PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC) is looking for children and adult performers to kick off the 2024 theater season with a transcendently powerful adaptation of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
In-person auditions for the impassioned drama are set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19 and Thursday, Sept. 21, at ART WORKS on Main, 627 S. Main St. Auditioners may show up at any time during the time frame and can register at asc701.org/auditions. Performances are Jan. 26-28, 2024, and performers must be available for all shows.
“The Diary of Anne Frank” was written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett and adapted by Wendy Kesselman. Rehearsals will begin in late September.
ASC will cast up to 13 performers for the production. Anyone over the age of 11 is invited to audition for any role regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, background, experience level, and any of the other qualities that make every one of us unique individuals.
The play follows lively and curious Anne Frank’s thoughts and actions as she and her family hide away from the Nazis during the Holocaust. By her side is her quiet, modest older sister Margot Frank, her practical father Otto Frank, and her reserved mother Edith Frank. The Frank family is joined in hiding with the van Daan family, as they all try to co-exist while tucked away in a concealed storage attic.
The production also includes the roles of the quiet, teenage son Peter van Daan; Mr. van Daan, the critical patriarch of the family; a vain, materialistic Mrs. van Daan, known for her apt to cause conflict; a dentist, Mr. Dussel; Mr. Frank’s secretary Miep Gies; Mr. Kraler, a kind businessman; and several cruel Nazi officers.
In this most recent adaptation by Wendy Kesselman, Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination. “The Diary of Anne Frank” captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence while hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic with seven other people—their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief. Each day of these two dark years, Anne’s voice shines through: “When I write I shake off all my cares. But I want to achieve more than that. I want to be useful and bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” This is a new adaptation for a new generation.
The show is directed by Kayla Earnest. Earnest is no stranger to the ASC stage, having most recently co-directed “Charlotte’s Web” in spring 2023, and directed “The Miracle Worker” and “Mirror Mirror on the Wall: A Fractured Fairytale” in 2021.
“I was a child myself when I first started participating in ASC’s theater program,” says Earnest. “When I first started, I barely spoke above a whisper because I was so shy. Theater, my mentors, and the friends I made along the way helped me find my voice. I would like to give even a fraction of that love and support back to the kids who spend their time at ASC now.”
“Listening to young people is so important,” she continues. “Children have so many interesting things to say, but we don’t always take the time to listen. Often when we think of Anne Frank, we think of her tragic fate, but she was so much more than that! Anne was a spunky, loud, opinionated teenager who experienced a lot of the same thoughts and feelings that today’s teenagers experience. I think bringing her to life onstage will help our audience to remember that.”
“The Diary of Anne Frank” will be the first production of the 2024 theater season, and will take place on the Adam B. Robinson Jr. Black Box Theater stage.
ASC will offer a limited number of school performances. Contact Lindsey Collins, ASC’s Theater Programs Manager, at [email protected] or call 870-536-3375 to book a school show.
In addition to casted roles, those interested in volunteering on the crew are encouraged to contact Collins at [email protected] for more information.
About ASC
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC), 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff, is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. ASC presents programming in the visual arts, performing arts, and the sciences through exhibits, performances, classes and local partnerships. Gallery admission is free. ASC is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday–Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. In 2021, ASC opened two additional facilities as part of its “ARTx3” campus — The ARTSpace on Main and ART WORKS on Main, at 623 and 627 S. Main St. For more information, visit asc701.org or call 870-536-3375.
Support for ASC is provided in part by the ASC Endowment Fund, the City of Pine Bluff, the Pine Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission and the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Division of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional operating support is provided in part by the Windgate Foundation, Ben J. Altheimer Foundation, Kline Family Foundation, Relyance Bank and Simmons Bank.
