THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK Begins Next Week At Herberger Theatre

Wendy Kesselman's dynamic adaptation of France Goodrich and Albert Hackett's The Diary of Anne Frank arrives at The Herberger Theatre Center from September 11-28, featuring teen actors alongside some of the Valley's most well-known professionals.

The production serves middle school audiences with additional performances for the general public. In this play, 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 play captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence along with their fear, their hope, their laughter, and their grief.

With understated design elements, this production focuses on the story's humanity. Arizona mandates schools teach events of the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between seventh and twelfth grades and Director Jodie Weiss advocates the benefits of engaging with the material onstage. “Creative learning like that sticks with a person — for 99% of people — much longer than just reading it in a book,” she says. The impact is heightened by Holocaust survivor Dirk van Leenan's post-show talks and student Q&As. The public performances offer the broader community an opportunity to heal divisions at a time when anti-Semitism is increasingly prevalent.

High schooler Ariella Centeno of Prescott plays Anne Frank. “Since I was a child, I have been told the family history of my grandparents barely escaping the Holocaust. My great-grandfather, who recently passed away, was adamant that these stories continue to be passed down so that history doesn't repeat itself,” she shares. “I feel so honored to play Anne and bring her story to life for other kids in my generation.” The producers were committed to hiring a Jewish director, and Weiss brings important cultural understanding, awareness, and sensitivity to the project. She sees this play as critical to exposing, “An ever-present danger of this happening right now.”

The cast features Valley favorites from Arizona Theatre Company, The Phoenix Theatre Company, Southwest Shakespeare Company. Childsplay resident artists Debra K. Stevens and Jon Gentry are joined by union actors Rusty Ferracane, Brenda Jean Foley, and D. Scott Withers, along with Spencer Wareing, Alison Campbell, Zachary Sciortino, Beau Heckman, and Drew Leathem. Fight choreographer Rachelle Dart, Lighting Designer Tim Monson, Sound Designer Chris Neumeyer, Video Designer Ricky Araiza, Costume Coordinator Haley Larson, Props Coordinator Natalie Ward, and Stage Manager Aurora Winger complete the creative team.

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