely performances and impactful presentation, hopefully viewers will come away realizing how fortunate we are for the freedoms we still have and how important it is to look out for those that are being marginalized.

The Diary of Anne Frank was a specific recounting of a specific time in world history. But it wouldn't be timeless if that was all. Young Miss Frank's personal musings was about every girl growing up in the 1940s. The fact that it took place while the author was huddled in a corner attic hiding from the Gestapo is important, to be sure, but not everything about this tale. She ponders, in her advanced-for-her-age writing style, the experience of growing into a young woman. How it feels to have a first crush. How to live in a multi-generational and enforced quiet community when everything about you wants to jump and play.

After a sold out run last fall, the recent revival of The Diary of Anne Frank, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett and newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman ('97 Broadway version) will return for a limited engagement previewing January 11, 2019.

Playhouse on Park is proud to announce the phenomenal cast for Dale Wasserman's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, opening on October 31. 

DSA Theatre Troupe 5765 brings one of the most powerful stories of the 20th century to their intimate Black Box Theatre. Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's The Diary of Anne Frank gives introspection into Anne Frank's daily life in the annex, her coming-of-age story, and blossoming relationship with housemate Peter Van Daan in her two-years of hiding. This is a dynamic exploration of the 'banality of evil' and the ever present flame of hope in the story of a Jewish girl in Amsterdam during World War II, and her family's desperate attempt to preserve humanity in an inhumane world. Seven decades later, Anne Frank's message still resonates with young people around the world.

DSA Theatre Troupe 5765 brings one of the most powerful stories of the 20th century to their intimate Black Box Theatre. Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's The Diary of Anne Frank gives introspection into Anne Frank's daily life in the annex, her coming-of-age story, and blossoming relationship with housemate Peter Van Daan in her two-years of hiding. This is a dynamic exploration of the 'banality of evil' and the ever present flame of hope in the story of a Jewish girl in Amsterdam during World War II, and her family's desperate attempt to preserve humanity in an inhumane world. Seven decades later, Anne Frank's message still resonates with young people around the world.

DSA Theatre Troupe 5765 brings one of the most powerful stories of the 20th century to their intimate Black Box Theatre. Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's The Diary of Anne Frank gives introspection into Anne Frank's daily life in the annex, her coming-of-age story, and blossoming relationship with housemate Peter Van Daan in her two-years of hiding. This is a dynamic exploration of the 'banality of evil' and the ever present flame of hope in the story of a Jewish girl in Amsterdam during World War II, and her family's desperate attempt to preserve humanity in an inhumane world. Seven decades later, Anne Frank's message still resonates with young people around the world.

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.

Actor Brent Carver has withdrawn from the Stratford Festival's 2018 season for personal reasons. He was to play the role of Ariel in The Tempest. 

Geva Theatre Center's 2017-2018 Season continues with The Diary of Anne Frank, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman and directed by David Ira Goldstein, in the Elaine P. Wilson Stage from February 13 through March 18.

Building on the Blaine County School District's mission of inspiring, engaging, educating and empowering every student, Company of Fools announces the 21st year of Stages of Wonder-an in-school dramatic arts program that has served as the theatre curriculum in local elementary schools since 1997.

In a cramped, secret Amsterdam annex, alongside seven other refugees, a Jewish girl hides from the Nazis. In the midst of this nightmare scenario, Anne Frank channels her lively intelligence into a diary that resonates decades after her death. Wendy Kesselman's adaptation captures the immediacy of Anne's unique voice, and the courage and terror of a life evading Hitler's genocide of the Jews.

Geva Theatre Center's 2017-2018 Season continues with The Diary of Anne Frank, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman and directed by David Ira Goldstein, in the Elaine P. Wilson Stage from February 13 through March 18.

Looking for an amazing afternoon or evening out with your family or with friends? Come see this fantastic show featuring all of your favorite characters! The talent is phenomenal and you really could not ask for a better cast to play these iconic roles!

The Holocaust was a horrific series of experiences. As the years go by, and the survivors of the atrocities die off, leaving no one to attest to the actual pain and suffering, those who want to make sure that such experiences do not repeat themselves turn to tangible objects and written accounts.

'Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!' These inspiring words were written by a young Anne Frank in the diary that would go on to become the most famous diary in the world. Her optimism, her spirit, and her joy for life, even in the harshest of situations, has inspired so many since they were captured on the page. And, though young Anne did not live to see her own potential become reality, she left behind a first-person account that tells her story and the intricacies of the daily existence of eight people hidden away in Amsterdam during the height of World War II. Bringing those stories to life on the stage is what Playhouse on Park in West Hartford has done in their latest production of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK which has been adapted by Wendy Kesselman to include newly discovered writings and survivor accounts of life during Nazi rule.