“The Diary of Anne Frank" at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre -- August 1 through 10.
Friday, August 1, through Sunday, August 10
Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Avenue, Moline IL
Lauded by the New York Times as an "undeniably moving" stage work that "shatters the heart," the immortal tale of horror and hope The Diary of Anne Frank runs at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre August 1 through 10, author Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of Frances Goodrich's and Albert Hackett's Pulitzer Prize-winner hailed by the Associated Press as "a powerful new version that moves the audience to gasps, then tears."
In Kesselman's transcendently powerful new adaptation, 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 Diary of Anne Frank captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence—their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief. In each day of these two dark years, however, Anne's voice shines through. This new adaptation for a new generation, the Broadway production of which starred Natalie Portman in 1997, was hailed by the New York Post as "an extraordinary theatrical adventure," and by Newsday as "a sensitive, stirring, and thoroughly engaging new adaptation."
Making her Playcrafters directing debut with The Diary of Anne Frank is venue veteran Elle Winchester, who previously enjoyed roles in such Barn Theatre productions as The Christmas Letter Writing Club, A Murder Is Announced, and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress. Anne is portrayed by Emma Terronez (The House of Blue Leaves, Sense & Sensibility) and her father Otto Frank by Esteban Lopez (Girls' Weekend, A Streetcar Named Desire), with Winchester's gifted ensemble completed by: Victor Angelo; Lillain Dawn; Drew DeKeyrel; Jackson Grubbs; Jonna Hicks-Bird; Michael Kintigh; Kaitlyn Knepper; Shalom Moore; Jim Strauss; Keegan Walker; and Mandi Wilson. Members of the Diary of Anne Frank creative team, meanwhile, include stage manager Jacque Cohoon, producer Cynthia Taylor, costume designer Stephanie Moeller, and poster designer Madison Duling.
The Diary of Anne Frank will be staged at Moline's Barn Theatre August 1 through 10, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $12-18, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
