T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM — Rhys Wilbanks and Naysa Rottink find some time for laughs before rehearsal begins for “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The debut of the Marshalltown Community Theater production is scheduled for Oct. 17.

The political climate in the United States was part of the inspiration to bring “The Diary of Anne Frank” to the stages of Marshalltown Community Theater (MCT).

Most people are familiar with Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who wrote a diary while she and her family hid from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam. She did not survive and was killed at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the age of 15. Her diary was published posthumously as “The Diary of a Young Girl.”

Assistant director Sue Crawford brought the idea to the MCT Board and director Lisa Naig after seeing actions taken by the government within the last year.

“I just read one of her quotes to Lisa, and it’s exactly like what is happening in Chicago,” she said. “It’s crazy. The idea that maybe someday soon we’re going to be hiding Hispanics in houses so they cannot be taken, it’s crazy.”

Crawford said the “wokeness” of banned books and increasing hesitation across the country to discuss the Holocaust is terrifying.

“It’s hard to think of kids growing up not knowing about these things,” she said. “If little kids are living it, other kids should be able to see it, hear it and understand it.”

Naig said that it has also been 14 years since MCT produced the story. This time, she gets to experience it from another perspective – as the director rather than a cast member. She looked forward to delving into the historical aspect.

“Some of our cast has really gotten into the history, too, and started sharing things about each of the characters,” Naig said. “They’re really becoming those characters.”

Naysa Rottink, 14, is playing the titular character and wanted the chance to perform in a non-children’s production.

“I’ve always been into acting, and I wanted to portray a more grown up role,” she said. “I wanted to try something new. So far, it’s been pretty great. It’s been a lot of hard work and dedication, but also a lot of fun.”

Returning to the MCT stage is Troy Gould as Otto Frank, Anne’s father.

“I’m a huge fan of the play, and I’ve never done it, and was chatting with Lisa and talked about the possibility of me playing Otto,” he said. “I jumped on it. I was very excited about it.”

Gould has gotten a better idea of the reality of life in the Holocaust. He said when someone has the opportunity to play an iconic role in a perfect play, it is easy to feel the way “they” felt. Gould also appreciates the cluttered and cramped stage set, because that was the environment the Franks lived in.

“I love that every time you hear a noise, you think ‘My life is over,'” he said. “You really immerse yourself in this show.”

The cast and crew will put on five performances of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Naig hopes audiences will come to the realization that art is life and vice versa.

“We are portraying some things that are happening right now,” she said. “Not necessarily in Marshalltown, Iowa, but still they’re going on elsewhere. And it’s a nice reminder about experiences people had. They went into hiding. This was a lot better than other families who may have gone into a sewer or a barn or underground.”

Crawford advised audiences to be ready for a tear jerker.

“There are moments where I still tear up, and we’ve done it so many times,” she said, referring to scenes in which cast members cry. “And there are times when Anne is being so upbeat, and it’s hard.”

However, Naig said that even though the play and the subject matter is heavy, there are light-hearted moments.

“It brings you back to it wasn’t all doom and gloom,” she said. “That was the underlying issue, but everyone became a big family. They fought, they flirted. They did everything together.”

Other cast members include Tammy Sposeto as Edith Frank, Anne’s mother; Amber Sorenson as Margot Frank, Anne’s sister; Stacy Heil as Mr. Van Daan; Stacie Sorenson as Mrs. Van Daan; Rhys Wilbanks as Peter Van Daan; Tyler Lillibridge as Mr. Dussell; Nicole Jensen as Miep Gies; and Sammuel Wilder as Mr. Kraler.

PLAY INFORMATION:

Name: The Diary of Anne Frank:

Dates and times: 7 p.m. on Oct. 17-18 and Oct. 24-25; and 2 p.m., Oct. 19

Location: Miller Middle School

Address: 125 S. 11th St.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.