Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2014, Page 123

Description:	Iheatre South had done it all - screwballcomedy, lively musicals, and improvisedsketches. However, their 2014 springselection was unlike any previousproduction. The Diary of Anne Frankdeparted drastically from humor with adose of drama. In Anne Frank, the groupwas challenged to produce a play thatcould illustrate a story which endured as atestimony to the terror of the Holocaust anda commemoration of one girls optimismand forgiveness. Aware of this challenge,the cast took every necessary step to ensurethat they would succeed in honoringAnnes memory.In the play, eight people seekrefuge in a small annex, livingtheir lives in constant fearduring one of the darkesttimes in humanityshistory. In order toaccurately recreate theplight of those in the—nex, the castmembers read the original diary andexcerpts from the works of other Holocaustsurvivors and also visited the CANDLESHolocaust Museum and Education Centerin Terre Haute, where they heardHolocaust survivor Eva Kor recount herexperiences. All of this, along with dailyrehearsals, allowed them to perform acompelling rendition of one of the mostwidely known Holocaust stories.This historical context also helped thecast capture and convey their charactersemotions — primarily, fear. We wanted tobring back the terror and the fear, saidEthan Sandweiss, who played the part ofPeter Van Daan. Though the mainantagonists, the Gestapo, are rarely onseen on stage, Sandweiss explained,There was always the fear of beingkilled. This realness, as freshmanMaria Lysandrou (Anne Frank) called it,was essential to the performance.The cast also chose a blackboxproduction, in which the audience sits onthe plays raw sense of realism. Theaudience could feel what it was like to bein hiding with them, said senior HelenaLysandrou (Margot Frank).Still, Anne Franks story is not just oneof terror, but also of incredible optimism.Lysandrou sought to capture how she livedand her optimistic attitude.Sandweiss commented, I thinkAnnes positive outlook on life is what getseveryone through.Ultimately, one of the most enduringparts this story was her forgiving ahumanity that wronged her and her peoplein unspeakable ways. Despite everything, Ibelieve that people are really good atheart, wrote Anne as she hid frompersecution. For freshman Bryce Carson(portrayed a Nazi policeman), thisforgiveness was more important than thetragic elements in the play. Everywhere[life] is tragic, he said. But rarely do youfind forgiveness.- ETHAN BRIGGSPre-performance preparation,..istorical research, and blackbox theater —Theatre South spared no expense to maketheir emotional production as raw andrealistic as possible.FOUR5 The Frank family embraces (freshman Maria Lysandrou as Anne, senior Helena Lysandrou as herjunior Nathaniel Kohlmeier as their father Otto, and freshman Lucia Davila as Mrs. Frank) during an the play, a blackbox Theatre South production which ran from March 29 to April 5 in Carmichaelau family connection contributed greatly to the emotion in the play. It was harder to have Maria asThe Diary of Anne Frank because it made it feel even more real, Helena said. I couldnt imagineJbcaust, let alone with my own sister, because we are so close. Anne (Lysandrou) records the■tin the annex in her famed diary. Mr. Van Daan (Jacob Sexton) relaxes with a game of cards,^T\|milies in the annex often relied on to relieve the tension. Mr. (Sexton) and Mrs. Van Daanlaire Mattsson) share a tense coversation, while Peter Van Daan (senior Ethan Sandweiss) looks on.)tto (Kohlmeier) comforts his Wife (Davila) after a trying experience in the annex. PHOTOS BY DENISEDOROTHEO AND MACKENZIE MOTSINGER
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/9229
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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