Photo Courtesy of WJ S*T*A*G*E

The simplicity of the set design conveys the dreary day to day lives led by Jews during World War two. The bleak setting brings across a feeling of hopelessness similar to that of Anne Frank’s story.

WJ S*T*A*GE presented The Diary of Anne Frank, a play based on the lovely, fleeting memory of Anne Frank, a Jewish schoolgirl who spent her last years hiding in the annex of her father’s office building in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Frank spent a lot of time writing in her diary, which she called “Kitty.”Little did she know, Kitty would be remembered as one of the most moving and widely read firsthand accounts of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust.

In one scene, the cast all wear a yellow star, a mandatory label that Jews were forced to wear for identification purposes in Nazi territories. The yellow badges made it easier to see who would be sent to concentration death. But they also were a lively color in contrast to the fact they were alive even though they were suffering.

Sadly, the Allied landings at Normandy made Anne believe the war was closing in, preponing Holland’s liberation. On Aug. 4, 1944, an “unknown informer” exposed the families’ hiding place, and the Gestapo, the German police were ready to take the innocent prisoners to their dreaded fate.

To her, the secret of playing an emotionally heavy role “means acting is like stepping out of your own person. Her personality is very different from mine because in my day to day life I’m very reserved, Angelina Ciccarello, who played Anne Frank, said. “The incredible cast and crew bonded really well and we really tried to emerge ourselves into Jewish culture.”

“Seeing that Anne was a teenager herself, I felt that it was important to bring to the forefront this tragic time in our history. It was important that each department worked tirelessly so as to not miss the play’s idea of what humanity is,” play director Colleen McAdory said. Frank always seemed to have hope and a colorful spirit when the world seemed obscure and scary.

“I wish kids these days would learn to appreciate the things the Frank family had taken away from them. Now we all take advantage of being able to go outside to smell the roses, go to school, ride a bike,” an audience member said. “I see that during the war era people sacrificed more for each other. Nowadays we take advantage of each other’s presence.”

I thought the play was moving, in the sense that it felt I was right there in the annex myself.

 It was clear even without being involved with the play, that S*T*A*G*E is a passionate group of ambitious students who have spent countless hours perfecting their craft. They display a sense of professionalism beyond their years. Having read Frank’s diary in seventh grade, I went in with knowledge and came out having seen a beautiful vision put into fruition.