Summer Place Theatre will hold Auditions for The Diary of Anne Frank on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center in downtown Naperville.
The Diary of Anne Frank is being directed by Jorge Bermudez, who is returning to Summer Place Theatre after directing the hugely successful production of "South Pacific" in 2019. Second generation Dutch Holocaust survivor and Summer Place Theatre board member Steve Koek is co-producing with his wife, Andi Koek.
About the Show
The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most famous and haunting stories to emerge from the 20th Century. The memoirs of this young Jewish girl, forced to hide for nearly two years to escape Nazi persecution, are an essential part of how we remember one of the darkest periods of our human history. Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of the original, Pulitzer Prize award-winning script by Goodrich and Hackett draws from previously unpublished parts of Anne Frank’s real-life diary, allowing the audience to experience Anne in a way that breathes life into this passionate, complex young woman, allowing us to share her relatable experience of adolescence as a familiarly modern teenager.
For nearly two years, Anne, her father, mother, and sister, joined with the Van Daan family and Mr. Dussel, to hide in a secret annex space above her father’s former office in Amsterdam, as the Nazis deported the Jews of Holland to their deaths. In her secret attic, Anne comes of age: she laughs, plays, fights with her mother, and falls in love for the first time. In spite of her oppressive circumstances and the horrors that surround her, Anne’s spirit transcends, as she voices her belief, “in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” Anne’s dynamism, her luminous spirit, and her story of resilience continue to resonate deeply, making her story as vital today as when her diary first was published. “Anne Frank” is more significant than ever with the cries of racism, anti-Semitism, and increased white nationalism.
Actors who are cast should expect additional appearances and events, as well as possible media attention.
Click here for complete audition information or email auditions@summerplacetheatre.org to sign up for an audition slot. Audition call times are available at 7 pm or 8:30 pm on Friday, May 1, and 1 pm or 2:30 pm on Saturday, May 2.