Timely 'The Diary of Anne Frank' comes to Patchogue Theatre

Some stories, especially those steeped in truth, never fail to resonate with audiences. So when veteran Long Island director Joe Minutillo was approached by Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts’ executive director Gary Hygom about doing “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Minutillo didn’t even have to think twice.

"When Gary asked me to direct this, I said, 'You have uncanny timing,'" recalls Minutillo, who lives in St. James. "It's perfect, considering everything we're going through in the world right now with anti-Semitism. It's pretty frightening. This is my way of saying, 'Look everyone, we don't want this to happen again.' "

The play, which will be performed in Patchogue March 13 and 14, is the story of Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager who, along with her parents, sister and four others, hid from the Nazis in an attic in Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944. During that time, she recorded her thoughts, hopes, desires and fears in her diary. Otto Frank, the sole survivor from the group, was so moved when he read the diary after his daughter’s death, that he had it published in 1947. It became a literary classic that was turned into a Pulitzer Prize-winning play in 1955 and four years later became an Oscar-winning film.

"We felt as an organization that this is timely and desperately needed," says Hygom, who is also the set designer. 

In addition to the main stage performances, the show will be presented three mornings in March for approximately 3,000 students from 18 Nassau and Suffolk middle schools. It’s part of the "Live Edition" series Hygom designed to bring the experience of professional theater to Long Island students. "Education is a huge part of what I'm trying to grow here," he says.

RESEARCHING THEIR ROLES

To prepare the actors, Minutillo asked them to read the diary, which is also being discussed in classrooms by the students who will be attending the daytime performances. Anne Frank's story holds lessons that relate to everything from world history to classroom bullying to bias crimes and international politics.

"It is a story and theme and emotion that's universal," says Bob Kaplan from Wading River, who plays Mr. Dussel, the family's dentist who hid with the Franks. "And it's something that, unfortunately, has never stopped being part of our lives."

The title role, often performed by a college-age actress, is being played by 13-year-old Allie DeMatteo, a student from Center Moriches Middle School, which adds poignancy to the production. "When she stepped up and began to read, I cannot tell you how it affected me," recalls Hygom. "I never realized quite how young Anne really was."

The energetic DeMatteo notes "Anne Frank and I have really similar qualities. Even though the situation she was in was poor, she and her father kept everyone in good moods."

Still, she takes seriously the responsibility inherent in the role. "These eight people lived inside for two straight years, not even able to communicate with the outside world. How lucky we are to live in a world today where we have the freedom of doing what we want. It's a beautiful message to help younger kids today be grateful for what they have."

MORE THAN JUST A PLAY

A talkback with the cast will be included in two of the school presentations. At the third — and for the public performances — there will be a talk by Holocaust survivor Werner Reich, a Smithtown resident whose personal story echoes the events of the diary. "Werner takes it from where the show ends, with the characters falling into the hands of the Nazis," says Hygom.

"I went through the worst period of my life," says Reich, 92, who believes people find hope in his story. "I try to tell them that their lives depend very much upon the way they look at the world, and that not everything is permanent. I tell them the story of two prisoners who are looking through the bars of the window of their cell into the prison yard. One sees mud and the other sees stars. I tell them to look for the stars."

Reich's uplifting message ameliorates the play's sober ending and the tragic fate that befell not just the eight people who hid in an attic, but millions of others. Despite the optimism of a young girl who wrote, in the midst of unimaginable terror, "I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart," Anne Frank died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, just months before Allied troops liberated Holland.  

Wantagh actress Lisa Meckes who plays Mrs. Van Daan, says that any time there's a production of "The Diary of Anne Frank," she tries to participate, hoping to touch the audience through art. "You hope to take them on a journey. Everyone in that attic went through angst and fear and struggled to keep hope alive so that they could go on. You hope the audience will leave with sympathy. Knowing what it might feel like to be in someone else's shoes for a day, it'll make you a better person."