When renowned Perth theatre producer and director Drew Anthony recently visited the annex in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Germans during World War II, it was especially poignant.
“It was very moving, especially knowing that I am doing the play and presenting it in Perth soon,” Drew tells Have a Go News.
“I had visited the house many years ago but it’s quite different now. It has been upgraded and it’s more of a visitor experience.
“And it’s wonderful, very moving and very heartfelt. As a result of going there, I did some little spinoff trips that I wanted to do.
“This included a horrible place called Westerbork which served as a Nazi transit camp where all the Dutch Jews, including Anne Frank and her family, went when they were rounded up. They stayed there only a few days while being processed.
“From there they were sent to the various concentration camps.
“I couldn’t believe it that when my niece and I arrived at Westerbork, a once in a five-year event was taking place in which the names of every one of the 110,000 people who went there were read out 24/7; they didn’t stop.
“It’s haunting, beautiful and emotional. There are speakers set up all over the camp and you can wander around and look at the different areas.
“I hadn’t planned on going there but when the name Westerbork kept coming up while visiting Anne Frank’s annex I decided to follow her journey.
“From there I went to Prague and discovered it is a five-hour direct rail journey to Auschwitz, where Anne and her family were sent, so I travelled there too. It’s very hard to wrap your head around the place as there is an incredible sense of sadness.”
Most people know the book, The Diary of Anne Frank, first published posthumously in 1947. It is an intimate record of a young girl’s thoughts in a diary given at her 13th birthday by her father on June 12, 1942. It was written over two years, while the Franks and another family were in hiding from the Gestapo in Amsterdam, until Anne and the others were discovered.
It was later made into a film starring Millie Perkins as Anne and Richard Beymer as Peter. The book was adapted into a stage play in the United States in the 1950s when Anne’s father, Otto, was still alive which, Drew says, means the work has a beautiful authenticity about it.
“I saw a more recent adaption on Broadway in the late 1990s with Anne’s role played by the wonderful Natalie Portman. There were some other great actors in it. It was a story I felt I always wanted to bring it to life in Australia.”
The play, the first time this true story has been brought to WA, is a beautifully crafted adaption of Anne’s diary, offering an intimate and poignant theatrical experience. It invites audiences into the annex, making them feel the weight of the circumstances while celebrating Anne’s spirit.
The Perth cast has Chloe-Jean Vincent as Anne Frank, Phil Bedworth as Otto Frank, Holly Easterbrook (Edith Frank), Ciara Taylor (Margot Frank), Matt Dyktynski (Mr Van Daan), Asha Cornelia Cluer (Mrs Van Daan) and Nathan Hampson as Peter Van Daan.
The Diary of Anne Frank, produced and directed by the Drew Anthony Creative, will be staged at the Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre, from April 15 to 19.
Bookings: www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au
