The Diary of Anne Frank

“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” – Anne Frank. Sponsored by ENT & Allergy Consultants, Theatre Bristol brings Anne Frank’s voice to life on stage weekends March 3-19. Tickets on sale now at theatrebristol.org/tickets.

“During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Anne Frank began to keep a diary on June 14, 1942, two days after her 13th birthday and twenty-two days before going into hiding with her parents, sister, and three other people. Hiding in the sealed-off upper rooms of the annex of her father’s office building in Amsterdam, Anne and the others cope with the day-to-day struggles of life in cramped quarters, as the spectre of tragedy looms, ever-present, over their every move.” (Concord Theatricals)

Performances are Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:30 pm at Theatre Bristol’s ARTspace stage, 506 State Street, Bristol, TN. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, plus processing fees.

Directing “The Diary of Anne Frank” is Theatre Bristol veteran director, Camille Gray, with recent directing credits of “Twelfth Night,” “All Together Now!,” “Julius Caesar,” and “Cinderella.” Camille is supported by stage manager Ann Vance, assistant stage manager Emma Cornett, producer Samantha Gray, costumers Adriel Slaughter and Leticia Peltzer, and properties artisan Rebecca Ryan, sound operator Carrie Cornett, lighting designer Albert Tester, and master carpenter Ken Cornett, along with Theatre Bristol crew.

The role of Anne Frank is shared by Lucy Claire Foy and Erica LaFollette. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, is played by Dan Gray, and Shannon Bolick portrays the role of Anne’s mother, Edith Frank. Becca Bolick is Anne’s sister, Margot Frank. Mike Locke and Leah Graham fill the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan, and Ethan Baker plays their son and Anne’s love-interest, Peter Van Daan. Tony DeVault is Jan Dussel, Anne’s roommate. The protectors, Miep Gies and Mr. Kraler, are played by Amber Wiley and Richard Albright, respectively.

This original stage adaptation of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, edited by Otto Frank, won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, Critics Circle Award, and virtually every other coveted prize of the theatre.

“There is so much beauty, warm humor, gentle pity… in The Diary of Anne Frank that it is difficult to imagine how this play could be contained in one set on one stage… this is a fine drama.” – The New York Daily News

Playwrights “Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett have fashioned a wonderfully sensitive and theatrically craftsmanlike narrative out of the real-life legacy left us by a spirited and straightforward Jewish girl… as bright and shining as a banner.” –The New York Herald-Tribune

“A moving document on the stage.” – The New York Post

Theatre Bristol is pleased to present The Diary of Anne Frank as part of its family-friendly 58th season of ARTspace and The Paramount Center for the Arts shows, including The Diaries of Adam & Eve, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Seussification of Romeo & Juliet, Oklahoma!, A Christmas Carol, PLAYtime in the ARTspace weekly children’s show, School of Theatre Arts classes and workshops, and The StART of Adventure Summer Camp.

Founded in 1965 by Cathy DeCaterina, Theatre Bristol is a community theatre serving all ages that also has the distinction as the oldest continually running children’s theatre in northeast Tennessee. Located on historic State Street in Bristol, it also serves southwest Virginia. Its Main Stage season consists of drama, comedy, and musical productions that take place in the 100-seat blackbox ARTspace and at the Paramount Center for the Arts. Theatre Bristol is a volunteer-operated community organization and we invite you to get involved.

“The Diary of Anne Frank” is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service. www.dramatists.com.

For tickets and information, visit www.theatrebristol.org, follow TheatreBristolTN on Facebook, call 423-212-3625, or email info@theatrebristol.org.