Stage Door News
Stage Door News
April 22, 2015… The Diary of Anne Frank, one of the most impactful works of art ever created, comes alive in a breathtaking production directed by Jillian Keiley and starring Sara Farb. Previews begin on Wednesday, April 22, at the Avon Theatre.
Ms Keiley, together with designer Bretta Gerecke, the pair who gave us an ingenious staging of Alice Through the Looking-Glass last season, bring their remarkable creative vision to an inventive new production that will cross conventional boundaries to confront the story’s unfathomable reality.
“My first impetus with this production is to say: This happened,” says Ms Keiley. “I think the further we get away from that, the less possible it seems. What happened to Anne and those six million people is still so incomprehensible to us. It’s a story that must be told, because we can’t understand six million – we just don’t have the capacity – but we can understand one. Bretta, the other collaborators and I worked to create a stage and context for the production that would connect contemporary audiences to the very real people in this play.”
Within this season’s theme of Discovery: That Eureka Moment, Anne’s story epitomizes the indomitability of the human spirit, revealing a young woman’s journey of self-discovery in a life brought to a tragic end.
“We find Anne in a pivotal period of her life where she’s just starting to comprehend her place in the world,” says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “She’s questioning everything around her, with such sharp observations of her feelings and fears. Her story is one that we must continue to tell – one that not only explores a moment that changed one girl’s life, but changed the world.
“Jillian Keiley is a brilliant director known for her startlingly inventive style, and what she brings to this production is no exception. Her vision is so fresh, so unique, giving audiences a production they’re not likely to see anywhere else.”
After playing two of Shakespeare’s most significant women – Cordelia in King Lear and Jessica in The Merchant of Venice – Ms Farb will play Anne. Joining her are Lucy Peacock as Mrs. Frank, Joseph Ziegler as Mr. Frank, Kevin Bundy as Mr. van Daan, Yanna McIntosh as Mrs. van Daan and André Morin as Peter.
Artistic credits include Lighting Designer Leigh Ann Vardy, Composer Jonathan Monro, Sound Designer Don Ellis, Dramaturge Bob White, Fight Director John Stead, Movement Director Shona Morris and Choral Directors Kellie Walsh & Jonathan Monro.
The original stage adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank is by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, subsequently adapted by Wendy Kesselman.
The Diary of Anne Frank is a Schulich Children’s Plays presentation.
Support for the 2015 season of the Avon Theatre is generously provided by the Birmingham family.
Celebrate Ontario has awarded the Festival a grant of $270,000 to support the Festival’s family programming including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Sound of Music. The funding supports the development of this important new audience segment for the Festival and allows us to offer some family programming through the Forum as well. The Festival is grateful to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport for this support.
“Ontario is home to so many special festivals and events and I’m proud that our government has committed to investing in a record number of them, including the internationally recognized Stratford Festival, through the 2015 Celebrate Ontario program,” says Hon. Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Our government recognizes that festivals and events help attract visitors, create jobs and grow our economy and we wish the Stratford Festival great success as it continues to entertain audiences from Ontario and beyond this season.”
The Diary of Anne Frank Forum Highlights
The Stratford Festival Forum is a series of activities and events, including fascinating talks, interactive presentations, concerts, comedy shows and performances, that offer theatregoers a unique opportunity to delve further into the ideas and issues raised by the 2015 playbill and its theme of Discovery: That Eureka Moment.
Themes related to The Diary of Anne Frank will be explored through several Forum events, including:
Generations
Wednesday, June 10, 10:45 a.m. to noon
Studio Theatre
Actor Sara Farb speaks with her grandmother, Helen Yermus, a survivor of the Holocaust. Born in Lithuania, Ms Yermus was moved to the Kovno Ghetto during the war, and survived the Stutthoff concentration camp.
The Secret Annex
Friday, September 11, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Avon Theatre Rehearsal Hall 1
What if Anne Frank had survived the Holocaust? Company members read Alix Sobler’s play, in which Anne is living in Brooklyn as she struggles to get her diary published.
Drama for a Better World
Saturdays, July 18 and August 8, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Avon Theatre Rehearsal Hall 1
Explore themes of diversity, tolerance and inclusion through drama techniques and activities. For ages 12 to 16.
Sustaining support for the Forum is generously provided by Kelly & Michael Meighen and the T.R. Meighen Family Foundation.
Support for the 2015 season of the Forum is provided in memory of Dr. W. Philip Hayman.
Stratford Direct, the daily return private bus service, now offers two routes: Toronto to Stratford and Detroit to Stratford. The Toronto bus costs $20 round trip, departing twice daily from May 4 to September 19. The Detroit bus costs $40 round trip, departing once daily from May 26 to September 19. Both routes are available on performance days with some exceptions.
Stratford Direct is generously sponsored by the Peter Cundill Foundation.
The 2015 season, which runs from April 21 to October 18, features Hamlet, The Sound of Music, Carousel, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Taming of the Shrew, She Stoops to Conquer, The Physicists, The Alchemist, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Oedipus Rex, Possible Worlds, The Last Wife and The Adventures of Pericles. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600
Photo: Sara Farb. ©2014 Don Dixon.
2015-04-22
Stratford: "The Diary of Anne Frank" begins previews at the Stratford Festival