From page to stage: The Diary of Anne Frank

The National Players perform The Diary of Anne Frank live at The Paramount. (Photo by Taylor Matousek)

Hundreds of middle and high school students from as far away as Culpeper County gathered at The Paramount on Tuesday, December 3, for the National Players live performance of The Diary of Anne Frank, presented by the Arts Education Program.

The Diary of Anne Frank, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett and adapted by Wendy Kesselman, is a stage adaptation of the book The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. National Players brings the true story of this incredibly insightful young girl that is often read in school to the stage in hopes of inspiring the next generation to stand up for justice rather than sit back in apathy.

Established in 1949 and based at Olney Theatre Center in Maryland since 1952, National Players is America’s longest-running touring theatre company. Founded on the principle of prioritizing areas with limited access to theatre, National Players company consists of 10 early-career theatre artists who spend 10 months touring the United States. This is the troupe’s 71st tour.

The National Players answered questions from the audience after the show. (Photo by Taylor Matousek)

A Q&A followed the performance, during which the National Players answered questions from the students, ranging from curiosity about the music selections to the actors’ ages.

After the performance, the National Players conducted an improv workshop with a class of drama students at Charlottesville High School (CHS). On Wednesday, they’ll return to CHS to provide 7 more workshops to English and drama classes. Stay tuned to find out what these high school students learned from these ambitious performers!