“In spite of everything, I still believe people are truly good at heart”
(The Diary of Anne Frank)
Earlier this month, the Marist College Theatre Program in conjunction with the Marist College Club of Theatre Arts (MCCTA) presented The Diary of Anne Frank, the beautifully tragic tale told through the eyes and ultimately the diary of Anne Frank, one of the most notable historical figures of all time. After a short five week rehearsal process, this production directed by Jim Steinmeyer ran from Oct. 8 to Oct. 11 with a total of five performances held in the Nelly Goletti Theater. One of these performances was a special showing for local middle and high schools and included a talkback at the conclusion of the performance where students were able to ask the director, cast and crew questions. The Sunday matinee was a special performance as well, incorporating ASL interpreters as well as another talkback for members of the community.
The Cast:
Anne Frank– Katie Morreale (Freshman)
Otto Frank-Austin Christensen (Senior)
Edith Frank– Molly Fedigan (Sophomore)
Margot Frank- Gabriela Morris (Sophomore)
Petronella Van Daan– Claudia Marino (Freshman)
Hermann Van Daan- Tommy Ranieri (Sophomore)
Peter Van Daan- Dan Ahl
Alfred Dussel- Mike Poyntz (Freshman)
Miep Gies- Katie Wilhelm (Senior)
Mr. Kraler- Brian Bocanegra (Freshman)
Nazi Officers- Evan Brucia (Senior)
Alex Polzun (Sophomore)
Mike Parisi (Senior)
(Katie Morreale and Gabriela Morris)
This cast, with only two seniors playing major roles, was very young. There were four freshmen that were cast, one being Katie Morreale who tackled the difficult role of Anne Frank. “My first reaction was ‘oh my gosh, is this real life?’” Morreale said upon seeing she had been cast as Anne Frank. “I covered my mouth and spun around in a circle and immediately thought about who I was going to tell first. My family and friends back at home were the first people I ended up telling! Steven (LaMaita) was in the green room with me and I gave him a huge hug. The whole thing was just so surreal I couldn’t even believe it was real life.”
Preparing to Bring the Story to Life
One of the goals of director Jim Steinmeyer and production manager Steven LaMaita as well as the rest of the cast and crew was to perform this story so it reflected on modern day issues, but still remained true to the original story of The Diary of Anne Frank. Being true to the story and the characters required a extensive amount of research. It is for this reason that Steinmeyer decided he would need a dramaturge for this project. Junior Rebekkah Colclasure took on this position and started her research and work back in May, compiling as much research about the play, the time period and the characters as possible. In the early stages of rehearsals, Colclasure gave each of the actors a booklet containing details of their characters’ lives, in order to help them connect more with their roles. The house design, primarily created by LaMaita and Colclasure, was the first sight audience members recognized upon entering the lounge just outside the theater and contained real photographs of the characters in the show as well as a timeline outlining the events of the war. Publicity videos were also released on social media, providing viewers with live images and video from World War II and the Holocaust. In addition to this immense amount of prep work, the cast had to do their own research in order to portray their characters accurately and meaningfully. Junior Mike Pair gave the cast Hebrew lessons so that they could pronounce prayers and songs properly in several of the scenes.
But the most incredible moment of the process occurred when local Holocaust survivor Michael Silberstein came to Marist to talk to the cast and crew about his experiences living as a Jewish boy in the midst of World War II and ultimately surviving the Holocaust. I was fortunate enough to be present at this talk. Hearing his story of survival and how he has prospered and built up his life despite his difficult past was a once in a lifetime experience that immeasurably impacted all of us. Perhaps the most striking thing Silberstein said to those present after telling his unbelievable life story was, “I have no complaints.”
Silberstein was in attendance at the Saturday evening performance, along with his wife Lillian. As the cast took their bow, Silberstein promptly stood up and applauded. Katie Wilhelm, who played the role of Miep Gies commented on this, “When I first noticed that it was in fact Michael Silberstein who stood up for us, it was insanely emotional. Knowing that we told the story to the point where he felt compelled to give us a standing ovation was the most amazing feeling in the world. It felt like if we had failed in every other regard, at least we made him proud.” I think it goes without saying that the cast and crew of this production did quite the opposite of failing. MCCTA and the Marist Theatre Program truly outdid themselves with this show. Everyone involved from the actors to the production team to designers to audience members was undoubtedly impacted by this moving performance. It is one that showed us all what is truly important in life, gave us hope, and reminded us that we should never forget.
Click the links below for access to The Diary of Anne Frank publicity videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1iQeDOGcaQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBrUB5vT6eY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmm_RKxYMpk
(Left to right: Tommy Ranieri, Mike Poyntz, Austin Christensen,
Claudia Marino, Molly Fedigan, Alex Polzun)
(Katie Morreale and Austin Christensen)
Photos by Stephanie Jones