Rep Season Continues With THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) continues its 2009-2010 Mainstage series with Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.

Performances of The Diary of Anne Frank will be given on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, February 10 - March 7, 2010.

Curtain times are Tuesday at 7 pm; Wednesday-Friday at 8 pm; selected Wednesday matinees at 1:30 pm; Saturday evenings at 5 pm; selected Saturday nights at 9 pm; Sunday matinees at 2 pm; and selected Sunday evenings at 7 pm.

Ticket prices start at just $15 (previews) and $18 (regular performances). To purchase, visit The Rep Box Office, located inside the Loretto-Hilton Center, charge by phone by calling (314) 968-4925, or visit The Rep's online box office at www.repstl.org.

Talk Theatre, an interactive lecture series held on the first Monday evening after each Mainstage opening, features Rep staff and guest presenters sharing insights on the current production and setting the stage for lively discussion. For The Diary of Anne Frank, The Rep is partnering with the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center and will feature a Holocaust survivor as a special guest speaker. This is a rare opportunity to hear a first-hand account of events and is not to be missed. A program of The Rep's Backers Volunteer Board, Talk Theatre lectures may be purchased individually for $12. For more information or to purchase a ticket to the February 15, 7:30 p.m. lecture, call the box office at (314) 968-4925.

The Rep's production of The Diary of Anne Frank is generously underwritten by The Rep's Leading Ladies with additional support from Brown Shoe.

Anne Frank began writing a diary on her 13th birthday, shortly after she and her family fled their home following her sister Margot's call to report to a Nazi work camp-a call which meant almost certain death. Upon entering their hiding place in the annex of Otto Frank's business, Anne began recording the daily events and struggles of her new home as well as her own thoughts and concerns about life. Caught in a world of hate she couldn't comprehend, Anne grows as a young lady all the while documenting her fears about life, hopes for her future and troubles with relationships-small realities which make her words even more poignant, more real.

Anne enters the "Secret Annex" with her family and friends, the Van Daans, but the residents of the annex are soon joined by another Jew in need of help, the dentist Mr. Dussel. For fear of being discovered, the eight must remain silent throughout the day, behind blackened windows, with little to no news of the world outside. As the situation in the War deteriorates, Anne and her family are forced to live as prisoners on meager rations with no expectation of escape. After two years in hiding, however, there is a glimmer of hope-a radio report gives news of the Nazis defeat. Sure they will soon be liberated, the residents of the annex celebrate, but they may not be as lucky as they hope.

In 1955, Anne's diary was adapted for the stage by the husband-wife writing team of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. The play was warmly received, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the 1956 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. Today, however, The Rep brings to life a new adaptation, re-worked in 1997 by Wendy Kesselman. Aided by new-found writings that were withheld from original publications, Kesselman's revival delivers a more fully realized Anne and thus a story that is more moving and powerful than ever.

The cast of The Diary of Anne Frank at The Rep includes Gary Wayne Barker (Mr. Dussel), Peggy Billo (Mrs. van Daan), Maura Kidwell (Miep), Lauren Orkus (Anne Frank), John Rensenhouse (Otto Frank), Andrew Stroud (Peter Van Daan), Ann Talman (Edith Frank), Jerry Vogel (Mr. Kraler), Peter Van Wagner (Mr. van Daan), Maggie Wetzel (Margot Frank), and Cale Haupert, Jared Lotz and Carl Schneider (Nazi Soldiers).

The Rep's production of The Diary of Anne Frank is directed by Rep Artistic Director Steve Woolf. The creative staff includes John Ezell, scenic designer; Elizabeth Covey, costume designer; Phil Monat, lighting designer; Rusty Wandall, sound designer; Glenn Dunn, stage manager; and Shannon B. Sturgis, assistant stage manager.

For more information about The Rep's production of The Diary of Anne Frank, including a guide introducing the characters, plot and background on the play; photos related to the production; and more, visit The Rep's comprehensive public website at www.repstl.org.

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