| dramatised by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
Directed by Emma Kimsey
October 9, 10 & 11, 2014
| Mr Frank |
Mark Kimsey |
| Miep Gies |
Jo Williams |
| Mrs Van Daan |
Valerie Clarke |
| Mr Van Daan |
Malcolm Bentote |
| Peter Van Daan |
Adrian Sykes |
| Mrs Frank |
Sue Worker |
| Margot Frank |
Charlotte Smith |
| Anne Frank |
Charlotte Kimsey |
| Mr Kraler |
Graeme Gibault |
| Mr Dussel |
David Bowers |
Programme Notes
[Photographs]
[Printed Programme]
The action takes place in the top floors of a warehouse in Amsterdam, Holland
ACT I
Scene 1: November 1945 Late afternoon
Scene 2: July 1942 Early morning
Scene 3: August 1942 A few minutes after 6pm
Scene 4: September 1942 Midnight
INTERVAL
Scene 5: December 1942 Night
ACT II
Scene 1: January 1944 Late afternoon
Scene 2: March 1944 Evening
Scene 3: April 1944 Night
Scene 4: July 1944 Afternoon
Scene 5: November 1945 Late aafternoon
The Story of Anne Frank
Tonight's performance is based upon the true story of the Frank family during the Second World War.
Anne Frank's family had lived in Franfurt am Main, Germany, for many generations. Otto Frank was born in 1889
and served in the German army in the First World War. After this, he worked in the family bank and met Edith Hollander,
11 years his junior. They married in 1925 and gave birth to Margot in 1926. Annaliese Marie (Anne)
was born on 12th June 1929 in Frankfurt.
In 1933, Otto moved his family to Amsterdam as he had begun to see the beginning of the anti-Jewish boycott.
Here they lived a happy and settled life in a house on Merwedeplein, a prosperous district in the southern part
of the city, until May 1940 when the Germans invaded Holland, bringing numerous anti-Jewish laws.
At this point Otto decided to take his family into hiding, known as 'diving'.
With the help of his Dutch staff, a hiding place was prepared for both his family and the Van Pels family
(known as the Van Daan family in the diary). Mr Van daan worked in Otto's company. On 5th July 1942,
Matgot received a letter instructing her to report to a labour camp and so Otto rushed his plans along and,
on 6th July, moved into the 'secret annexe' which was on the two upper floors of his workplace.
Later they were joined by a dentist, Fritz Pfeffer (Mr Dussel in Anne's diary).
Going into hiding was made possible by the bravery of a few people who risked their lives by supplying food.
Anne wrote in her diary which she treated as her closest friend and called Kitty, 'It is amazing how much noble,
unselfish work these people are doing, risking their own lives to help and save others'.
They stayed in hiding for two years until the 4th August 1944. Although the play suggests the circumstances
of their discovery, it is not in fact known how their hiding place was betrayed. Only Otto Frank survived.
After the war, he at first wanted to burn everything that reminded him of the time in the attic but his
friends persuaded him to publish the diary. Since then, more than 18 million copies have been sold.
Anne's story is a fragment of what has become known as the Holocaust when almost six million jews lost their lives.
Her story ensures we never forget the horrors of racism wherever it occurs.
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