Anne Frank may have died at the hands of the Nazis more than 60 years ago, but her story still remains as relevant today as ever. It's perhaps the reason why the Leonor and Alvin Segal Theatre has decided to open their 2007-2008 season with this powerful work.
The Diary of Anne Frank, written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, is the impassioned drama of the legendary journals of a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II.
Her journal details how she and four other family friends, the Van Daans and local dentist Mr. Dussell, are forced to spend 25 months in the confines of a concealed storage attic in the annex of rooms above her father's office.
After being betrayed to the Nazis, everyone was arrested and deported to the concentration camps, where everyone, with the exception of her father, died of typhus.Young Anne accurately and eloquently describes the tension and aggravation of being isolated from the rest of the world, the constant threat of discovery and deportation, the daily arguments, the laughter, as well as the hope for a positive outcome, as seen by the eyes of a 15-year-old girl.
Director Marcia Kash explains why she feels the play still has social resonance today.
"Unfortunately, we live in a world in which we still battle racism, prejudice, hate, corruption, greed and the abuse of power. Despite pledging to learn from history, we haven't. The world still turns away at critical times. We need only look at Rwanda, Darfur, North Korea." From the 10,000 Jews who went into hiding, approximately 5,000 of them were betrayed. It's important to remember these facts; to remember that vigilance and awareness is important and that choosing to do nothing about what is morally wrong is almost as bad as committing the act yourself.
Anne Frank's diary, saved during the war by a family friend, has been translated into 67 languages and is one of the most widely read books in the world.
The Diary of Anne Frank will be presented until November 4. For tickets and/or information on the play, you can call Admission at 514-790-1245 or the Box Office at 514-739-7944 or you can log on to:
www.segalcentre.org. The Segal Centre for Performing Arts at the Saidye is located at 5170 Cote Ste Catherine Road.
by Toula Foscolos 
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