The Colony Theatre Brings Back The Latinx Production Of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK After Sell Out Engagement

Due to overwhelming response to January's limited run, Burbank's Colony Theatre is bringing back the critically acclaimed 2018 LA production of The Diary of Anne Frank. The revival, which garnered international attention with its predominately LatinX cast, will run for five performances April 28 to May 1.

The play written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett and adapted by Wendy Kesselman ('97 Broadway version) will once again be helmed by Stan Zimmerman, who recently directed the hit Off-Broadway show, Hyprov, starring Colin Mochrie (Whose Line is it Anyway). The Rosenthal Family Foundation, headed by Phil & Monica Rosenthal, will continue as sponsors of this special event. Phil created the Emmy winning sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, which Monica appeared on as Brad Garrett's wife.

Tickets are $15 (students), $25 (General Admission-side sections), $30 (General Admission - center section) and $35 (reserved seating) and can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com. Show times are Friday April 28th and Saturday April 29th at 7:30pm and Sunday April 30th at 2pm. Two morning shows, Friday April 28th and Monday May 1st, both at 10am, have been scheduled as an outreach to students after the producers learned that Anne's diary is no longer required reading in most schools. Special group rates are available upon request. There will be a Talk Back after each performance with 92 year old Holocaust survivor, Gabriella Y. Karin.

Continuing as the show's producing team are Pop-Up Playhouse, Tracey Rooney, actor/activist Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery), and the Burbank Human Relations Council. The director's unique casting and staging choices were inspired by a segment on CNN's Newsroom, which featured Kyung Lah reporting about a Jewish woman in Los Angeles who created a "Safe House" for a Latina mother and her two daughters after her husband was deported by ICE.

"This past January, none of us (from those on stage and in the audience) were prepared for the reaction to the play and our extremely emotional Talk Backs with Holocaust survivor Gabriella Karin. With the rise in antisemitism and the transportation of immigrants as political pawns, it's imperative to keep Anne Frank's story and message alive more than ever", says director Zimmerman.

This will be the sixth iteration of this production after two successful runs at the Dorie Theatre/Complex Hollywood, one at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills and then venturing north to Vancouver's Chutzpah Festival. Cast members at the Colony include Emiliano Torres, Aris Alvarado (Gilmore Girls), Rebecca Asquino, Gladys Bautista, Mariangelica Cuervo, Charlie Farrell, David Gurrola, Danny Pardo, Raquenel and Genesis Ochoa as Anne.

"No human being is illegal" - Elie Wiesel

CREATIVE TEAM:

Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett (PLAYWRIGHTS) began their prolific collaboration in 1928 and were married while working on their first Broadway hit, Up Pops the Devil. Their success eventually led to the pair being signed by MGM, where they launched the popular Thin Man series. Among their most famous film credits were adaptations of Owen Wister's The Virginian, S.N. Behman's The Pirate, Edward Streeter's Father of the Bride, and the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Goodrich and Hackett were also among the many writers who toiled on Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life". The original Broadway production of The Diary of Anne Frank received the 1956 Tony Award for Best Play, and the script received the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Goodrich and Hackett also adapted the play for the screen in 1959. Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett remained married until her death in 1984. Albert Hackett passed away in 1995.

Wendy Kesselman (PLAYWRIGHT-NEW ADAPTATION) received a Tony Award nomination for her adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank. Her other plays include My Sister in this House; The Notebook; The Last Bridge; I Love You, I Love You Not; The Executioner's Daughter; The Juniper Tree, A Tragic Household Tale; Maggie Magalita; Merry-Go-Round; Becca, A Musical; a musical adaptation of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities; and a musical adaptation of Chekhov's The Black Monk. A member of the Dramatists Guild, she is the recipient of the New England Theatre Conference Major Award for outstanding creative achievement in the American theatre, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the first annual Playbill Award, the Roger L. Stevens Award, the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, the Lecomte du Noüy Annual Award, and a Guggenheim, McKnight, and two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. She is also a seven-time winner of the ASCAP Popular Award in Musical Theatre. Ms. Kesselman's screenplays include Sister My Sister (adapted from My Sister in the House), directed by Nancy Meckler; I Love You, I Love You Not (adapted from her play of the same name), directed by Billy Hopkins; and Mad or in Love for Fox 2000. Her adaptation of John Knowles' A Separate Peace, directed by Peter Yates, aired on Showtime, won a WGA award, and was nominated for an Emmy.

Stan Zimmerman (DIRECTOR) Director/Writer/EP/Creator: secs & EXECS, Skirtchasers - (telloFilms web series). Writer/EP/Creator: Rita Rocks. Writer/Producer: Gilmore Girls, Roseanne (WGA nomination - "Kiss Episode"). Writer: The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel, Annie (ABC-TV movie), The Golden Girls (WGA Nomination), Fame, Brothers. Playwright: Silver Foxes (World Premiere - Dallas' Uptown Players - March 2023), right before i go. (Town Hall). Director: Hyprov (Daryl Roth Theatre), Entertaining Mr. Sloane, BLINK & You Might Miss Me (Best Director winner- Broadwayworld), Spike Heels, A Tuna Christmas, Gemini. Music video "All I Want" - Whore's Mascara. Director/Playwright: Have a Good One, Knife to the Heart, Meet & Greet, Yes Virginia (Judson Theatre Co - NC), It's On! (NYMF/Signature Theatre, Garry Marshall Theatre). Dancer/Broadway: Nureyev & the Joffrey Ballet (Mark Hellinger Theatre). TV Host/Showrunner: Situation: Comedy (Bravo/Producer Sean Hayes). Actor: right before i go. (multiple cities). Education: Cranbrook Theatre School, BFA-Drama NYU/Circle-in-the-Square. Published: right before i go., Yes Virginia, Silver Foxes (TRWplays).

POP-UP PLAYHOUSE (PRODUCER) presented three highly successful productions for their inaugural season at the Dorie Theatre/The Complex. This included the all-star revival of Justin Tanner's Heartbreak Help with Melissa Peterman, Teresa Ganzel, Sarah Gilman and Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur, followed by the World Premier of Paul Shoulberg's Pledge. They concluded with the World Premier production of Knife to the Heart by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin. The sold-out run starred Andrea Bowen, Anne DeSalvo, Todd Sherry and Josh Zuckerman. Pop-Up Playhouse next presented Zimmerman & McLaughlin's original two character comedy, Yes, Virginia starring Mindy Sterling and Arnetia Walker at Hollywood's Dorie Theatre in 2018 and their newest play, Have A Good One, in October 2021. Along with Playbill, they produced the Wendy Weekend, an online benefit for TDF of three Wendy Wasserstein plays with a repertory cast of 30 actors.

GENESIS OCHOA (ANNE FRANK) a native of Houston, first role was in a McDonald's commercial. Since then, she's appeared in numerous commercials/promos for the Disney Channel and the WB. She's also lent her voice to the animated film The Book of Life. Genesis plays many instruments including the piano and guitar and composes and records her own music. This year she won first place at Burbank's Singing Star competition. Genesis is a member of John Burroughs' advanced women's show choir 'Sound Sensations'. She's currently majoring in Theatre Screen Arts with a minor in Broadcast Journalism at Pepperdine University.

EMILIANO TORRES (Otto Frank) Born and raised in Oakland, California, Emi began his acting career by receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from California State University, Long Beach. Even though he has worked on such films as Foster Boy, Street Kings, The Revenant, and the family comedy, Christmas in Compton. Emiliano has appeared in such plays as Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Streamers, two plays at South Coast Rep and the National Tour of Veteranos: A Legacy of Valor. Recent television credits include a recurring guest star role on Shooter, recurring on Bosch, as well as 2 Broke Girls, Raising Hope, Weeds, Justified, NCIS: Los Angeles and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He loves giving back and recently went to Rwanda, Africa with B.R.I.D.G.E. (a non-profit that provides underserved youth resources to tell their story).

*Show runs one hour and fifty minutes (including one 10 minute intermission)

Tickets/general info: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5725369

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