Wasatch Theatrical Ventures Presents THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, Now thru 8/25

Wasatch Theatrical Ventures presents THE DIARY OF Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman, directed by Mark Belnick, produced by Racquel Lehrman/Theatre Planners, playing today, August 3 through August 25 as a guest production at the NoHo Arts Center located in the heart of the NoHo Arts District. The drama is a powerful, chillingly honest and stirring version of the iconic andimpassioned story of eight Dutch Jews- including the incomparable Anne - hiding from the Nazis in a cramped Amsterdam storage attic.

Wendy Kesselman has penned a new adaptation for a new generation. In this version of the play, Anne's voice shines through as she confronts her rapidly changing world "...and the increasing horror of her time with her astonishing honesty, wit, and determination." More real too, are the horrific circumstances the eight endure as they hide from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic, and how each of the characters experience and react to their new daily reality of a claustrophobic existence dealing with "...their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief."

The Wendy Kesselman adaptation of the original play, received unanimous raves when published and when first performed on Broadway in 1997, with Natalie Portman as Anne.

In the Wasatch Theatrical Ventures production, the horrific circumstance the characters endure, is punctuated by music performed by Cantor Arik Wolheim who was Chief Cantor of the Israel Defence Forces' Military Choir and currently Cantor at Beth Jacob in Beverly Hills; included is Sol Zim's arrangement of the Prayer for the State of Israel, Avinu Shebashamayim (Our Father in Heaven, Rock of Israel, please protect and defend the State of Israel). Cantor Wolheim's renditions were produced by Jake Belnick.

Wasatch Theatrical Ventures (WTV) was established in 2010 fueled by a passion to produce great American plays, exclusively penned by established American Playwrights and to present those plays in intimate theatres, where the dynamic between audience and actor is unique. WTV takes pride in presenting intimate theater with the highest level of production values while making the plays available to the public at low ticket prices. WTV's ultimate goal is to make all of this possible, and to support the creative theater community that brings it to life.

Wasatch Theatrical Ventures has produced three major productions in Los Angeles since its inception: Arthur Miller's All My Sons, The Prisoner of Second Avenue by Neil Simon, and the West Coast Premiere of Theresa Rebeck's Our House. All of the productions have received critical acclaim and were well-received by audience members alike.

Regular run tickets are $25, preview tickets are $15. To order, visit www.plays411.com or call (323) 960-7788.

To post a comment, you must register and login.