Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
On Jan. 27, 1945, Soviet Union army troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Holocaust concentration camp. This week marked the 80th anniversary of the end of one of the most horrific periods in human history, and the Grand Canyon University theatre department is remembering that time with its latest production, "The Diary of Anne Frank," which opens tonight at the Black Box Theatre.
Auschwitz survivors and world leaders gathered at the old concentration campgrounds to commemorate what might be one of the final anniversary events where Holocaust survivors are present.
“It is a great story that we need to tell and can’t forget that it happened,” said the play's director, Joanie Colson, who thought there was no better way to commemorate the anniversary than to produce the play. “The farther we get away from it, the less it is in our foreground that we think about and realize what really happened. I want to teach my students these were real people and real events.”
The play takes the audience through two years, when two Jewish families, the Franks and Van Daans, hid in a four-story annex from Nazi soldiers during the Holocaust.
Behind a bookcase, the families attempted to maintain the normalcy of their lives and relationships, despite the horrors just outside the annex's front door.
Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank finds solace in journaling about her time in the annex. Though, at the time, it was just a personal diary, now it is a testament to an unforgettable historical period.
“There is a scene where Miep (the woman who hid the two families) brings in a cake, and they fight over who is going to cut the cake to make sure that it is even,” Colson said. “I told the cast they have to think about what Miep did to make that cake. She had to save rations for weeks to get enough to make that cake. These people were starving, and they didn’t have the luxury we do to say, ‘I don’t want the cake.’
“Those are the little things that have made them (the cast) realize just what they (Holocaust families) were going through.”
The cast visited the Arizona Jewish Historical Society in Phoenix, a museum that focuses on four Holocaust survivors who live in the state. Through displayed memorabilia, immersive activities and virtual reality, visitors can tour Auschwitz and hear survivors’ voiceovers. Students got a glimpse of the horrific experiences of the Frank family and millions of Jews.
Additionally, the cast got to speak with a few survivors, among whom was a woman who personally knew Anne Frank and shared a friendship. These testimonies helped the cast create a deeper connection with their roles.
“It made me look on the different side of what they went through,” said senior Damien Martinez, who plays Mr. Frank. “It made me realize how they were, and I could know what they went through and what could happen to my family in the story.”
While everyone in the annex struggles with hopelessness and that they might never be rescued, Mr. Frank reassures the families and creates a peaceful atmosphere to mask the harsh reality.
“With a show like this, I wanted to do a lot of research with the events of Anne Frank and the Holocaust itself,” said junior Anthony Piunno, playing the role of Peter Van Daan. “This is, of course, a huge tragedy, but also in the play, it is not just about the bad. It is also about relationships, growth, hope and trying to make the best out of a terrible situation.”
Despite the circumstances, the families continue their lives by doing everyday things, such as sharing meals, reading books and playing games. They work through conflicts and tension with one other, while also creating sweet, loving moments, all of which shows their humanness and the real people they were.
“It is all about respect and honor for this show,” said senior Ashley Yablonsky, who stars in the lead role of Anne Frank. “It was really tough and special to meet a survivor and hear their story. All of it has been humbling in a sense of there is still so much we don’t know, so many stories we haven’t heard.
“Being able to sit, listen and receive what they had to tell us and show us at the museum, gave this show an element of what we can understand a little more now.”
With very few Holocaust survivors left today and the historical period becoming more distant, the cast relates how important it is to retell these stories and continually encourage the remembrance of what once was.
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
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IF YOU GO
What: "The Diary of Anne Frank"
Where: Black Box Theatre, Grand Canyon University
When: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, as well as 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7-8 and 2 p.m. Feb. 9
Tickets: Click here.
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