The Diary of Anne Frank

GAAR/The Mirror will present a production of The Diary of Anne Frank at the Hardwick Townhouse August 20-22, a production with a special connection to the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Broadway play and Academy Award-winning film. Artistic Director Sabra Jones will direct the production, featuring a cast of Vermont artists and Mirror Artists in Residence.

“This production is very timely,” Jones said. “We are coming out of a time when people were forced to shelter in place all over the world during the pandemic. But in the Franks’ time, the pandemic was Evil. Anti-Semitism and other hate crimes are on the rise again worldwide. And the message is that we must always be on guard against hatred and evil.”

The title role of Anne Frank will be played by Vermonter Elizabeth Fitzgerald, and the rest of the cast includes Alexandra Tebano (Margot Frank), Artist-in-Residence and Tony nominee Marla Schaffel (Mrs. Frank), Abigail Demers (“Miranda,” “Hands of Light”) as Miep, Will River Mossek (To Kill a Mockingbird, Miranda at HCA) as Peter Van Daan, and Cian Genaro (Hands of Light) as The Nazi.

actress/singer Karen Genaro Dosanjk joins the cast in the role of Petronella van Daan. Jim Hogue, the actor/playwright/former candidate for Vermont Lt. Governor will play the role of Mr. Dussel.

Dancer Evangeline Bulick has created a dance “capturing the spirit of the brave people who resisted totalitarianism,” according to Jones, and will perform it as a prologue to the play. Original music by award-winning actress, movie star, and composer Tina Chen will accompany the work.

“The Diary of Anne Frank” by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett premiered on Broadway in 1955 and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was made into a film in 1959 and received nine Academy Award nominations. Shelley Winters won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mrs. Van Daan.