For a whole generation of students, The Diary of Anne Frank was compulsory reading. While that may no longer be the case, Anne's story of hiding for her life in an attic in Amsterdam continues to captivate.

Next week Nayland College’s senior production cast will be playing their own part in the telling of this story. The play, adapted by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett and titled simply The Diary of Anne Frank, is described as “real and raw” by Mia Faulkner who plays the role of Anne. “It’s taken straight from her diary. There’s no downplaying of what’s going on,” she said.

Joining Mia Faulkner on stage are Ben Dodd (Otto Frank), Tacy Eyles (Edith Frank), Sophie Hampson (Margot Frank), Harry Stocker (Hermann Van Daan), Keeley Arnold-Smith (Petronella Van Daan), Paul Farrar (Peter Van Daan), Stuart Lowe (Alfred Dussel), Ruby Lucas (Miep Gies), Theo Skylakis (Mr Kraler) and Peter Rese and Brodie Seelen in various roles.

Cast members Ben Dodd, Tacy Eyles and Mia Faulkner say that one of the challenges posed by the play is its lack of classical dramatic structure because it is based so closely on the diary. One way cast attempted to deal with this was to learn as much as they could about their characters and their back stories, a process Ben calls "background checks."  

The fact that the characters were real people lent a different aspect to the research. For some, such as Mia, this meant reading Anne’s diary itself. Memoirs by the famous Frank family friend Miep Gies were helpful to Ben, as was watching an interview with Otto Frank, Anne’s father, the only survivor of the family.

The trio said that they have learnt a lot more about the Holocaust from taking part in the play. Ben says he’s learnt more about the war and the situation the Jews were in, while Mia highlights the knowledge she’s gained about Jewish culture.

Mia says while playing Anne she became acutely aware of the fact that, however talented she may have been, Anne was essentially an everyday, ordinary young girl living in extraordinary times who wrote a diary.

Drama teacher and director Anton Bentley is impressed by the commitment and focus of the cast, many of whom he worked with last year in Great Expectations and Bye Bye Birdie. He says he can see their development as actors as they address the challenges of being on stage for the whole two hours, as well as navigating the intentionally cramped and claustrophobic set, designed to communicate the trapped situation the prisoners were in.

The cast’s final message is a simple one. “Come and see it!” Tacy says. “You will learn!” Mia chimes in.  A new adaptation for a new generation, the Nayland College senior production of The Diary of Anne Frank is a must-see for students and adults alike.

When: March 7, 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Nayland College Performing Arts Centre

All tickets – $5.00

Available from The Business Centre or door sales subject to availability.