Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The Stratford Perth Museum will be home to a truly extraordinary exhibit from the Anne Frank House this summer.
In connection with the Stratford Festival, which will produce “The Diary of Anne Frank” next season, a travelling exhibit from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam will be on display here from June until October.
“This should be a 'must see' for everyone in Perth County and beyond! Anne Frank still stands today as a universal symbol of the tragedy of discrimination and religious persecution,” said David Stones, Stratford Perth Museum chair and president.
The Anne Frank House travelling exhibits tell the story of the Jewish teen who was forced into hiding with her family and a small group of family friends to escape the Nazis. They hid for about two years in the secret annex before they were discovered and taken to Auschwitz concentration camp. Anne's father Otto Frank was the only survivor but Anne's diary has sold more than 30 million copies and stands as an enduring testament of her courage.
“It's through Anne's life story that we can best understand the impact historical events have on a personal life,” said Julie Couture, coordinator of Canadian educational projects at the Anne Frank House. “Visitors and school groups will be invited through this exhibition to remember major events of WW II both in Canada and Europe and to reflect on the relevancy of this history in today's society.”
Anne Frank House travelling exhibits have been shown in more than 80 countries since 1985. In fact, there will be two other exhibits in Canada: one in Quebec City and one in Whitehorse. Originally the idea was to send those exhibits to the Stratford Perth Museum.
Those plans changed after Couture visited the area and saw the historical connection between Perth County and Holland. Dutch conscripts were stationed in Stratford and visited by Dutch Princess Juliana while she was in exile in Ottawa. The contributions of the Perth Regiment were also highlighted while Couture was here.
The result is a unique show.
“She created a third exhibit, a new exhibit, which reflects on the liberation of the Netherlands,” said John Kastner, general manager of the Stratford Perth Museum.
The role Canadian, including Perth Regiment soldiers, played in the liberation of Holland likely helped persuade Couture the museum is an ideal place for an exhibit in the first place, Kastner said.
The partnership between the museum and Stratford Festival was another good reason, he suggested. The play is expected to bring in tens of thousands of adults and students to the area.
“The story of Anne Frank has captivated people since her war time diary was published in 1947,” said Festival executive director Anita Gaffney. “The exhibit will be a wonderful complement to our production and will provide another reason to draw people to the community.”
There's also a large Dutch community in Perth County—about 8,000 people here identify themselves as Dutch, Kastner said.
The museum itself charmed her too.
“One thing she liked about the museum is that the exhibit will be on two floors and that will give the illusion of going up to the attic,” Kastner said.
This the second major exhibit at the museum, in cooperation with the Festival, in as many years. This past summer the museum hosted a showing of Shakespeare's First Folio.
In addition to the exhibit here, THEMUSEUM in Kitchener will host a wider exploration of the Holocaust in a series of black and white photographs called “Fragments: Portraits of Survivors.” It will also include artifacts from the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.
As June gets closer, the Stratford Perth Museum will be looking for docents to lead tours. There will be a two-day workshop at a later date to prepare volunteers.
“We expect a lot of interest in that from school kids,” Kastner said.
Advance tickets to the exhibit will be sold through the Festival box office. Same day tickets will be sold at the museum. It's important to note, the museum limits the number of people inside to 60 at any one time.
By Laura Cudworth for www.stratfordbeaconherald.com.
2014-12-11
Stratford: Anne Frank exhibition to complement Festival production of "The Diary of Anne Frank"