University of Iowa
Iowa Research Online
Theses and Dissertations
1961
The Production book of "The Diary of Anne Frank"
Allan Kurtz Longacre II
State University of Iowa
Posted with permission of the author.
This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/914
Recommended Citation
Longacre, Allan Kurtz II. "The Production book of "The Diary of Anne Frank"." MA (Master of Arts) thesis, State University of Iowa,
1961.
http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/914.
Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd
Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons
THE PRODUCTION BOOK OF
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
by
A lla n Kurtz Longacre, I I
A t h e s i s su bm itted i n p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t of th e
re q u ire m e n ts f o r th e degree o f M aster o f A r ts ,
i n th e Department o f Speech and Dramatic
A rts in th e Graduate C ollege of th e
S ta te U n iv e r s ity o f Iowa
F e b ru a ry , 1961
Chairman:
A s s o c ia te P r o f e s s o r W illiam R. Reardon
DEDICATION
To a l l th o s e who made me and t h i s p ro d u c tio n
p o s s i b l e , t h i s t h e s i s i s g r a t e f u l l y d e d ic a te d .
ii
S t a t e U n iv e rs ity of Io w a
l ib r a r ie s
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ................................................................................................
Page
ii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................
iv
C hapter
I . ANNE FRANK:
II.
III.
IV.
V.
V I.
THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL
.
. . .
ADAPTATION OF THE BOOK ....................................................
A DIRECTOR’S ANALYSIS
....................................................
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS .............................................................
THE PROMPT BOOK
.................................................................
AN EVALUATION OF THE PRODUCTION...................................
1
8
20
34
50
214
225
APPENDIX...................... .............................................................................
BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................
iii
229
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
43
F ig u re
1. The Set.......................................
2.
The Set-R earrangem ent # 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
45
3.
The Set-R earrangem ent # 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
47
4.
"What i s i t ?
63
5.
"I t e l l you, Anne, t h i s w i l l be a f in e l i f e f o r y o u ." .
72
6.
"Let me see your t o n g u e . " ............................... ....
81
7.
" I saw y o u . . . i n t h e r e , p la y in g w ith t h a t c a t . "
. . . .
84
8.
"What you need i s a good o ld -f a s h io n e d s p a n k in g ." . . .
93
9.
"I g e t alon g v e ry w e ll w ith c h i l d r e n . "
A him o r a h e r? "
. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
118
10.
"Go t o h e r , O tto ."
11.
"We’r e j u s t a l i t t l e m inute in l i f e . " . . . . . . . . .
210
12.
"She p u ts me t o shame." ............................................
213
..........................................................................
iv
123
CHAPTER I
ANNE FRANK:
THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL
As th e Nazis g ained power in E urope, many Jew ish f a m ili e s
were fo rc e d t o leave th e c o u n try .
in to h id in g .
Those who d id not f l e e were fo rc e d
Those who d id n o t h id e were fo rc e d in to c o n c e n tr a tio n
camps and e x te rm in a te d a s soon as p o s s i b l e .
In the h i s t o r y o f th e
w orld t h i s i s one o f the most h o r r i b l e examples o f man’ s inhum anity
t o man.
But out o f t h i s o r d e a l, t h i s a tte m p t a t g e n o cid e, came one
o f th e most to u c h in g and y e t most r e v e a li n g s t o r i e s t o s p rin g from
th e h o r r o r s of w ar, Anne F rank: T h e D ia r y o f a Y o u n g G ir l. A n n e
Frank " s h o w e d th e g e n t ile w o r ld w h a t i t m e a n t t o b e a J e w w ith o u t
p re a c h in g propaganda. " 1 To th e maj o r i t y o f Germans, who w i l l n o t
adm it th e y know what happened to s i x m i l l i o n Jews, she showed t h e i r
g u i l t as i n d iv id u a ls b y showing what t h e i r p e r s e c u tio n had done to
one in n o c e n t g i r l .
"She aro u sed p i t y r a t h e r th a n a n g e r."2
The d i a r y was f i r s t p u b lis h e d i n Holland i n 1947, seven y e a rs
a f t e r the end o f th e Second World War.
Doubleday and Company pub­
lis h e d th e t r a n s l a t i o n o f th e d ia r y w r i t t e n by Anne Frank who was
k i l l e d s e v e r a l months b e fo re th e end o f th e war i n a German concen­
t r a t i o n camp n e a r Bergen-Be l s e n .
I t t e l l s th e s t o r y o f two Jewish
1S ta n le y F ran k , "I Knew Anne F r a n k ,” Mc Cal1' s , LXXXV
( J u l y , 1958), pp. 3 0 -3 1 .
2I b i d . , p . 31.
1
2
f a m i l i e s who a tte m p te d t o s u rv iv e th e gas chambers by h id in g d u rin g
th e Nazi o c c u p a tio n o f H o lla n d .
The book was an immediate su ccess
and was on th e b e s t s e l l e r l i s t for s e v e r a l w eeks.
U nlike th e o th e r
n o v els and r e p o r t s which grew o u t o f the d r e a d f u l e x p e rie n c e s o f
p a r t i c i p a n t s in World War Two, t h i s book as i t was w r i t t e n i s n o t a
condem nation o f the Germans or th e c au se s o f th e war; n e i t h e r i s i t
an a cco un t o f the e x p e r ie n c e s of th o s e who s u f f e r e d th e t o r t u r o u s
l i f e o f th e c o n c e n t r a t i o n camps.
In f a c t , t h i s book which has made
such a moving comment on th e w ar, says very l i t t l e c o n cern in g th e
war i t s e l f .
I t i s devoted p r i m a r i l y t o th e people and the problems
th e y e n co un tered w h ile l i v i n g in t h e i r s e c r e t h id in g p l a c e .
One o f
th e re a so n s f o r the s u c c e ss o f t h i s book r e s t s on th e f a c t t h a t i t i s
m erely an account o f i n c i d e n t s , in c id e n ts which are p o ig nant enough
t o t e l l t h e i r own s t o r y .
e n t r i e s i n th e D ia r y .
There was no need to e la b o r a t e on th e
The r e s u l t i s "one o f the most moving s t o r i e s
t h a t anyone, anywhere has managed t o t e l l about World War I I . " 3
The D ia ry i s w r i t t e n i n a stream o f c o n sc io u sn e ss s t y l e b y an
e n e r g e ti c young g i r l whose o n ly c o n fid a n te and o n ly o u t l e t fo r her
energ y i s h e r s i l e n t f r i e n d , K i t t y , h e r d i a r y .
The e n t r i e s i n th e
d i a r y a re w r i t t e n a t l e t t e r s to K i t t y and sig n ed "Yours, Anne."
The d ia r y was given t o Anne on h e r t h i r t e e n t h b ir t h d a y ,
3Time, LIX (June 16, 1952), p . 102.
3
June 12, 1942,
h id in g .
On Monday, th e s i x t h o f J u ly , th e Franks wen t in t o
From th e sca t t e r e d e n t r i e s d u rin g th e month o f Ju n e, we see
Anne as a normal young g i r l .
She had many b o y fr ie n d s , enjoyed games,
and com plained a b o u t h a rd s h ip s ; and a lth o u g h she knew about th e
h o r r i b l e acco u nts o f th e w a r, she was to o young, to o e ag e r t o l i v e
and e n jo y l i v i n g t o l e t them b o th e r h e r .
The Germans had been c o l l e c t i n g Jews i n Amsterdam f o r some
tim e b e fo re M argot, Anne’ s s ix te e n y e ar o ld s i s t e r , r e c e iv e d word
t h a t she was to r e p o r t t o th e Germans t o be s e n t t o a y outh camp, a
w ell-know n f r o n t f o r a work and e v e n tu a l d e a th camp.
R ath er th a n
a c c e p t t h i s , th e Franks went in to h id in g i n th e a t t i c o f a warehouse
and o f f i ce b u ild in g where O tto Frank had w orked.
l i t t l e g i r l , t h i s was an a d v e n tu re .
To th e e x c ite d
T his ad ven tu re la s t e d u n t i l
August 4 th , 1944, when th e Green P o lic e d is c o v e re d th e peo p le i n
h id in g and too k them t o c o n c e n tr a tio n camps where a l l but Mr. Frank
p e r is h e d .
The e n t r i e s i n th e d ia r y d e s c rib e f u l l y th e h id in g p la c e ,
th e s e c r e t annex, and th e people who liv e d t h e r e .
"Anne’ s d ia r y
probes deep i n t o th e c o re o f human r e l a t i o n s and succeeds i n b rin g in g
us an u n d e rsta n d in g o f l i f e under t h r e a t . " 4
But Anne went even
f u r t h e r i n th e stu d y o f people i n h e r d ia r y , "She shows how o rd in a ry
4Me y e r L ev in, "C h ild Behind th e S e c re t D o o r," New York
Times Book Review S e c tio n , (June 15, 1952), p . 1.
4
people w ith in t h i s o r d e a l, c o n s i s t e n t l y h o ld t o th e g r e a t e r human
v a lu e s . "5
The amaz i ng th in g about th e book i s t h a t t h i s t h i r t e e n ,
f o u r te e n , and l a t e r f i f t e e n y e a r o ld g i r l e x h ib ite d such i n s i g h t and
u n d e rs ta n d in g i n h e r w r i t i n g .
I t i s "a rem arkable stu d y i n th e
psychology o f a sm all group o f people fo rc e d to l i v e t o g e th e r i n
alm ost u n b e arab le p ro x im ity ."6
Through Anne’s p e rc e p tio n and h e r
a b i l i t y t o w r ite c l e a r l y and t o th e p o i n t , th e people a re f u l l y
c h a ra c te riz e d .
The D ia ry i s w r i t t e n i n such a way t h a t th e re a d e r
i s more concerned w ith th e people th a n t h e i r s i t u a t i o n , i . e . , th e
war o r th e f e a r o f b ein g d is c o v e re d .
F i n a l l y , and pro b a b ly most
im p o r ta n t, Anne w rote a b e a u t i f u l d e s c r i p t i o n o f a young g i r l ’s
y o u th w ith h o n e sty and u n p r e te n tio u s n e s s .
Her e n t r i e s about h e r s e l f
d e s c rib e h e r growth from ch ildhood t o ad o lescen ce w ith unconscious
i n t e l l i g e n c e and u n d e rs ta n d in g .
She " succeeded i n communicating in
v i r t u a l l y p e r f e c t form, th e drama o f p u b e r ty ."7
The wonder o f i t i s
t h a t Anne d id n o t a tte m p t t o pose h e r s e l f as a m a rty r .
She ad m itte d
h e r f a u l t s , "n e v er s h ir k in g from r e v e a lin g th e u g ly th in g s abou t
h e rs e lf." 3
She made m ista k es i n h e r a s s o c ia t io n s w ith th e o th e r
5I b i d .
6I b i d .
7I b i d .
8I b i d .
5
inm ates o f th e S e c re t Annex, and i n th e D iary she shows t h a t she was
i n t e l l i g e n t enough t o t r y and p r o f i t from th o s e e r r o r s .
She s a id
co n cernin g one o f h e r m is ta k e s , "What i s done cannot he undone, b u t
one can p re v e n t i t happening a g a i n ." 9
The D ia ry has th e e f f e c t o f a t r u e n a r r a t i v e as i t d is c lo s e s
th e u n iv e r s a l f e e li n g s and r e l a t i o n s h i p s betw een members o f th e fa m ily .
But A nne's w r iti n g s were c o n sid e re d "to o te n d e r l y in tim a te to be
la b e le d c l a s s i c . " 10
A nne's d ia r y has l i t e r a r y v a lu e because " I t i s
th e u n fo ld in g p s y c h o lo g ic a l drama o f a g i r l ' s grow th, m ingled w ith th e
p h y s ic a l d an g ers o f th e group, t h a t f r e e s A nne's book from th e
h o r iz o n ta l e f f e c t o f m ost d i a r i e s .
Hers r i s e s c o n tin u o u s ly , w ith th e
te n s i o n o f a w e ll- c o n s tr u c te d n o v e l . And
"1
y e t , th ro u g h o u t i t
"bubbles w ith amusement, lo v e , d is c o v e r y ." 12
S h o r tly a f t e r t h e a p p ea r­
ance o f th e D ia ry , th e p u b lic was amazed a t th e e x c e p tio n a l t a l e n t Anne
e x p re ssed i n h e r w r i t i n g s .
They w ere, p e rh a p s, more a p p a lle d a t h e r
f a t e when th e y c o n sid e re d t h i s t a l e n t which Anne so o b v io u sly h a d .
A nne's te a c h e r s a id t h a t between th e tim e she w rote themes i n c la s s and
th e tim e she w rote th e D ia ry she had improved a g re a t d e a l .
She was,
i n f a ct , s u r p r is e d t h a t Anne had w r i t t e n t h i s amazing l i t t l e book.
9Anne Fr a n k : D ia r y o f a Young G i r l , t r a n s . B. M. M ooyaart
(New Y ork: P o c k e t B ooks, I n c . , 19 5 3 ), p . 20 3 .
10L e v in , o p . c i t .
11Ib i d .
1 2 Ib id .
6
A f te r Anne was fo rc e d i n t o conf inem ent she le a rn e d a
g r e a t d e a l . Books f o r h e r had t o s u b s t i t u t e f o r l i f e .
And she wasth e b e t t e r f o r i t , b e t t e r f o r h e r im p riso n ­
m ent. For a l l h e r l a t e n t s e n s e s , lik e th o s e o f th e
b l i n d , flo w e re d . She knew more o f t h e w orld and o f
love th a n a le g io n o f h e r f r e e s i s t e r s , and she spoke
o f both w ith a p o e t’s to n g u e .13
The causes which fo rc e d Anne in to co nfin em en t, encouraged h e r t o w r i t e ,
and e v e n tu a lly k i l l e d h e r were th e same c au se s which b ro u g h t h e r th e
im m o rta lity f o r whic h she lo n g e d .
she was j u s t a loud l i t t l e g i r l .
Bu t to th e people i n th e a t t i c ,
Her f a t h e r s a id y e a rs l a t e r ,
" I n e v e r knew she was so d e e p ." 41
Some f e e l t h a t i f Anne had liv e d she would have achieved
h e r o th e r dream, t h a t o f becoming a n o v e l i s t .
Her s t y l e was o f te n
a dm irably s o b e r, b u t th e n a g a in , i t was o f te n f a c e t i o u s .
As th e tim e
p a ss e d , "h er e n t r i e s darkened i n to n e , h e r w r iti n g blossom ed, and
h e r mind leaped t o a s to n is h in g m a t u r i t y ." 51
This a g a in re v e a le d
Anne’ s growing up, "a p ro c e ss she went th ro u g h a t a h a r s h ly a c c e le ra te d
r a t e . " 16
I n th e f i n a l a n a l y s i s , th e message which t h i s d i a r y makes i s
th e w aste o f human l i v e s , th e i n j u s t i c e which allow ed th e s e in n o c e n t
people t o s u f f e r and d ie f o r a b s o lu t e ly no r e a s o n .
13
The f a c t t h a t one
S ta n le y F rank, op. c i t . , p . 109.
14I b i d .
15Time, op. c i t .
16New Y orker, XXV III (June 21, 1952), p . 106.
7
o f th e s e p e o p le , Anne, m ight have had a r e a l t a l e n t i s u nim po rtant
i n th e long ru n , s in c e th e waste o f human l i f e i s p a t h e t i c enough.
But t h i s f a c t o r added makes th e s t o r y alm ost u n b e a ra b le , "when th e
r e c o r d i s broken o f f f o r e v e r . ”1
7
17
A nto nia W hite, "From th e S e c re t Annex," New Statesm an and
N a tio n , XLI I I (May 17, 1952), p . 593.
CHAPTER I I
ADAPTATION OF THE BOOK
When Al b e r t H ackett and h i s w ife , F r a n c is G oodrich, decided
t o a d a p t Anne Frank :
D iary o f a Young G i r l i n t o a p l ay, th e y went
t o H olland and vi s i t e d w ith O tto F ran k .
I t was w ith h i s h e lp t h a t
th e y w rote th e p la y which opened i n New York a t th e Court T h eatre on
November 6, 1955 .
In o rd e r t o t r a n s f e r Anne from th e pages o f h e r d ia r y t o a
c h a r a c te r on th e s t a g e , i t was n e c e s s a ry f o r th e H a ck e tts t o make
s e v e r a l ch anges.
The Di a ry had met w ith such su c c e ss as a book, and
th e theme had been so w e l l- e s t a b li s h e d in th e book t h a t i t had to be
a c c u r a te ly c a r r i e d on in th e p la y .
w ith i t .
The a d a p to rs could n o t tam per
In s p i t e o f th e o b s t a c l e , th e p la y w rig h ts , a f t e r e i g h t
r e w r i t e s ,1 f i n a l l y d id succeed in c a p tu r in g th e s p i r i t o f th e g i r l ' s
growth th ro u g h a d o lescen ce under th e gloomy shadow o f th e Swa s t i c a .
The b ig change which was made in th e a d a p ta tio n was d i c ta te d
by th e d if f e r e n c e between th e two mediums.
To s ta g e e v e n ts which
covered a two y e a r p e r io d , i t became n e c e s s a ry f o r th e H ack e tts to
te le s c o p e and condense th e a c t i o n s .
They were ab le t o b rid g e th e
gap betw een scenes and keep th e p l o t lin e ru n n in g smoothly by having
F ra n c is Goodrich and A lb e rt H a c k e tt, The Di a ry o f Anne Frank,
(New York: Random House, 1956 ) , p . x .
8
9
Anne n a r r a t e , as i f she were w r i t i n g in h e r d i a r y , from b ackstage
d u rin g the scene c h an g e s.
For th e most p a r t th e s e monologues were
ta k e n alm ost d i r e c t l y from th e D ia ry , though a s in g le speech, w h ile
seeming c o n s i s t e n t , a c t u a l l y covered s e v e r a l weeks of Diary e n t r i e s .
In a c c e n tu a tin g t h e d ra m a tic q u a l i t i e s , th e H a ck e tts gave g r e a t e r
s i g n i f i c a n c e to A nne's p o s i t i o n in th e fa m ily th a n d id th e D ia ry .
The a c t i o n s in th e scenes a lso a re th e e x c e p tio n a l happenings r a t h e r
th a n th e o r d in a r y , b e c a u s e , o f c o u rs e , th e e x c e p tio n a l e v e n ts were
th e ones which had t h e most d ra m a tic v a l u e .
a ls o show the c h a r a c t e r s more c l e a r l y .
These e x c e p tio n a l scenes
One o f th e f a u l t s o f the p la y
m ight be t h a t l i f e i n the s e c r e t annex n ever a p p ears t o be d u l l , w hile
i n th e D ia ry , d u l l n e s s was one o f the c h i e f c o m p la in ts .
The b ig
problem which everyone had was t o keep occupied so he would n o t
become d e p re s s e d .
The H a c k e tts o b v io u s ly could n o t ask th e audience
t o w atch e i g h t people s i t s t i l l f o r te n hours a d ay, s i x days a week
f o r two y e a r s .
They solved t h i s problem in a r a t h e r in g e n io u s way.
Since th e y could no t p o s s ib ly show how bound in t h e s e people w ere,
th e y fo rc e d upon th e c h a r a c t e r s a r e s t r i c t i o n o f space much c lo s e r
th a n the F ran k s, Van Daans o r Mr. D ussel could p o s s i b l y have had.
This k e p t a l l of the c h a r a c t e r s on s ta g e a l l o f th e tim e w ith th e
e x c e p tio n o f Miep and Mr. K r a le r , th e two who b ro u g h t them t h e i r
su p p lie s.
In r e a l i t y , the inm ates could roam about th e b u ild in g
10
a f t e r th e workmen had gone; th e y a l s o had a r a d io which th e y could
l i s t e n to i n the evenings to h e lp p a ss away the tim e .2
In many ways
the H a c k e tts made the o rd e a l appear much more te d io u s th a n d id th e
in fo rm a tio n i n th e D ia ry .
In a d d itio n t o making th e changes f i t th e medium, th e a u th o r s
were fa c ed w ith a n o th e r problem .
They had to give the p la y a
b e g in n in g , a m id d le , and an en d .
The D iary b e g in s when Anne made
h e r f i r s t e n t r y , and i t ends when she f i n i s h e d h e r l a s t .
In a p la y
t h e r e has t o be a l i t t l e t i g h t e r o r g a n iz a tio n th a n t h a t .
Mr. and
Mrs. H a c k e tt e l e c t e d t o solve t h i s problem by s t a r t i n g a t th e end of
th e s t o r y , when Mr. Frank r e tu r n e d to the s e c r e t annex a f t e r being
r e le a s e d from a c o n c e n tr a tio n camp.
During th e f i r s t sce n e , he fin d s
A nne's d i a r y and s t a r t s t o re a d i t .
The n e x t scene b e g in s th e a c tu a l
s t o r y w ith the a r r i v a l o f th e people t o t h e i r h id in g p l a c e .
The
p lay i s re s o lv e d i n the l a s t scene when Mr . Frank p u ts the d i a r y
down and e x p la in s to Miep and Mr. K ra le r th e f a t e s o f the o th e r s who
shared th e h id in g p la c e w ith him.
The f i r s t and l a s t scenes th en
were c o n triv e d to give the p la y a b e g in n in g and ending which could
n o t have been i n th e D ia ry .
The H a c k e tts so lv ed th e problem o f u n i t i n g a l l o f the e n t r i e s
and gave th e D iary a b e g in n in g and an e n d in g . N ext, th e y had th e
ta s k o f c o n v ertin g th e people d e s c rib e d i n the D iary
2M ooyaart, op, c i t . , p . 19.
in to
11
c h a r a c te r s f o r t h e i r p la y w h ile rem aining t r u e t o th e D ia ry .
To do
t h i s , th e a d a p to rs had t o make s e v e r a l changes i n b o th p lo t and
c h a ra c te rs .
The ohanges i n th e c h a r a c te r s were n o t in t h e i r t r a i t s , b u t
in th e ir re la tio n s h ip s .
One o f th e most obvious changes was th e
condensing o f th e fo u r people who h e lp e d th e " fa m ily ," Miep, E l l i e ,
Mr. K roophuis, and Mr. K r a le r 3,
i n t o Miep and Mr. K r a le r .
The on ly
r e a s o n , and a v e ry good one a t t h a t , f o r d o in g t h i s was to keep th e
c a s t s m a lle r and th e c h a r a c te r s e a s i e r t o e s t a b l i s h and remember.
M argot, Anne’s o ld e r s i s t e r , was t r e a t e d r a t h e r c r u e l l y a t th e hands
o f th e a d a p t o r s .
In a c t u a l i t y Margot was s i x t e e n , p r e t t i e r , s m a rte r,
and more i n t e r e s t i n g th a n Anne.
f o r two r e a s o n s .
In th e p la y she was made e ig h te e n
F i r s t , t h i s change i n h e r age made h e r f iv e y e a rs
o ld e r th a n Anne, and t h i s gave Anne more of a re a so n f o r b ein g a lo n e ;
second, M argot a t s ix te e n would be o n ly a few months o ld e r th a n
P e te r Van Daan and c e r t a i n l y i n a much b e t t e r p o s i t i o n t o f a l l i n
love w ith him th a n Anne.
At e ig h te e n Margot i s o b v io u sly to o old
f o r P e t e r , and Anne has a c l e a r f i e l d f o r h e r e v e n tu a l love a f f a i r .
The H ack etts have g iv e n M argot alm ost no p e r s o n a l i t y i n t h e i r s c r i p t .
She has v e ry few l i n e s , and th e l i n e s she does have do v e ry l i t t l e
t o h e ig h te n h e r c h a r a c t e r .
They d id t h i s , c e r t a i n l y , t o s e t o f f
Anne’ s v iv a c io u s n e s s , b u t i n so d o in g , th e y made Margot appear t o
3I b i d . , p . 15.
12
be a r a t h e r d u l l and u n i n t e r e s t i n g p e rs o n .
In th e d i a r y , Anne made numerous comments about th e Van Daans
and t h e i r many arguments o r " d is c u s s i o n s ."
The M rs. Van Daan o f th e
p la y a p p ea rs t o be much th e same p erso n as th e one Anne w rote a b o u t.
The c h a r a c t e r o f Mr. Van Daan on th e o th e r hand, w hile rem aining
b a s i c a l l y th e same, was changed q u ite a b i t i n th e t r a n s i t i o n from
book t o p l a y .
His re a so n f o r b e in g w ith th e P rank s, acco rd in g t o th e
p la y , was t h a t he had done a fa v o r f o r Mr. Prank a t one tim e , and
t h i s was Mr. F ran k ’ s way o f re p a y in g th e f a v o r .
In th e D ia ry , Anne
e x p la in s t h a t Mr. Van Daan had been h e r f a t h e r ' s p a r tn e r i n th e same
b u ild in g i n which th e y were h id in g , so i n r e a l i t y he had as much
r i g h t t o be th e r e as th e F ra n k s .
[ The Van Daan' s r e a l name was
Van P e l t z , b u t i t was reco rd ed as Van Daan i n th e D iary f o r some
in e x p lic a b le r e a s o n .] 4
Mr. Prank was c o n sid e re d th e le a d e r o f th e
group, but i t was more because he wa3 a c t u a l l y th e s tr o n g e s t p e rso n ,
n o t because he was th e h o s t .
M r. Van Daan i s p a in te d as a much
weaker man i n th e p la y th a n th e D iary would le a d us t o b e l i e v e .
This
was p ro b a b ly done to h e lp s e t o f f th e q u i e t s tr e n g t h o f Mr. Frank;
b u t, M r. Van Daan, a lth o u g h i r r i t a b l e and q u a rre lso m e, was n o t th e
s e l f i s h coward t h a t a p p ears i n th e p la y .
I n c id e n ts such as h is
s t e a l i n g o f th e bread and h i s r e f u s a l t o go down a f t e r th e t h i e f a re
p u re ly f i c t i t i o u s .
4
Concerning th e in c i d e n t o f th e t h i e f , in th e
S ta n le y P ran k, op. c i t . , p . 3 0 .
13
D ia ry t h i s danger showed th e courage o f e v e ry member o f t h e h o u seh o ld .
A ll fo u r o f th e men went down i n t o th e warehouse and succeeded i n
c h asin g th e b u r g la r away w ith o u t h is le a rn in g t h a t anyone was h id in g
i n th e b u i l d i n g .5
Mr. D ussel a ls o was changed i n some d e t a i l by th e H a c k e tts .
He was given th e r o le o f c omic r e l i e f and was h a r d ly ev er ta k e n to o
se rio u sly .
For sympathy’s sak e , th e a u th o rs made him a v e ry lo n e ly
o ld b a c h e lo r .
The r e a l Mr. D u ssel had a w ife who was Dutch and who
had been t o l d , when h e r husband went i n t o h id in g , t h a t he had l e f t
th e c o u n try .
th e t r u t h . 6
I t was n o t u n t i l a f t e r h i s c a p tu re t h a t h is w ife le a rn ed
The added c h a r a c t e r i s t i c , t h a t of b e in g a hyp o cho n d riac,
was a ls o in v e n te d by th e a u th o r s .
The Mr. D ussel who ap pears i n th e
p la y i s a u s e f u l one, b u t he does n o t i m i t a t e th e o r i g i n a l who was
more s e t i n h is ways and c e r t a i n l y more i r r i t a b l e th a n e n t e r t a i n i n g .
Concerning th e c h a r a c te r o f Anne, th e H ack etts were s t r i v i n g
t o show Anne’ s b r i l l i a n c e so much o f th e tim e t h a t , i n th e d i r e c t o r ’ s
o p in io n , th e y v e ry n e a r ly ru in e d th e p la y and th e s to r y by n o t a llo w ­
in g h e r to be th e l i t t l e g i r l she was.
Anne d id w r ite many i n t e l l e c t u a l
and p e rc e p tiv e comments about th e people around h e r; b u t most o f th e
tim e , i n h e r a c t i o n s , she was a p l a i n , o rd in a ry l i t t l e g i r l .
This
l i t t l e g i r l q u a l i t y i s r a r e l y shown i n th e p la y , p ro b ably because of
5M ooyaart, op. c i t . , p . 64.
York:
6E r n s t S c h n a b e l, Anne F r a n k : A P o r t r a i t i n Courage (New
Ha r c o u r t , B r a c e , and C o ., 1958, p . 106.
14
th e need to show o th e r a s p e c ts of th e d ra m a tic problem .
As we w i l l n o te im m ed iately, many changes were made i n t h e
sto ry o u tlin e .
Many e v e n ts were put to g e t h e r t h a t d id n o t a c t u a l l y
happen in t h a t o r d e r , and a few examples w i l l be p r e s e n te d .
This
rearran gem en t o f i n c i d e n t s i s t o be ex p ected when one t a k e s an a ccou nt
o f a c t u a l happenings and t r i e s t o p r e s e n t them i n an a r t i s t i c way.
T ru th sim ply i s n o t always d ra m a tic .
The i n c i d e n t s which were p laced
o u t o f o rd e r f o r d ra m a tic r e a s o n s w i l l n o t be d is c u s s e d sin c e the
r e a s o n f o r t h i s having been done i s o b v io u s.
The a c t u a l s t o r y o f th e p lay b e g in s in Act I , Scene 2 w ith
the Van D aans' w a itin g f o r th e Franks t o a r r i v e .
This was done f o r
th e sake of e x p o s it io n sin c e th e Van Daans d id n o t r e a l l y a r r i v e a t
th e warehouse u n t i l a week a f t e r t h e Franks had moved i n . 7
Wi t h the
a r r i v a l o f th e F ran ks, everyone i s in tro d u c e d and th e c h a r a c te r s are
e sta b lish e d .
In the p la y Anne i s given h e r d ia r y as a g i f t t h e i r f i r s t day
i n t h e i r s e c r e t h id in g p l a c e .
The a d a p to rs did t h i s to keep the d ia r y
w i t h i n th e framework o f th e p l a y .
I n th e a c t u a l c a s e , Anne had had
th e d i a r y f o r a month b e fo re th e y were f o r c e d i n to h i d i n g .
She
r e c e iv e d i t a s a g i f t on h e r t h i r t e e n t h b i r t h d a y .
P o s s i b ly one of th e most co n fu sin g p a r t s of the p la y i s t h a t
which d e a l s w ith th e A nne-Peter love a f f a i r .
M
7 ooyaart, o p . c i t . , p . 20.
I n h e r d i a r y , Anne was
15
sm art enough to a n aly ze h e r romance a c c u r a t e l y and e v a lu a te i t fo r
what i t w as.
The s c r i p t could be i n t e r p r e t e d to imply t h a t t h i s
l i t t l e boy f r i e n d - g i r l f r i e n d r e l a t i o n s h i p should be ta k e n s e r i o u s l y .
I f th e p la y i s i n t e r p r e t e d t h i s way, th e d i r e c t o r does th e D iary a
great i n j u s t i c e .
Anne was n o t in love w ith P e t e r , and she knew i t .
Oh, d o n 't th in k I 'm in love because I'm n o t . But
i t does make l i f e more b e a r a b le t o have some one
w ith whom you can exchange v ie w s .8
The Franks and t h e i r f r i e n d s a re i n com plete ign o ran ce of th e
a f f a i r s of th e o u ts id e w orld a s f a r a s the p la y i s c o n ce rn e d .
t h i s was n o t r e a l l y th e c a s e , b u t i t proved a u s e f u l d e v ic e .
Again,
Mr.
D u sse l, upon h i s e n t r y , i s th u s able t o e x p la in t o th e inm ates and
t h e aud ien ce th e c o n d itio n s which e x i s t o u t s i d e .
Miep s a id l a t e r
t h a t th e y had t r i e d t o keep th e bad news from th e p e o p le , b u t th e y
could see a l o t from t h e i r windows, and th e r a d i o k e p t them q u ite
w e ll-in f o rm e d .
What w a s n 't t o l d to them th e y could su rm ise, so t h e i r
h e lp e r s answered a l l t h e i r q u e s t i o n s .
P e te r and h i s c a t were a ls o changed s l i g h t l y .
In the Diary
and the p la y he i s a v e ry shy, in s e c u re boy; b u t a t tim e s in the p la y
he i s made to look l i k e a b u n g lin g f o o l .
D uring the in c id e n t where
he knocks over th e lamp and f r i g h t e n s the t h i e f , he looks e s p e c i a l l y
rid ic u lo u s.
P e te r was a c t u a l l y t r e a t e d as a man; and when the t h i e f
was h e ard i n th e w arehouse, he went w ith th e o th e r men to sc a re him away.
8I b i d . , p . 194.
16
Mousch i , th e c a t , i s o f l i t t l e more im portance th a n a con­
v e r s a t i o n p ie c e o r a u s e f u l gimmic f o r s t a r t i n g arguments as f a r as
th e p la y goes; b u t i n th e a t t i c h id in g p la c e , she served a v e ry u s e f u l
p u rp o se .
The " fa m ily " s to r e d i t s food i n an a t t i c room over th e f r o n t
p a r t o f th e w arehouse; i f i t had n o t been f o r Mousch i , much o f th e
food would have been l o s t s in c e th e e n t i r e b u ild in g was i n f e s t e d w ith
ra ts .9
The f r ig h t e n i n g a f f a i r w ith th e t h i e f served th r e e p u rp o se s.
F i r s t , i t showed th e " f a m ily ’ s" a b i l i t y t o overcome f e a r by fo r c in g
them to r i s e above th e s i t u a t i o n .
Second, i t p rovid ed a t e n s i o n , a
r e a l re a s o n t o f e a r being c a p tu re d , th ro u g h o u t th e rem ainder o f the
p la y .
And f i n a l l y , i t gave th e H ack etts th e c o n c lu sio n which th e
p la y had t o h a v e.
I n th e f i n a l scene Mr. K ra le r r e p o r ts t h a t he
i n v e s t i g a t e d and found t h a t th e p e rso n who had informed th e Gestapo
o f t h e i r h id in g p la o e was th e t h i e f .
This was n o t t r u e .
The r e a l
c u l p r i t i s m entioned i n th e p la y , b u t more as an i n c i d e n t a l o b s ta c le
th a n as a r e a l t h r e a t t o t h e i r s e c u r i t y .
In Act I I , Scene 1, Mr. K ra le r
i s nervous because he t h in k s t h a t one o f h i s workmen s u s p e c ts something
s in c e he has asked f o r h ig h e r wages.
Mr. Frank shows h i s le v e l
t h i nk i n g , so lv e s th e problem , and everyone i s convinced t h a t t h i s i s
a f a l s e a la rm .
them i n .
A c tu a lly , th e warehouse man was th e one who tu rn e d
He i s a liv e i n Amsterdam to d a y , b u t th o se who know and could
9I b i d . , p . 62.
17
p o in t th e f i n g e r a t him leave him b e , because th e y f e e l n o th in g could
be gained from t a l k i n g w ith h im .10
The s t o r y p a r t o f th e p la y ends v e ry d r a m a tic a lly w ith th e
p o lic e c a r s r a c in g th ro u g h th e s t r e e t s w ith t h e i r s i r e n s scream ing.
The Green P o lic e b re a k th ro u g h th e fo u r doors b e fo re th e y re a c h th e
s e c r e t annex.
The Ha c k e t t s showed amazing r e s e r v e when th e y re fu s e d
t o a llo w th e p o lic e t o e n t e r th e s t a g e , b u t a l l o f t h i s i s f a b r i c a t i o n
This e v en t i s n o t i n t h e D iary no r i s Anne’ s f i n a l monologue which
s t a t e s t h a t th e y have o n ly f i v e m inutes i n which t o g a th e r t h e i r
b e lo n g in g s .
A ll has been added by th e a d a p to rs f o r dram atic e f f e c t .
The day t h e inm ates o f th e
s e c r e t annex
were found th e o f f i c e was
ru n n in g as u s u a l when, j u s t b e fo re noon, a s t a f f s e r g e a n t o f th e Green
P o lic e and th r e e Dutch c i v i l i a n s , members o f th e Dutch Nazi p a r t y ,
came i n t o M r. K r a le r ’ s o f f i c e .
They knew a l l about th e s e c r e t h id in g
p la c e and th e h idden cupboard le a d in g up t o i t .
fo rc e d K ra le r t o le a d them up th e s t a i r s .
At gun p o i n t , th e y
The "fam ily " assembled in
th e main room w h ile th e in v a d e rs sea rc h e d th e room s.
They were n o t
barb aro u s as th e v o ic e s i n th e p la y m ight lead one t o b e l i e v e , "They
behaved more l i k e d e t e c t i v e s i n a movie t h r i l l e r . 1"
The s e r g e a n t was a v e ry o rd in a ry man o f about f o r t y - f i v e .
Miep s a id l a t e r , "He looked as though he m ight come around tomorrow
10Schnable, op. c i t . , p . 151.
11I b i d . , p . 133.
18
t o re a d your gas m e te r, or punch your s t r e e t c a r t i c k e t . " 12
When th e s e r g e a n t saw Mr. F ran k ’ s fo o tlo c k e r and d isco v e re d
from th e i n s c r i p t i o n on i t t h a t Mr. Prank had been an o f f i c e r i n the
F i r s t World War, he became s l i g h t l y c o n fu sed .
He im m ediately t r e a t e d
th e people w ith more c o u rte s y and t o l d them t o ta k e t h e i r tim e in
g e t t i n g re a d y .
M r. Frank remarked t h a t th e s e r g e a n t had suddenly,
b u t u n o b tr u s iv e ly , come t o a t t e n t i o n b e fo re him.1
3
Many o f th e changes which M r. and Mrs. Ha c k e t t made i n th e
t e x t were changes which had t o be made f o r t h i s s t o r y t o have th e
elem ents o f drama.
The s t o r y i n i t s e l f i s d ra m a tic , b u t th e ev en ts
a re n o t p la c e d i n a d ram atic form .
The a d a p to rs had to make changes
t o a llo w th e e n t r i e s co v erin g a two y e a r p e rio d t o be shoehorned i n t o
a two hour p e r io d .
They d id a l l o f t h e s e t h i n g s , and y e t remained
t r u e to th e D ia ry i n to n e and them e.
The p la y was a s u c c e s s .
In th e s p rin g o f 1956 i t won th e
A n to in e tte P e rry Award, th e New York Drama C r i t i c s C irc le Award, and
th e P u l i t z e r P r i z e . 14
I t has been t r a n s l a t e d i n t o many lan guages,
and i t has met w ith su ccess everyw here.
The most unusu al r e a c t i o n to
th e p la y was t h a t o f th e a u d ie n ce s o f Germany.
I t opened i n seven
d i f f e r e n t c i t i e s s im u lta n e o u s ly , and a l l th e re sp o n se s were th e same.
12I b i d . , p . 133.
13I b i d . , p . 136.
G
41 oodrich, op. c i t . , p . v i i .
19
The audiences s a t q u i e t l y th ro u g h o u t th e p la y ; th e y d id n ’t leave th e
a u d ito riu m d u rin g in te r m i s s io n ; and a t th e c o n c lu sio n o f the p la y ,
th e y stoo d q u i e t l y and f i l e d s i l e n t l y out o f th e t h e a t r e .
T h eir
r e a c t i o n i s e x p la in a b le when you r e a l i z e t h a t a f t e r r e f u s i n g f o r t e n
y e a r s t o admit t h e i r g u i l t f o r th e d e a th o f s ix m i l l i o n Jews, Anne
fo rc e d them t o a c c e p t i t .
Said one member of th e a u d ie n c e , "We w atch
i t as an in d ic tm e n t i n th e most humble, p i t i f u l term s , o f ma n ’ s
inhum anity t o f e llo w man.
No one accu ses us as Germans.
We accuse
o u r s e lv e s ." 51
To th e American audience who d id n o t have such a p e rs o n a l
a ttach m en t t o th e i n c i d e n t s around which th e p la y re v o lv e d , th e p o in t
was made i n a u n iv e r s a l v e i n .
The s u f f e r in g which th e "fa m ily " under­
w ent, and th e i n j u s t i c e done th e s e peop le ta k e on w ider and g r e a t e r
s ig n if ic a n c e f o r a l l m in o r ity groups who r e c e iv e i n j u s t i c e .
The s to r y
of a young g i r l ’s growth f i t s a l l tim e s i n i t s a p p ea ls as Brooks
A tkinson s t a t e d :
Through e v e ry l i n e o f i t sh in es th e s p i r i t o f Anne
F ra n k . For th e most p a r t i t i s a sm ilin g s p i r i t . By
p re s e rv in g i t so d e l i c a t e l y Mr. and Mrs. Ha c k e t t have l e t
a c le a n , young mind a d d re ss th e conscience o f th e w o rld .1
6
15Loui s de Jong, "The G i r l Who Was Anne F ra n k ," The R ea d e r’ s
D ig e s t, LXH (O cto ber, 1957), pp. 115-120.
AOG oodrich, op. c i t . , p . x i i .
CHAPTER I I I
A DIRECTOR’ S ANALYSIS
I t i s h e l p f u l to know what ty p e of drama a p la y i s b e fo re i t
i s produced.
The D iary o f Anne Frank has elem ents of tr a g e d y , comedy,
and melodrama.
I f the p la y i s taken as i t a p p e a rs , th e s t o r y of a
t a l e n t e d , e n e r g e t i c young g i r l who d i e s b e fo re she h a s a chance to
prove h e r g r e a t n e s s , th e n i t i s a t r a g e d y .
I f one f e e l s t h a t th e p la y
i s about th e group o f people i n h id in g , the fa m ily , t h e n i t might be
c o n sid e re d a tra g ic -c o m e d y ; because even th o u g h the fa m ily p e r i s h e s ,
th e y end t h e i r s ta y i n th e s e c r e t annex w ith t h e i r human v a lu e s i n t a c t .
The p o i n t , i n "this c a s e , would n o t be w hether th e y liv e d or d ie d , b u t
r a t h e r t h a t th e y were a b le t o m a in ta in t h e i r d i g n i t y and uphold t h e i r
m oral s ta n d a r d s .
As Anne s a i d , "We're t r y i n g to h old onto some kind of
i d e a l s . . . .when e v e r y t h i n g . . . . i d e a l s , h o p e s ,. . ..e v e r y th in g a re being
d estro y ed !"1
th e m s e lv e s .
They d id n o t , as O tto Frank fe a r e d t h e y m ight, d e s tr o y
The p la y , had i t n o t c o n ta in e d such an im p o rtan t message
o f u n i v e r s a l s i g n i f i c a n c e , could have been a m elodram a. The m elodram atic
t r a i t s l i e i n th e s t r u c t u r e of t h e work.
a t h r e a t t o th e s a f e t y of th e f a m i l y .
The many scenes each c o n ta in
In each o f th e scenes the t h r e a t
i s r e c o g n iz e d , r e s o l v e d , and th e scene i s c o n clu d ed .
But Anne's a s s e s -
ment of t h e i r s i t u a t i o n d e f i n i t e l y b r in g s t h i s above a m elodram atic l e v e l .
G o o d r ic h , op. c i t . , p . 127.
20
21
The p l a y which i s a t r a g e d y ends on a n o te o f hope i n th e
p e rso n o f O tto Frank, th e only s u rv iv o r o f th e two y e a r o r d e a l . In
th e f i r s t scene he i s a v e ry b i t t e r man who i s re a d y to ru n away b e­
cause he h a te d so much th e cau ses which to o k h i s fa m ily , y e t e l e c t e d
t o keep him a l i v e .
In th e f i n a l scen e, he has changed.
His d a u g h te r
has been allow ed to speak t o him and t e l l him t h a t i f he c o n tin u e d to
h a te and ru n away, th e n th e r e s t would have d ie d in v a i n .
Bu t i f he
could r i s e above h i s s u f f e r i n g , i f he to o c o u ld f o r g i v e , th e n he would
be a b e t t e r man because o f h i s s u f f e r i n g ; th e n the w orld t h e r e f o r e would
be a b e t t e r p la c e f o r t h e i r having li v e d and d ie d .
The d i r e c t o r o f t h i s p ro d u c tio n aimed a t t e l l i n g a s t o r y o f a
young g i r l ' s growth under th e most d ism a l o f s u rro u n d in g s .
But th e
s to r y o f t h i s g i r l had to rem ain secondary to th e more u n iv e r s a l theme
o f c o u ra g e —th e c ourage o f t h i s fa m ily , and indeed o f mankind i t s e l f ,
to s u rv iv e .
Anne p la y s a la rg e p a r t in p r e s e n tin g t h i s p o in t o f view
as she i s th e y o u n g e st, and th e one who has th e most t o l e a r n .
The
message could be p re s e n te d th ro u g h h e r d i s c o v e r i e s about c o u ra g e.
Yet
i n p r e s e n ti n g the courage them e, the s t r o n g e s t f i g u r e i s O tto F rank.
I t i s around him t h a t th e a f f a i r s i n the Annex r e v o lv e , and i t i s around
him t h a t th e s t o r y o f th e p la y should be p r e s e n te d .
With th e f a t h e r as
th e f o c a l p o i n t , and th e s t o r y of human courage as th e theme, the
d i r e c t o r wanted t h i s p la y to end on a n o te o f human d i g n i t y and optim ism .
Judging from a few p erfo rm an ces, some d i r e c t o r s would f e e l t h a t
The D iary of Anne Frank should be played w ith th e c h a r a c t e r of Anne in
th e " s t a r r i n g p o s i t i o n . "
When t h i s i s d on e , th e play s u f f e r s because
22
th e g i r l i s g iv e n a f a l s e em phasis, and th e message b ec omes d i s t o r t e d .
Anne i s a charm ing, w i t t y , o f te n fu nny, and a t tim e s am azingly
i n t e l l i g e n t l i t t l e g i r l ; b u t she i s o n ly l i k e a b l e o r lo v eab le when h e ld
i n check.
She can be h e ld i n check b y ta k in g the fo c u s o f a t t e n t i o n
away from th e l i t t l e g i r l , who under no circ u m stan c e s would be giv en
a p la c e o f dominance i n a h o u se h o ld , and g iv in g i t t o t h e p erso n who
would and d id have t h e p o s i t i o n o f l e a d e r s h i p , h e r f a t h e r .
Anne's
g r e a tn e s s must rem ain a s e c r e t - - a s e c r e t betw een Anne and th e a u d ie n c e .
I f th e p la y i s t o be a t a l l b e l i e v a b l e , she must be t r e a t e d as a
l i t t l e g i r l by th e rem ainder o f t h e f a m ily .
While she h o ld s a p o s i t i o n
o f g r e a t prominence i n th e eyes of th e a u d ie n c e , Anne must s t i l l be
r e s t r a i n e d i n h er p e r s p e c tiv e i n th e f a m ily r e l a t i o n s h i p upon th e s t a g e .
Because of th e many scenes Anne h as where she i s allow ed t o t e l l e v ery ­
one what she th in k s o f them and th e s i t u a t i o n , a d i r e c t o r could lo se
c o n tro l of th i s d u al need.
As Henry Hewes s a id o f th e New York p r o -
d u c tio n , Anne s p e n t "most o f h e r tim e b ein g a p re c o c io u s b r a t . " 2
This
would be e a s y f o r Anne t o do s in c e she i s allow ed t o speak h e r mind
ra th e r fr e e ly .
To keep th e a u d ie n c e ’ s sympathy w ith Anne, she must
be d i r e c t e d v e ry c a r e f u l l y .
F i r s t , when she re a c h e s th e p o in t where
she lo s e s h e r tem per w ith someone, she must have been m o tiv a te d t o th e
p o in t where th e aud ien ce w i l l see t h a t she has to l e t g o .
She must a ls o
2H enry Hewes, "Broadway P o s t s c r i p t , " S a tu rd a y Review, O ctober 22,
1955, p . 27.
23
d i s p l a y an amount o f r e s t r a i n t d u rin g th e s e moments o f t r u t h so th e
audience w i l l r e a l i z e t h a t she i s h o ld in g back something more she would
l i k e t o say .
I f she can show a f e e l i n g o f s e l f d i s c i p l i n e , th e n th e
amount o f emotion t h a t does f l a r e up w i l l n o t ap p ear as d i s r e s p e c t f u l
as would h e r com plete lo s s of te m p e r.
A nne's r o l e i s v e ry d i f f i c u l t ; e n t e r i n g i n t o a d o le sc e n c e , she
i s p h y s i c a l l y and m e n ta lly i n a s t a t e o f t u r m o i l . She i s r i g h t a t th e
p o i n t where she i s b e g in n in g to
an sw ers.
d is c o v e r q u e s tio n s to which she has no
As she emerges i n t o h e r a d o le s c e n t y e a r s , she shows a
c e r t a i n growth o f c h a r a c t e r .
She h e r s e l f s u p p lie s a focus upon h e r
f a t h e r by t e l l i n g him about th e "Good Anne" and t h e "Bad Anne" and
t h e i r s t r u g g l e s to win over each o th e r in conquering h e r p e r s o n a l i t y .
Anne th e r e b y h e lp s make Otto Frank th e f o c a l p o in t o f th e p la y .
F i r s t , he i s the le a d e r o f th e gro up , and second, i t would be p e r f e c t l y
n a t u r a l f o r him t o be th e f a t h e r f i g u r e f o r th e group sin ce i t i s
h i s h id in g p la c e , and t h e o th e r s a re h i s g u e s t s .
The id e a of Mr.
F r a n k 's assuming th e r o l e o f le a d e r s h ip b ecau se o f h i s c a p a c ity as h o s t
i s f i n e f o r t h e b e g in n in g o f th e
because he i s th e s t r o n g e s t .
brave.
p la y , b u t he must m a in ta in le a d e r s h ip
I t i s from O tto t h a t Anne must l e a r n to be
Mr. Frank e n t e r s i n th e f i r s t scene i n a mood o f d e j e c t i o n , and
i n th e f la s h - b a c k he i s seen as an i n t e l l i g e n t man w ith courage and
c o n v ic tio n s and th e a b i l i t y to le a d o th e r s and i n s t i l l i n them h i s
c o u ra g e .
This i s t h e way he behaves th ro u g h o u t th e p la y .
In th e f i n a l
scene we see t h a t he le a r n s t h a t he i s r i g h t and he admonishes h im s e lf
24
fo r b e lie v in g d i f f e r e n t l y in th e f i r s t scene.
He i s a f i g u r e i n
th e background who g iv e s a d v ic e ; s e t t l e s d i s p u t e s ; and, when n e c e s ­
s a r y , shows th e o th e r s how t o be b r a v e .
He s u f f e r s i n t e n s e l y , a l b e i t
s i l e n t l y , w ith the problems o f th o s e who f i n d t h e i r s t r e n g t h i n him.
I t i s h e , o f c o u r s e , who d is c o v e r s a t th e end th e r e a l measure o f
f a i t h and m a t u r i t y as e x p re sse d by h i s d a u g h te r.
M argot, Anne’ s s i s t e r , s e rv e s a s a f o i l to Anne by showing th e
audience th e ty p e o f p e rs o n Anne m ight be i f she behaved th e way o th e r s
wished h e r t o behave.
a grave i n j u s t i c e .
The H a c k e tts , when w r i t i n g t h i s p a r t , d id Margot
She has o n ly a few l i n e s , and th e s e l i n e s a re f o r
th e most p a r t r a t h e r i d i o t i c .
" I ' l l g e t my l i s t . " , "You know Anne,"
o r "Mr. K r a l e r , what a p le a s a n t s u r p r i s e . "
Yet she i s r e f e r r e d to
th ro u g h o u t th e p la y as an i n t e l l i g e n t , i n t e r e s t i n g , p r e t t y g i r l .
The
only way t h a t th e a c t u a l c h a r a c te r o f t h i s g i r l may be shown, however
s l i g h t l y , i s th ro u g h h e r b lo c k in g and b u s in e s s .
She must be p laced i n
p o s i t i o n s where h e r r e a c t i o n s and im p ressio n s to i n c i d e n t s can be seen
and n o te d .
In t h i s way o n ly w i l l Margot come o f f as a n y th in g b u t
a n o th e r body on an a l r e a d y crowded s t a g e .
With P e te r th e s i t u a t i o n i s alm ost th e r e v e r s e .
as th e shy, f r i g h t e n e d , lo n e ly boy t h a t he w as.
He i s shown
I n th e course o f the
p la y , as he slow ly g e ts accustomed to th e people around him, he s t a r t s
behaving more n a t u r a l l y , b u t a t th e s l i g h t e s t p ro v o c a tio n , he r e t u r n s
to h i s room and h i s s h e l l o f l o n l i n e s s .
He, to o , s e rv e s as a f o i l to
Anne, and we see t h a t even though he i s t h r e e y e a rs o ld e r th a n she i s ,
25
b e fo re t h e i r s ta y i n th e s e c r e t h id in g p la c e en ds, Anne c o m p le te ly
dom inates him; th e y a re l a s t seen to g e t h e r when Anne i s c o m forting
him as a mother might com fort h e r f r ig h te n e d so n .
P e t e r ' s weakness
i s used h e re t o a cc e n t A nne's c o u ra g e.
The c h a r a c te r o f M rs. Frank shows more human w eaknesses th a n
h e r h u s b a n d 's .
For one t h i n g , she changes th ro u g h th e ru n o f th e s t o r y .
She shows t h a t she i s h u r t when Anne r e j e c t s h e r ; she g o s sip s w ith
M argot; and she g e ts p r o g r e s s i v e l y more i r r i t a b l e as th e p la y proceeds
u n t i l she re a c h e s a p o in t o f complete ang er w ith th e Van D aans.
But
th e m ost human f e a t u r e about h e r i s the manner i n which she t r i e s to
em ulate h e r h u s b a n d 's b e h a v io r, as would th e w ife o f such a s tro n g
man as Mr. F ran k , even thou g h she i s unable to m a in ta in t h i s e m u la tio n .
Mr. and M rs. Van Daan a r e the most c o l o r f u l members o f th e
company.
They a re s e l f - c e n t e r e d and e g o t i s t i c a l and a re th e main
fo rc e i n p ro v id in g c o n f l i c t s i n th e v a rio u s s c e n e s .
Mrs. Van D aan's
love f o r h e r old f u r c o a t and her l o s t y ou th; and Mr. Van D aan's
a n x ie ty f o r h i s own c o m fo rt, h i s c i g a r e t t e s and fo o d , p ro v id e many
i n c i d e n t s , argum ents, o r " d i s c u s s i o n s ” around and th ro u g h which th e
audience may see th e growth o f the fa m ily as th e y a re fo rc e d t o depend
l e s s and l e s s on m a t e r i a l goods and more and more upon t r u s t and f a i t h .
The l a s t member of t h e fa m ily i s Mr. D u s s e l.
b a c h e lo r who had c o n sid e re d h im s e lf a Dutchman.
He i s a lo n e ly old
With th e advent o f
Jew ish p e r s e c u tio n i n H o lla n d , he was fo rc e d to re c o g n ize h is h e r i t a g e
even though he was n o t an orthodox Jew.
He, l i k e th e Van Daans, i s
26
i n t e r e s t e d i n h i s own p e rs o n a l com fort b e fo re e v e r y th in g e l s e .
He i s
a hypochondriac and goes t o g r e a t le n g th s t o in s u re h i s com fort a g a i n s t
d ise a se .
A lthough Mr. D ussel i s g e n e r a ll y a "lone w o lf ," h i s g r e a t e s t
i r r i t a n t from th e fa m ily , who a l l seem to want to d e p riv e him o f h is
p r iv a c y , i s young Anne.
His "C h ild re n should be seen and no t h eard "
a t t i t u d e p ro v id e s many an amusing s i t u a t i o n as he meets w ith o p p o s itio n
from th e one p e rso n i n th e fa m ily who wants t o be re c o g n ize d as an
i n t e l l i g e n t i n d iv id u a l above e v e r y th in g e l s e , Anne.
He p ro v id e s a
g r e a t d e a l o f th e humor i n t h e p la y because h i s many p l i g h t s , on the
s u rfa c e a t l e a s t , seem v e r y fu nn y .
Y et, upon c l o s e r o b s e r v a tio n , th e
audience i s a b le to see th e patho s which i s so much a p a r t of t h i s
lo n e ly , f r i g h t e n e d man.
The Van Daans and Mr. Dus s e l b o th have t r a i t s which could
e a s i l y be a p p lie d t o d i s l i k a b l e p e o p le .
The t r a i t s o f s e l f i s h n e s s
must no t be allow ed to overshadow th e f a c t t h a t th e s e people a re b a s i c a l l y
good, and when given the o p p o r tu n ity , w i l l do the r i g h t t h i n g .
Most
im p o r ta n t, th e s e t r a i t s must n o t overshadow th e f a c t t h a t th e y th in k o f
them selv es as good p e o p le .
But th e y a re human and t h e r e f o r e s u b je c t
t o human d e s i r e s , so a t tim e s th e y do not liv e up t o t h e i r i d e a l s .
Mrs.
Van Daan g iv e s h e r husband b ig g e r sh a re s o f fo o d , n o t because she i s
b ein g u n f a i r , b u t b ecau se h e r f e e l i n g s i n s i s t t h a t he needs more s in c e
he is b ig g e r th a n th e o t h e r s .
Mr. Van Daan s e l l s h i s w i f e ' s c o a t , and
r a t i o n a l i z e s h i s g u i l t by accusing h i s w ife o f b eing s e l f i s h f o r n o t
w a n tin g to p a r t w ith i t .
Under normal c irc u m stan c e s Mr. Van Daan would
27
n o t have made h i s w ife s a c r i f i c e to s a t i s f y h i s own d e s i r e s , b u t in
t h i s s i t u a t i o n a l i t t l e t h i n g l ik e a c i g a r e t t e ta k e s on g i g a n t i c p ro ­
p o rtio n s.
I t becomes a d e s i r e more im p o r ta n t to him th a n p r i d e .
Mr.
D ussel i s convinced t h a t he knows how t o g e t alon g w ith c h ild r e n , b u t
whenever th e y i n t e r f e r e w ith h i s p la n s , th e n somehow th e y are always
wrong.
I t i s n o t because he i s u n f a i r , i t i s simply t h a t he i s always
rig h t.
An im p o rta n t p o in t t h a t must be made w ith t h e s e c h a r a c te r s i s
t h a t th e y ar e not bad p e o p le .
They have t h e i r f a u l t s , b u t th e y must
be lik e d i n s p i t e o f t h e i r human sh o rtco m in g s.
The two o u t s i d e r s , Miep and Mr. K r a le r , a re o ffic e w o rk e rs i n
t h e w arehouse.
They e n t e r a t i n t e r v a l s th ro u g h o u t th e p la y and b rin g
in fo rm a tio n o f the o u ts id e w orld.
I t i s th ro u g h t h e s e two t h a t th e
war p lo t of th e p la y i s conveyed.
They keep the audience reminded
t h a t t h e r e a re German s o l d i e r s on t h e w atch a l l of t h e tim e .
They a ls o
d em o n strate Anne’ s p o in t t h a t people a r e b a s i c a l l y good a t h e a r t .
Here are two people who d a i l y r i s k t h e i r l i v e s because t h e y f e e l t h a t
some o f t h e i r f r i e n d s and f e llo w human b e in g s a r e b e in g u n j u s t l y t r e a t e d .
These r o l e s , though s m a ll, have a d i f f i c u l t t a s k a ssig n e d to
them .
Anne rem arks only once t h a t Miep and Mr. K ra le r r i s k t h e i r l i v e s .
This i s a p o in t which must be bro u g h t out even f u r t h e r i f the s e r i o u s ­
n e ss o f th e s i t u a t i o n i s t o have i t s f u l l im pact; t h e r e f o r e , whenever
th e two e n t e r th e a t t i c h id in g p la c e , th e y must show two emotions
s im u lta n e o u s ly .
They must v e ry d e f i n i t e l y show t h a t th ey a re w orried
about th e d a n g er, and a t th e same tim e th e y must show a c e r t a i n g a ie ty
28
so t h a t th e fam ily w i l l n o t f e e l th e alarm which th e y th em selv es f e e l .
The c h a r a c t e r s o f t h i s p la y , w ith th e e x c e p tio n of M argot, a re
r e a l because th e y a re so c a r e f u l l y i n d i v i d u a l i z e d .
The audience can
be made to f e e l t h e s i t u a t i o n and t h e r e f o r e th e message o f th e p la y
b ecau se th e y see t h e s e people a s human b e in g s .
The b lo c k in g and b u s i­
n ess f o r t h i s p la y w i l l come e a s i l y because th e c h a r a c t e r s ’ a c tio n s
a re c l e a r l y m o tiv a te d in t h e i r l i n e s .
The d i r e c t o r w i l l n o t be fo rc e d
t o in v e n t much b u s i n e s s .
There a re s e v e r a l t h i n g s w hich th e d i r e c t o r f e l t should be
changed i f the p ro d u c tio n was t o be th e su ccess which he d e s i r e d .
f i r s t change i n th e s c r i p t came in Act I Scene 2 .
in g th e r u l e s to the newly assembled fa m ily .
The
Mr. Frank i s e x p la in ­
When he m entions th e tim es
when no w ater i s t o be r u n , he s t a t e s t h a t th e W.C. cannot be used
d u rin g c e r t a i n tim e s of t h e d a y .
Due to t h e f a c t t h a t one o f th e
n a t i o n a l b r o a d c a s tin g companies had r e c e n t l y censored a t e l e v i s i o n
perfo rm er f o r t e l l i n g a s t o r y ab o ut a W.C., th e d i r e c t o r , w ith th e
co n se n t of h i s c a s t , changed th e l in e to r e a d , "th e w ater c l o s e t . "
The
re a so n f o r t h i s change was to p re v e n t a laugh which would n o t have been
i n d ic a te d by th e s c r i p t or th e s t o r y o f th e p la y .
Another im p o rta n t change was made i n the Haunaka scene.
A f te r
t h e c ra s h made by th e t h i e f , everyone w a its u n t i l he i s sure the t h i e f
h as ru n away b e fo re d a r in g t o speak o r move a b o u t.
Mrs. Van Daan i s
th e most p e s s i m i s t i c , and everyone looks as i f he i s going to be
c a p tu re d a t any moment.
Anne should f a i n t .
The p la y w rig h ts claim ed t h a t a t t h i s p o in t
The d i r e c t o r d is a g r e e d .
The main p o in t which should
29
be made i n th e p la y i s the s t o r y of c ourage; and by a llo w in g Anne to
f a i n t , one would allow h e r an escape from one o f the most tr y i n g s i t u ­
a t i o n s in th e p l a y .
I n s t e a d , th e d i r e c t o r chose to l e t h e r c ry , as a
l i t t l e g i r l m ight do under a t r y i n g s i t u a t i o n .
This d e v ic e would serve
t h e purpose and y e t n o t allo w Anne t o appear so t e r r i f i e d t h a t she would
lo se c o n s c io u s n e s s .
We see A nne's n a t u r a l r e a c t i o n t o f e a r and h e r
m o th e r's n a t u r a l r e a c t i o n to h e r d a u g h t e r 's need f o r sympathy.
The H ack etts s l i g h t e d Margot by n o t g iv in g h e r a p a r t which she
could d e v elo p , but th e y a l s o gave h e r one of the most c o nfusing l i n e s
i n t h e p la y .
In Act I I Scene 1, Mr. K ra le r and Miep come to v i s i t the
fa m ily on Mew Y e a r's Day.
D uring th e course of th e c o n v e r s a tio n ,
Mr. K ra le r asks Mr. Frank to go down t o the o f f i c e to look over some
papers.
At t h i s p o in t the p la y w rig h ts gave Margot u n n a tu r a l i n s i g h t
f o r she s a y s , " ( With sudden f o r e b o d in g ) W hat's happened?
happened:
H a s n 't i t , Mr. K ra le r? "
your f a t h e r ’ s a d v i c e . . . "
I know i t ! "3
Som ething's
He answered, "No, r e a l l y .
I want
And she i n s i s t s , "Som ething's gone wrong!
The d i r e c t o r f e l t Margot would have t r o u b l e i n m o tiv a tio n
f o r t h i s scen e, because a l l t h a t she has t o s tim u la te t h i s sudden f e a r
i s Mr. K r a l e r 's lin e r e q u e s ti n g t h a t Mr. Frank go d o w n sta irs and look
over th e p a p e r s .
R ath er th a n allow h e r t o r e t a i n t h e s e powers o f e x t r a
sen so ry p e r c e p ti o n , th e d i r e c t o r changed the s c r i p t to re a d :
MARGOT. Has something happened? I s something th e m a tte r?
MR. KRALER. No, r e a l l y . I want your F a t h e r 's a d v i c e . . .
MARGOT. There i s something wrong, i s n ’t t h e r e Mr. K ra le r?
3G oodrich, op. c i t . , p . 122.
30
This minor change w i l l make th e p a r t b e l i e v a b l e , for when
Margot asks th e q u e s ti o n , Mr, K ra le r who i s n a t u r a l l y th in k in g o f the
problem w i l l r e a c t to th e q u e s tio n w ith such f o r c e f u ln e s s t h a t Margot
w i l l be ab le t o see th ro u g h him and know t h a t h e r i d l e q u e s tio n has
s tr u c k a p o in t of t r u t h .
This t h e r e f o r e , g iv e s h e r grounds f o r p e r ­
suing Mr. K ra le r w ith more q u e s ti o n s .
As i t i s o r i g i n a l l y , t h e lin e
i s a b l a t e n t way o f in tr o d u c in g a new problem in to th e p la y .
With
th e change, i t s i n t r o d u c t i o n w i l l be sm oother.
One o f th e b ig problems i n th e d i r e c t i o n o f t h i s p la y l i e s
w ith in the A nne-Peter r e l a t i o n s h i p .
How i s th e au d ien ce t o ta k e the
s t o r y o f t h i s l i t t l e g i r l ' s f i r s t love a f f a i r ?
r e a l love?
As puppy love?
As
The a d a p to rs have p ro v id ed an e x p la n a tio n o f th e i n t e r p r e ­
t a t i o n when Anne s a y s, "Oh, d o n ’t t h i n k t h a t I am in lo v e , because I'm
n o t." 4
But, th e y leave room f o r doubt because a l i t t l e l a t e r in the
same speech she s a y s , " I a c t u a l l y l i v e f o r the n e x t m e e tin g .
Could
a n y th in g be more lo v e ly th a n s i t t i n g w ith the warm sun on your fa c e
and h o ld in g a d a r l i n g boy in your arm s?"5
This l a s t lin e might lead
one t o b e lie v e t h a t Anne is a c t u a l l y i n love w ith Pe t e r .
w i l l have to handle t h i s s i t u a t i o n v e ry d e l i c a t e l y .
The d i r e c t o r
I t i s n e c e s sa ry
t h a t Anne be shown as an e a g e r , i n q u i s i t i v e young g i r l who i s very
4 I b i d . , p . 148.
3I b i d . , p . 148.
31
e x c i te d about h e r new d is c o v e ry o f b o y - g i r l r e l a t i o n s h i p s .
I f Anne i s
allow ed t o be t r u l y i n love w ith P e t e r , th e n th e whole p o in t o f t h i s
s ta g e in h e r growing up p ro c e ss w i l l be d e s tr o y e d .
The a l t e r n a t i v e ,
which th e d i r e c t o r f e l t was th e b e s t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , i s t o l e t both
P e te r and Ann e x p e rie n c e t h i s new r e l a t i o n s h i p as normal boys and g i r l s
do.
Let them show th e audience how th e y f e e l th ro u g h t h e i r r e a c t i o n s
t o each o t h e r .
In Act I I Scene 4, b o th should t r y to appear grown up,
b u t i t must be made c l e a r t h a t th e y are b o th tr y i n g to im press th e
o th e r p e rs o n .
They must a ls o approach th e d e l i c a t e b o y - g i r l t a l k ,
"should one k i s s a boy b e fo re s h e 's engaged," e a g e r ly , b u t c a u t io u s ly
because n e i t h e r wants th e o th e r to know t h a t he c a r e s w hether th e y t a l k
about t h i s or n o t .
I f th e y b o th appear a d o le s c e n t ly m atu re, e a g e r ly
r e s e r v e d , th e y w i l l be su re
t o make th e n e c e s s a ry b lu n d e rs which boys
make around g i r l s and g i r l s
make around boys.
This th e d i r e c t o r f e e l s
w i l l give th e scene th e f e e l i n g o f h o n e sty which w i l l make th e audience
remember and r e l i v e t h e i r own s i m i l a r e x p e r ie n c e s .
The d i r e c t o r o f t h i s p ro d u c tio n
d u c tio n s e t i n a v e r y t i g h t
would p r e f e r to have th e p ro ­
and compact s e t t i n g .
Since th e p la y covers
a two y ear p e r io d , th e fa m ily would n a t u r a l l y g e t v ery r e s t l e s s and
bound i n , and t h i s would be h ard t o p o r tr a y i n th e p e rio d o f two h o u rs .
But i f th e a c t o r s were fo rc e d t o p la y i n a cramped a c tin g a r e a , th e y
would a u to m a tic a lly p r o j e c t th e f e e l i n g of im prisonm ent.
Above e v e ry th in g e l s e , th e d i r e c t o r wished to show th e h o n e sty
32
i n th e c h a r a c t e r s , in Anne i n p a r t i c u l a r .
The p la y , as does th e book,
has a message which does not need e l a b o r a t i o n .
I f t h i s message can be
a c h ie v e d , the a c t o r s w i l l have a good chance fo r c r e a t i n g a success
because t h e y w i l l be p la y in g r o l e s o f r e a l and i n t e r e s t i n g p e o p le .
The d i r e c t o r does n o t p la n on having any d i f f i c u l t y w ith
th e language of th e p la y ,
A few words such a s , L’chaim and M azeltov,
which w i l l be unusual to th e members o f the c a s t might cause them
some problems i n i t i a l l y .
E n g lis h ;
The language w i l l be g e n e ra l Am erican
no a tte m p t w i l l be made to i m i t a t e a Jew ish, German or
Dutch a c c e n t.
The d i r e c t o r does n o t a n t i c i p a t e any more th a n the normal
problems w ith th e rhythm o f t h i s p ro d u c tio n .
The many scenes i n
the p la y a re a rran g ed i n an o rd e r o f l i g h t and s e r io u s moments, o f t h r e a t s ,
suspense, and s o l u t i o n s ; and th e d i r e c t o r f e e l s t h a t h i s main t a s k w i l l
be in p u t t i n g in p ro p e r pace and tempo the rhythm which the Ha c k e tts
put i n t o t h e i r s c r i p t .
CHAPTER IV
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
D ir e c tin g a p la y f o r a community t h e a t r e i s q u ite d i f f e r e n t
from d i r e c t i n g a p la y i n an academic s i t u a t i o n , as th e d i r e c t o r o f
The D ia ry o f Anne Frank d is c o v e re d .
The main d i f f e r e n c e , and th e
g r e a t e s t o b s ta c le which th e d i r e c t o r en countered was th e o u tlo o k of
th e p ro d u c tio n p e r s o n n e l.
S tu d e n ts have a tw ofold re a so n f o r d e d i c a t ­
in g t h e i r tim e and e f f o r t s to th e su ccess o f a p ro d u c tio n .
They are
g e n e r a ll y w orking under th e s u p e r v is io n o f t h e i r i n s t r u c t o r s which
s tim u la te s them to complete t h e i r ta s k s as w e ll as th e y can , and
sec o n d ly , th e y are g e n e r a ll y somewhat d e d ic a te d t o th e t h e a t r e and
s t r i v e to a s s i s t a p la y i n ev ery p o s s ib le way.
But i n a community
t h e a t r e , t h i s d u a l in c e n tiv e i s g e n e r a ll y n o t th e c a s e .
For most
people who work e i g h t hours a day f i v e days a week, th e t h e a t r e i s a
form of amusement.
I t i s a p la c e f o r r e l a x a t i o n and e n te r ta in m e n t.
When producing a p la y , th e y e n jo y th e d i v e r s io n which p a in tin g scenery
o r hanging l i g h t s o f f e r s them from t h e i r jo bs d u rin g th e day.
When
t h i s d i v e r s io n ta k e s th e shape of work, o r when i n th e course o f p ro ­
d u c tio n t h e i r p re sen c e i s no lo n g e r a m a tte r o f ch o ice b ut of d u ty ,
th e n th e y become more and more r e l u c t a n t t o p a r t i c i p a t e , and many
re sig n .
I t was such a s i t u a t i o n i n which the d i r e c t o r in n o c e n tly found
33
34
h im s e lf a t th e o u ts e t o f th e p ro d u c tio n o f D ia ry .
F o r tu n a t e ly however,
f o r th e d i r e c t o r and th e Iowa C ity Community T h e a tre , th e o r g a n iz a tio n
had a few d e d ic a te d members who were w i l l i n g t o s a c r i f i c e more o f
t h e i r tim e th a n should have been r e q u ir e d of them to h e lp make t h i s
p ro d u c tio n a s u c c e s s .
These few were p u t in p o s i t i o n s o f a u t h o r i t y ,
and as a r e s u l t o f th e la c k o f p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f th e members o f th e
o r g a n iz a t io n , were fo rc e d t o do most o f th e work th e m s e lv e s .
I t was
t h i s lack o f manpower t h a t gave th e p ro d u c tio n most o f i t s t e c h n i c a l
problem s.
The n ex t problem was th e la c k o f housing f a c i l i t i e s f o r th e
p ro d u c tio n crew and c a s t .
The show was t o be sta g e d i n th e C ity High
School a u d ito riu m , b u t th e a u d ito riu m could n o t be used u n t i l th e
Monday b e fo re th e F rid a y o penin g.
The basement o f th e F i r s t U n ita r ia n
Church was r e n te d f o r r e h e a r s a l sp ace, and th e s e t c o n s tr u c t io n took
p la c e in an abandoned cream ery i n th e c i t y .
A cco rd in g ly , th e c a s t d id
n o t r e h e a r s e on th e a c t u a l s e t u n t i l th e f i r s t d re s s r e h e a r s a l .
In
a d d i t i o n , th e s ta g e crew had to have th e s e t c om pletely re a d y to
assemble on th e S a tu rd a y b e fo re t h e opening s in c e th e y were allowed
o n ly fo u r hours on S atu rd ay t o t r a n s p o r t th e s e t t o th e a u d ito riu m and
erect i t .
The scho ol c lo se d a t tw elve noon on S a tu rd a y , and i t was
c lo se d a l l day Sunday.
The s e t could n o t have been c o n s tr u c te d had i t n o t been f o r
th e d e s ig n e r who was a b le t o work on i t d u rin g th e d ay.
Thanks t o him,
35
t h e a c t o r s had a f a i r l y c lo s e f a c s im ile to th e a c t u a l s e t f o r t h e i r
f i r s t d re s s r e h e a r s a l on Monday n i g h t , and each day up t o th e
opening more and more was accom plished by him u n t i l by opening
n i g h t th e s e t had been co m p leted .
Here i s an example o f th e p ro b ­
lems o f th e community t h e a t r e s i t u a t i o n .
No one could h e lp th e
s e t d e sig n e r because everyone worked d u rin g
th e day, and th e y
could n o t work l a t e i n t o th e evening because t h e sch o o l
was locked
up a t e l e v e n - t h i r t y P.M. each n i g h t .
The d e s ig n e r and th e d i r e c t o r worked to g e th e r on th e
p la n f o r th e s e t .
f lo o r
Because t h e proscenium opening was so w ide,
fo r ty -tw o f e e t , th e y d e cid ed t o mask o f f t h i r t e e n f e e t o f i t and use
o n ly a tw enty-nine f o o t proscenium .
Of t h i s , s i x f e e t would be used
f o r P e t e r ’s room on sta g e r i g h t and e i g h t f e e t f o r Anne’ s room on
s ta g e l e f t .
A nne's room was e le v a te d one f o o t above th e s ta g e f l o o r ,
and P e t e r ’ s room was one and a h a l f f e e t h ig h .
had f i f t e e n f e e t on th e downstage s i d e .
The l i v i n g room th e n
The k i t c h e n , because i t was
o f so l i t t l e im portance as an a c t in g a r e a , was p la c ed u pstage o f th e
l i v i n g room.
I n t h i s p o s i t i o n , th e a c t o r ' s r e a c t i o n s could be n o te d ,
and th e y had a s tr o n g move down c e n te r when th e y e n te re d th e l i v i n g
room.
The l i v i n g room was raked i n about fo u r f e e t on each s id e b efo re
i t jo in e d w ith th e k i t c h e n .
D ivid in g th e l i v i n g room and th e k itc h e n on
th e s ta g e r i g h t s id e was th e e n tra n c e to th e annex.
A s te p was placed
36
i n f r o n t of th e e n tra n c e so t h a t when someone made an e n tr a n c e , th e y
had t o s te p up i n t o th e room.
This h elp ed t o c r e a te th e i l l u s i o n
t h a t th e y had j u s t climbed a f l i g h t o f s t a i r s .
The e n tra n c e gave th e
a c t o r s on s ta g e w atching an e n tra n c e a b i t of d i f f i c u l t y .
I t was
h a rd f o r them t o g e t used t o looking down a t th e f l o o r when th e y were
t a l k i n g to someone supposedly coming up th e s t a i r s w hile th e person
was a c t u a l l y on t h e i r own l e v e l .
Due to th e sh o rta g e o f th e budget ($100.00 t o t a l s e t c o n s tr u c ­
t i o n ) , th e d i r e c t o r e l e c t e d t o p la c e th e Van D aan 's bedroom o f f s t a g e .
I t was supposedly above Anne's room.
The Van Daans made t h e i r e x i t s
t o t h e i r room th ro u g h a door reached by s t a i r s and a two f o o t p la tfo rm
which was e le v a te d two f e e t above th e stag e f l o o r and lo c a te d on th e
sta g e l e f t sid e o f th e k i t c h e n w a l l .
The a c t o r s had problems ag ain
h ere when th e y had t o look up as th e y made an e x i t s t r a i g h t o f f .
Because the W ater C lo se t played such an im p o rtan t p a r t i n th e
b u s in e s s o f th e p la y , i t was p la c e d where i t could be c l e a r l y seen
from th e a u d ie n c e .
From th e downstage l e f t w a ll o f th e k itc h e n to
th e u p stag e r i g h t w a ll o f A nne's bedroom was a space o f t h r e e f e e t .
This space was covered by a door frame which connected th e two w a l l s .
I t was p laced a t a s l i g h t a n g le .
The Water C lo se t showed th e advantage
th e people had made o f t h e i r sm all amount o f sp ace, and i t helped
c r e a te th e cramped e f f e c t s in c e th e Water C lo s e t was a c t u a l l y under
th e s t a i r s le a d in g up t o th e Van D aan's bedroom.
37
The s e t as i t was desig n ed by th e d e s ig n e r , Ken L eeper, worked
q u ite w e l l ; th e b a s ic problem was i n i t s o v e r a l l s i z e .
I t was simply
to o sm all f o r th e number of a c t o r s i n t h e p ro d u c tio n and f o r the la rg e
s iz e o f most o f the f u r n i t u r e used on the s e t .
The sound p l o t was r a t h e r c o m p lic a te d , but i t was eased by use
of r e c o r d s pu rchased from th e D ra m a tis ts P lay S e r v ic e .
These r e c o rd s
were re c o rd e d onto t a p e , and when th e sounds were n o t up t o th e c a l i b r e
t h a t th e d i r e c t o r or th e sound man, Thomas Koehler , f e l t th e y should b e ,
th e y were c u t and r e p la c e d by sounds desig n ed by the sound com m ittee.
For example, th e s t r e e t sounds on th e r e c o r d s proved to be u n s a t i s f a c t o r y ,
and
new sounds were c r e a te d and taped by the sound com m ittee. Many of
th e
sounds which th e s c r i p t sug g ested as i n c i d e n t a l sounds such as th e
number o f bombers overhead were c u t or reduced because they were e i t h e r
n o t c l e a r l y d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e o r th e y were d i s t r a c t i n g from th e p la y .
The
sounds e s s e n t i a l t o the p l o t , such as
th e sto pp ing of th e p a t r o l
c a r i n th e f i n a l scene in v o lv in g th e fa m ily , w ere, of c o u rs e , in c lu d e d ;
and many o f th e background sounds which help ed to d e s c r ib e th e s i t u a ­
t i o n rem ained.
The most d i f f i c u l t t e c h n i c a l problem, and th e one which was
l e a s t s a t i s f a c t o r i l y accom plished, was th e l i g h t i n g of th e p l a y .
To
l i g h t a s e t c o n ta in in g a t th e minimum seven l i g h t i n g a r e a s (Anne’ s
room, P e t e r ’ s room, Downstage l i v i n g room, Upstage l i v i n g room, Rig h t
sta g e l iv in g room, L e ft stag e l i v i n g room, and the k itc h e n Up c e n t e r )
and back l i g h t s f o r th r e e windows and t h r e e doorways, th e l i g h t i n g
38
d e s ig n e r , M ichael D augherty, was s u p p lie d w ith t e n 500 w a tt f r e s n e l
s p o t l i g h t s ; two 1000 w a tt p lano -co nv ex s p o t l i g h t s ; s i x r e d , b l u e ,
and g re e n s t r i p l i g h t s ; and fo u r 250 w a tt s p o t l i g h t s .
In a d d itio n
t o t h i s , n e i t h e r th e in n e r c o n n e c tin g p a n e l nor th e cord o u t l e t s
were marked, so much p re c io u s tim e was w asted i n j u s t p u t t i n g th e
few l i g h t s on th e dimmers.
As i f th e i n s u f f i c i e n t number o f l i g h t s
was n o t enough of a problem , th e c o n t r o l board was o f an a n c ie n t
v in ta g e and in c a p a b le of e x e c u tin g a complete b la c k o u t; t h i s
c r e a te d s e r io u s problems f o r th e opening and c lo s in g o f many
scenes which should have been dimmed i n and o u t. The c o m p le te ly
d is o rg a n iz e d s t a t e i n which th e in te r c o n n e c tin g pan el was marked
and th e s e v e r e ly in a d e q u a te c o n t r o l board would have been enough
t o cause a l e s s adventuresome l i g h t i n g man t o r e s ig n im m ediately;
b u t th e added f a c t o r of having t o work w ith th e c o n t r o l board
p laced on th e s ta g e l e f t sid e and beyond th e l i m i t s where th e o p er­
a to r could r e c e iv e e i t h e r v i s u a l o r audio c u e s , would have made
anyone connected w ith l i g h t i n g c o n s id e r th e ta s k v i r t u a l l y im p o s s ib le .
The s ta g e was l i t as w e ll as i t could be w ith th e equipm ent,
and th e s t r i p s were used f o r g e n e r a l l i g h t i n g alm o st c o n t i n u a l l y .
To
h e lp f i l l in the shadows, and t h e r e were many, p r a c t i c a l l i g h t s were
u se d .
There was a sm all bed lamp i n th e u p stag e l e f t c o rn e r o f Anne's
room.
In th e l i v i n g room was a hanging c e i l i n g lamp which was used
t o illu m in a t e th e c e n t e r s ta g e a r e a , and on th e downstage r i g h t w a ll
i n the k itc h e n was a sm all w a ll lamp t h a t help ed l i g h t th e a re a
39
between th e k itc h e n and th e l i v i n g room.
The problem o f th e c o n t r o l board o p e r a t o r 's r e c e iv in g cues
f o r changing th e l i g h t i n t e n s i t y was handled in many unique and
d i v e r s i f i e d w ays.
At one tim e , a cue was g iv e n , and th e n th e a c to r
and th e l i g h t board o p e r a to r counted n in e co u n ts b e fo re e i t h e r of
them made the movement t o change th e l i g h t .
In a n o th e r p l a c e , and
i n o rd e r f o r th e o p e r a to r to r e c e iv e a v i s u a l c u e, a member of th e
l i g h t i n g committee
stood a t a p la c e where she could see th e cue;
she th e n r e la y e d th e cue t o
th e o p e r a t o r .
In s e v e r a l c a se s when an
a c to r was t o t u r n o f f a l i g h t , he h e ld h i s hand on th e sw itch u n t i l
th e l i g h t went o f f
and th e n co n tin u e d h i s b u s i n e s s .
Although th e
d i r e c t o r was aware
o f th e s e problems w e ll in advance o f the produc­
t i o n d a t e , t h e few days and s h o rt h o urs a l l o t t e d to the Iowa C ity
Community Th e a t r e by th e C ity High o f f i c i a l s d id n o t allo w th e
l i g h t crew enough tim e to c o r r e c t a l l o f th e s e f la w s .
In s p i t e of
th e h a n d ic a p s , th e f i n a l p ro d u c tio n , w hile a d m itte d ly c o n ta in in g
many f a u l t s , was r a p i d l y approaching a h ig h l e v e l o f p ro d u c tio n .
For th e costum ing o f th e p la y , c l o t h e s o f the l a t e t h i r t i e s
i n th e United S ta t e s were s e l e c t e d .
I t was f e l t t h a t t h i s p e rio d
o f c lo t h i n g would be th e b e s t to show th e c o n se rv a tis m which was
a p p a re n t i n w a r - to r n Europe.
N eedless t o s a y , th e costume committee
under th e d i r e c t i o n o f Miss P a t McGee had q u ite a t a s k i n j u s t
f in d i n g c lo th e s of t h i s e r a which were f i t t o w ear.
Of th e c lo th e s
which were found, th o s e which appeared to be th e l e a s t p r a c t i c a l f o r
40
f o r th e s i t u a t i o n were s e le c te d f o r M rs. Van Daan i n o rd e r t o accen ­
tu a te her c h a ra c te r.
Mrs. F r a n k 's costumes were much more re a s o n a b le ,
b u t th e n so was Mr s . Frank h e r s e l f ; h e r c lo th e s showed good ju d g ­
ment as th e y were d u ra b le and warm.
The g i r l s wore s k i r t s and b lo u s e s
p r i m a r i l y ; th e y a l s o had c a r d ig a n sw eaters and a jumper e a c h .
The
i n i t i a l problem o f g e t t i n g c lo th e s t h a t would f i t was more d i f f i c u l t
f o r th e men, b u t f o r t u n a t e l y th e y d id n o t need as g r e a t o f a v a r i e t y
o f c lo t h i n g as d id th e women.
For the most p a r t , th e men wore one
s u i t w ith changes of t i e s , and o c c a s io n a l ly th e y would wear a b u tto n
sw eater i n p la c e of th e s u i t c o a t s .
P e t e r was the e x c e p tio n ; he
wore k n ic k e r s and a s p o r t s h i r t and s p o r t c o a t e x c e p t i n th e Haunaka
scene when he wore a d ark b lu e s u i t .
A lth o u g h t h e costum e ch an g es w ere r a p i d , th e y w ere n o t much
o f a problem as t h e a c t o r s e a c h had a crew member t o h e lp them w ith
t h e i r changes.
The p r o p e r t i e s committee under th e d i r e c t i o n of Mrs. Helen
G riesen b ack had a m assive t a s k of assem bling a p p ro x im a te ly t h r e e
hundred ite m s .
Once the chairman u nderstood what th e d i r e c t o r had
i n mind f o r th e p r o p e r t i e s such as s i z e , c o l o r , and d e s c r i p t i o n ,
th e problem o f f in d in g and assem bling the v a r io u s item s was d i f f i ­
c u l t only in th e tim e consuming a s p e c ts ooupled w ith th e lack o f
h e lp and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n f a c i l i t i e s .
F o r tu n a t e ly f o r th e p ro d u c tio n ,
th e chairman of t h i s committee was d e d ic a te d to h e r t a s k and s a c r i ­
f i c e d a l l o f h e r tim e from many im p o rta n t p e rs o n a l d u t i e s u n t i l h e r
41
l i s t s had been com pleted.
Due t o the la rg e number o f p r o p e r t i e s and th e f r e q u e n t and
complex scene changes, i t appeared a t th e f i r s t d r e s s r e h e a r s a l of
th e p ro d u c tio n t h a t th e scene changes were going to be e x c e s s iv e ly
lo n g .
The d i r e c t o r c a l l e d a s p e c i a l r e h e a r s a l f o r th e b e n e f i t o f
th e p r o p e r t i e s com m ittee, and the chairm an, w ith th e a id o f th e
s ta g e manager Mr. Frank M o rrison , re h e a r s e d h e r crew u n t i l th e y
perform ed t h e i r v a r io u s d u t i e s between scen es w ith e f f i c i e n c y .
In
th e f i n a l p ro d u c tio n th e scene s h i f t s were s t i l l lo n g e r th a n th e
d i r e c t o r had o r i g i n a l l y a n t i c i p a t e d , b u t he knew t h a t th e committee
had done t h e i r u tm o st.
The p o in ts m entioned in t h i s c h a p te r were th e b ig problems
w ith which the d i r e c t o r was fa c e d .
The p ro d u c tio n of The D iary o f
Anne Frank had many more s l i g h t h in d r a n c e s , as a g a in do a l l produc­
t i o n s , which were unique t o i t s own en viron m ent.
Such t h i n g s as th e
c u r t a i n needin g g re a se and th e d e la y i n g e t t i n g o u t the p u b l i c i t y ;
such t h i n g s as who was r e s p o n s ib le f o r buying th e ta p e f o r th e ta p e
r e c o r d e r and was the lamp f o r th e l i v i n g room supposed to be picked
up by th e l i g h t i n g crew or th e prop crew gave th e d i r e c t o r and h is
s t a f f many h e ad a c h es, n ig h tm a re s , and a c id stom achs.
The d i r e c t o r , a t th e o u t s e t of r e h e a r s a l s a novice t o th e
community t h e a t r e s i t u a t i o n , had n a iv e ly assumed t h a t th e r e s p o n s i­
b i l i t y f o r h a n d lin g th e s e problems would be assumed by th e v a rio u s
committee chairm en.
By th e tim e o f th e f i n a l p ro d u c tio n , he had
42
le a rn e d t h a t a l l d u t i e s must be s p e c i f i c a l l y a ssig n e d and t h a t he
sh o uld n e v e r , under any c irc u m s ta n c e s , assume t h a t a t a s k has been
o r w i l l be completed u n t i l he knows f o r c e r t a i n who i s doing i t ,
when he i s doing i t , and how.
The d i r e c t o r e x p e c ts and hopes t h a t
t h i s knowledge w i l l be o f value to him in h i s f u t u r e d i r e c t o r a l e f f o r t s .
43
THE SET
14
THE SET
LEGEND
1.
Door U.R.
2.
Door t o P e t e r ’ s room
3.
Door to Anne’ s room
4.
Door t o w a ter c l o s e t
5.
Door on p la tf o r m i n L. k i t c h e n w a ll ( t o Van D aan's room)
6.
Window U.C.
7.
Window L. w a ll o f Anne's room
8.
P e t e r ' s bed
9.
Sofa ( h id e - a - b e d )
10.
Table C.
11.
Small t a b l e L.
12.
C hair U.L.
13.
C hair D.L.
14. 15. 16. and 17.
C hairs
18.
Step i n t o th e main room
19.
Stove
20.
Shelves
21.
Food cupboards
22.
Sink
23.
P la tfo rm t o Van D aan 's room
24.
A nne's bed
25.
Sofa ( D u s s e l 's bed)
26.
D resser
27.
Seat fo r d re sse r
28.
F o o ts to o l
29.
Orange c r a t e f o r P e t e r ' s d r e s s e r
30.
Step i n t o A nne's room
45
THE SET-REARRANGEMENT # 1
46
TEE SET
REARRANGEMENT # 1 LEGEND
8.
P e t e r ’ s bed
9.
The s o fa (h id e -a -b e d )
10.
Tab le
11.
Small t a b l e
1 2 .-1 7 .
C hairs
18.
Step in to main room
19.
Stove
20.
Shelves
21.
Food cupboards
22.
Sink
23.
P la tf o rm i n t o Van D aan's room
24 .
A nne's bed
25.
Sofa - D u s s e l 's bed
26.
D re sse r
27.
S to o l f o r d r e s s e r
28.
F o o ts to o l
29.
Orange c r a t e f o r P e t e r ' s d r e s s e r
30.
Step i n t o A nne's room
3 1.
M argot’ s c o t
47
THE SET-REARRANGEMENT # 2
48
THE SET
REARRANGEMENT # 2 LEGEND
8.
P e t e r ' s bed
9.
The s o fa (h id e -a -b e d )
10.
Table
11.
Small t a b l e
1 2 .- 1 7 .
C hairs
18.
Step i n t o main room
19.
Stove
20
Shelves
21.
Food cupboard
22.
Sink
23.
P la tfo rm up t o Van D aan's bedroom
24.
Anne's bed
25.
Sofa - D u s s e l's bed
26.
D resser
27.
S to o l f o r D re s s e r
28.
F o o ts to o l
29.
Orange c r a t e f o r P e t e r ' s d r e s s e r
3 0.
Step i n t o Anne's room
1.
Mr. F. e n t e r s R.
and roams r e m in is c e n t ly th ro u g h rooms, p ic k s
up s c a r f D.S. end o f s o fa , slow ly b re a k s down, s i t s and sobs
i n D .S .L . chair
Miep e n t e r s and w a its on s te p to read l i n e
2.
Miep x t o U.S.C. o f ta b le and p ic k s up f a l l e n c h a ir
3.
Mr. F . stan d s
4.
Miep x to Mr. F . , he x ' s in f r o n t o f her
in to k itc h e n
5 . Mr. F. x to Miep
around t a b l e and U.C.
CHAPTER V
THE PROMPT BOOK
ACT I - Scene 1 1
MIEP.
Are you a l l r i g h t , H r. Frank?
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
Yes, Miep, y e s .2
Everyone in th e o f f i c e has gone hom e.. . . I t ' s a f t e r s i x .
s t a y up h e r e , Mr. F rank.
Don’t
W
h a t ' s th e use o f t o r t u r i n g y o u r s e l f l i k e
th is ? 3
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
Wh a t do you mean?
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
I ’ve oome t o say g o o d -b y e .. . . I ’m le a v in g h e r e , Miep.4
Wh e r e a r e you going?
I don’t know y e t .
I h a v e n ’t d e c id e d .
Mr. F rank, you c a n ' t le a v e h e r e !
dam i s your home.
Wh e re ?
This i s yo u r home!
Amster­
Your b u s in e s s i s h e r e , w a itin g f o r y o u . . . .You’r e
needed h e r e ....N o w t h a t th e war i s o v e r, t h e r e a r e t h in g s t h a t . . . .
MR. FRANK.
f o r me.
I c a n ’t s t a y i n Amsterdam, M iep.
I t has too many memories
Everywhere t h e r e ' s s o m e t h i n g . . . . t h e house we liv e d i n . . . . t h e
s c h o o l . . . .t h e s t r e e t org a n p la y in g o u t t h e r e . . . . I ' m n o t th e p erso n
you used to know, M iep.
I 'm a b i t t e r old man.
Forgive me . 5 I s h o u l d n 't
speak to you l i k e t h i s . . . . a f t e r a l l t h a t you d id f o r u s . . . . t h e s u f f e r i n g .
MIEP.
No.
MR. FRANK.
No.
I t w a s n 't s u f f e r i n g .
You c a n ' t say we s u f f e r e d .
I know what you went th ro u g h , you and Mr. K r a l e r .
50
I 'l l
1.
Mr. F. x t o D .S.L. c h a i r andp ic k upru c k s a c k —Miep c o u n te r U.C.
and ta k e p apers from sh elv e s onL. w a ll i n
t o U.C. o f t a b l e
2.
Mr. F. x U.L. o f Miep
3.
Mr. F. x D.R. t o s o fa and s i t
4.
S t a r t b la c k o u t
5.
C u rta in
k i t c h e n and ta k e s
them
52
remember i t as long as I l i v e.1
MIEP.
Mr . F rank , d id you see?
There a r e some o f your p a p ers h e r e .
We found them in a heap o f ru b b is h on t h e f l o o r a f t e r . . . . a f t e r you
le ft.
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
B ut, Mr. Frank, t h e r e a re l e t t e r s , n o t e s . . . . 2
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
MR.
Burn them.
Burn them .
A ll o f them.
Burn t h i s ?
FRANK.
A nne's d i a r y .
“Monday, th e s i x t h o f J u ly , n in e te e n hundred
and f o r t y - t w o . " 3 N in eteen hundred and f o r ty - tw o .3 I s i t p o s s i b l e ,
M ie p ? ....O n ly t h r e e y e a r s a g o .
"Dear D ia ry , sin c e you and I a re
going t o be g r e a t f r i e n d s , I w i l l s t a r t by t e l l i n g you about m y s e lf.
My name i s Anne F ra n k .
I am t h i r t e e n y e a r s o l d .
many th e t w e l f t h o f June, n in e te e n - tw e n ty - n in e .
I was born i n Ger­
As my fa m ily i s
Jew ish , we em ig rated to H olland when H i t l e r came t o p o w e r ." 4
MR. FRANK AND ANNE.
and h e r b s .
"My f a t h e r s t a r t e d a b u s in e s s , im p o rtin g sp ic e
Things went w e ll f o r us u n t i l 1940.
Then th e war came
and th e D u t c h . . . . d e f e a t , fo llo w e d by th e a r r i v a l o f th e Germans.
Then t h i n g s g o t v e r y bad f o r th e Jew s."5
ANNE’S VOICE.
You could n o t do t h i s and you could n o t do t h a t .
They fo rc e d F a th e r o ut o f h i s b u s in e s s .
I had t o tu r n i n my b i k e .
We had to wear yello w s t a r s .
I c o u l d n 't go to a Dutch sch o o l any more .
I c o u l d n 't go t o th e m ovies, o r r i d e i n an a u tom o b ile, or even on a
s t r e e t c a r , and a m i l l i o n o th e r t h i n g s .
managed to have f u n .
But somehow we c h i l d r e n s t i l l
Y e ste rd a y F ath er t o l d me we were going i n t o h i d i n g .
1.
C u rta in up th e n l i g h t s up
Mr. V.D. U.C. a t windows
P e te r U.S. end of s o fa
M rs. V.D, pacing U.L. o f t a b l e
2.
Sound o f people on s t e p s , Mr. V.D. x R. to e n tra n c e and back to
Mrs. V .D ., Mr. F . e n te r and x to Mr. V.D.
Miep e n t e r s x to U.R. o f t a b l e p u ts box on t a b l e
K ra le r e n t e r s and x U.S. o f Miep,Mr. and M rs. V.D. and Mr . F.
ta k e b u n d les in to Anne’s room
Miep x t o k itc h e n
Mr. F . x U.R. to P e te r
P e te r stan d
Margot e n t e r s and x U.L. o f t a b l e
3.
Mrs. F. on s te p and x to U.C. o f t a b l e
Anne e n t e r and x to U.L. c h a i r and p u t packages down and x back
to D.S. o f Margot
K ra le r back t o doorway o f A nne's room
4.
K ra le r i n t o Mr. F. and Mr. V.D.
Anne and Margot i n to A nne's room
P e te r s i t
M rs. F. and Mrs. V.D. x U. to k itc h e n and Miep
54
Where he w ouldn’t s a y .
At f i ve o 'c lo c k t h i s morning Mother woke me
and t o l d me t o h u r r y and g e t d r e s s e d .
I was t o p u t on a s many c lo th e s
as I c o u ld .
I t would look too s u s p ic io u s i f we walked alon g c a rry in g
s u itc a se s.
I t w asn’t u n t i l we were on our way t h a t I le a rn e d where we
were g o in g .
Our h id in g p la c e was t o be u p s t a i r s . . . . i n th e b u ild in g
where F a th e r used to have h i s b u s in e s s .
Three o th e r people were coming
i n w ith u s . . . . t h e Van Daans and t h e i r son P e t e r . . . . F a t h e r knew th e Van
Daans b u t we had n ev er met t h e m . . . .1
ACT I - Scene 2
MSS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
S o m ething's happened to them.
I know i t .
Now, K e r l i !
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Mr. Frank s a id t h e y ’d be h e re a t seven o 'c l o c k .
He
sa id . . . .
MR. VAN DAAN.
They have two m ile s t o w a lk .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
You c a n 't e x p e c t . . . .
They’ve been picked u p . . . . T h a t 's w h a t's happened.
They've been ta k e n .2
MR. FRANK.
M rs. Van Daan, Mr. Van Daan.
There were to o many o f the
Green P o lic e on th e s t r e e t s . . . .we had to ta k e th e long way around .3
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
Anne?
My w if e , E d i th .
Mr. and M rs. Van D a an .. . . t h e i r son, P e t e r . .
my d a u g h te rs , M argot, and A nne.4
KRALER.
I'm s o r r y t h e r e i s s t i l l so much c o n fu s io n .
MR. FRANK.
P le a se .
Don’t t h i n k o f i t .
A fte r a l l , we’ l l have p le n ty
o f l e i s u r e to arra n g e e verything o u r s e lv e s .
1.
Miep x D.C. th e n s t a r t toward door R.
2.
Mr. F. x to Miep
Miep e x i t s
Mrs. F. x t o L. o f t a b l e
3.
Mr. F. x to Mrs. F.
4.
Sound cue, t h e W estorto ren
Anne ru n s t o window U.C.
Margot moves to Anne’ s door
K ra le r x D.R. and shakes P e t e r ’ s hand, moves U. and shakes Mr.
V . D . 's hand
Mr. F. x R. and shakes Mr. K r a l e r 's hand and e s c o r t s him t o door
56
MIEP.
We p u t th e s t o r e s o f food you s e n t in h e r e .
Your drugs a re
h e r e . . . . s o a p , l i n en , h e r e .
MRS. FRANK.
MIEP.
Thank you, Miep . 1
I made up th e b e d s . . . . t h e way Mr. Frank and Mr. K ra le r s a i d .
Forgive me.
I have to h u r r y .
I ’ve got to go to th e o th e r s id e o f town
t o g e t some r a t i o n books f o r you.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
R a tio n books?
I f th e y see our names on r a t i o n books,
t h e y ’ l l know w e 'r e h e r e .
KRALER.
MIEP.
MR.
There i s n ’t a n y t h i n g . . . .
D o n 't w o rry .
FRANK.
MRS. FRANK.
Your names w o n 't be on them.
I ' l l be up l a t e r . 2
Thank you, M iep.
I t ' s i l l e g a l , th e n , th e r a t i o n books?
We've n e v er done
a n y th in g i l l e g a l . 3
MR. FRANK.
MR. KRALER.
We won’t be l i v i n g e x a c t l y a cc o rd in g t o r e g u l a t i o n s h e r e .
This i s n ' t th e b la c k m a rk e t, M rs. F ran k .
This i s what we
c a l l th e w h ite m a rk e t. . . .h e lp in g a l l o f t h e hundreds and hundreds who
a r e h id in g o u t i n Amsterdam.4
ANNE.
I t ' s th e W e s te rto re n !
MR. KRALER.
I must go .
I must be o u t o f h e re and d o w n sta irs i n th e
o f f i c e b e fo re th e workmen g e t h e r e .
Miep or I , or both o f u s , w i l l be
up each day t o b r in g you food and news and f in d out what your needs
are.
Tomorrow I ' l l g e t you a b e t t e r b o l t f o r t h e door a t th e f o o t of
th e s t a i r s .
I t needs a b o l t t h a t you can throw y o u r s e l f and open only
a t our s ig n a l.
MR. FRANK.
O h . . . . Y o u 'l l t e l l them about th e n o is e ?
I ' l l t e l l them.
1.
K ra le r e x i t s
2.
A ll s t a r t ta k in g o f f c o a ts and e x t r a sw eaters
Mr. V.D. x t o p la tfo rm
Anne x D.R. between l i v i n g room and k i t c h e n
Mr. F. x U. t o k itc h e n
Margot x to L. o f t a b l e
Mrs. V.D. x t o so fa andpu t c o a t down and
3.
Anne ta k e s o f f e x t r a p a n tie s th e n D. to c h a i r R . of t a b l e and
P e te r s i t s D.S. o f Mrs. V.D.
Mr. V.D. x t o P e t e r ' s door
Mr s . F . s i t U.L. c h a i r
Margot s i t c h a i r L. o f t a b l e
Mr. F. p la y i n C. above t a b l e
4.
sit
Sound cue--m arching f e e t
58
MR. KRALER.
Good-bye th e n f o r th e moment.
I ’ l l come up a g a in , a f t e r
th e workmen le a v e .
MR. FRANK.
Good-bye, Mr. K r a l e r .
MRS. FRANK.
How can we thank you?
MR. KRALER.
I never th o u g h t
I ’d liv e t o see th e day when a man lik e
M r. Frank would have t o go i n t o h i d i n g .
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
When you t h i n k —1
What did he mean, ab out th e n o is e ?
F i r s t l e t ’ s ta k e o f f some of th e s e c l o t h e s . 2
MR. VAN DAAN.
I t ’ s a wonder we w eren ’t a r r e s t e d , w alking along
s t r e e t s . . . .P e tr o n e l l a w ith a
th e
f u r c o a t i n J u l y . . . . a n d t h a t c a t of P e te r's
c ry in g a l l th e way.
ANNE.
A c a t? 3
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
Anne, p le a s e !
I t 's a ll rig h t.
MR. FRANK.
Now.
I 'v e g o t on th r e e more.
About th e n o i s e .
below , we must have com plete q u i e t .
While th e men a re in th e b u ild in g
Every sound can be h e a rd down
t h e r e , n o t o n ly in th e workrooms, b u t in th e o f f i c e s t o o .
come about e i g h t - t h i r t y , and leave a t about f i v e - t h i r t y .
The men
So, to be
p e r f e c t l y s a f e , from e i g h t in th e morning u n t i l s i x in th e evening we
must move o n ly when i t i s n e c e s s a ry and th e n in sto ck in g ed f e e t .
must n o t speak above a w h is p e r.
We must n o t ru n any w a te r .
use th e s i n k , or even, f o r g iv e me, th e W.C.
th e workrooms.
I t would be h e a r d .
We
We cannot
The p ip e s go down through
No t r a s h .4. . . N o t r a s h must ever be
thrown out which m ight r e v e a l t h a t someone i s l i v i n g h e r e . . . . n o t even
a p o ta to p a r i n g .
We must burn e v e r y th in g i n th e stove a t n i g h t .
This
1.
Mr. and M rs. V.D. x to Mr. F.
2.
M rs. V.D. x back t o so fa and p ic k up c o a t
Mr. V.D. x to p la tfo r m and pick up bundles
3.
Mr. F. x t o Mr. V.D.
4.
Mrs. V.D. s t a r t t o fo llo w Mr. V.D. but f i r s t tu r n s to P e te r
5.
M rs. V.D. x U. to Mr. V.D. and th e y e x i t up p la tfo r m and o f f L.
Mr. F. x to U.S. o f Margot
60
i s th e way we must l i v e u n t i l i t i s o v e r, i f we a re to s u r v iv e .
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
U n t i l i t i s o v e r.
A f te r s i x we can move a b o u t . . . . w e can t a l k and laugh and have
ou r supper and re a d and p la y gam es.. . . j u s t as we would a t home.
And
now I t h i n k i t would b e w ise i f we a l l went to our rooms, and were
s e t t l e d b e fo re e i g h t o ’ c lo c k .
be u p s t a i r s .
Mrs. Van Daan, you and your husband w i l l
I r e g r e t t h a t t h e r e ’ s no p la c e up t h e r e fo r P e t e r .
he w i l l be h e r e , n e a r u s .
But
This w i l l be our common room, where we’ l l
meet to t a l k and e a t and r e a d , l i k e one f a m ily .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
And where do you and M rs. Frank sle e p ?
This room i s a l s o our bedroom.1
MRS. VAN DAM.
MR. VAN DAAN.
I t ' s your p l a c e .
That i s n ’t r i g h t .
W e 'll s le e p h e re and you ta k e th e room u p s t a i r s .
MR. FRANK.
P le a se .
arran g em en t.
I ’ve th o u g h t t h i s o u t f o r w eeks.
I t ' s th e b e s t
The o n ly a rra n g e m en t.2
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Never, n ev er can we th a n k you.
I d o n 't know what
would have happened to u s , i f i t h a d n ’t been f o r Mr. F ran k .
MR. FRANK.
You d o n 't know how your husband h elp ed me when I came t o
t h i s c o u n t r y . . . .knowing no o n e . . . . n o t a b le t o speak th e la n g u ag e.
can never r e p a y him f o r t h a t .
MR. VAN DAAN.
No .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
No .
I
May I h e lp you w ith your t h i n g s . 3
Come a lo n g , L i e f j e . 4
You’ l l be a l l r i g h t , P e te r ?
You’r e n o t a f r a i d ?
P le a s e , M o th e r .5
MR. FRANK.
You to o must have some r e s t , E d i th .
eyes l a s t n i g h t .
Nor you M argot.
You d id n ’t c lo s e your
1.
Anne stan d and x t o Mr. F .
2.
Mr. F . ta k e s s te p C. w ith Anne th e n he x ' s t o Anne's m
or
Margot x in to room L.
Mrs. F. stand and move to Mr. F . th e n i n t o room L.
3.
Mr. F. x U. t o k i t c h e n
Mrs. F. e n t e r and x to L. o f t a b l e
4.
Anne ru n t o Mr. F.
5.
Mr. F. x t o Anne's room and e n t e r
Mrs. F. x i n t o Anne' s room
Anne x D.R. t o P e te r
6.
Anne p ic k s up c a t and sk ip s around th e t a b l e w ith
7.
P e t e r x t o Anne and ta k e s c a t and moves back to so fa
Anne fo llo w s him and s i t s on R. end o f t a b l e
it
62
ANNE. 1I s l e p t , F a t h e r .
W asn 't t h a t funny?
I knew i t was th e l a s t
n ig h t in my own b ed , and y e t I s l e p t so u n d ly .
MR. FRANK.
I ’m g la d , Anne.
t h in g s in h e r e .
2Now y o u ' l l be a b le t o h e lp me s t r a i g h t e n
Come w ith m e ....Y o u and Margot r e s t i n t h i s room f o r
th e tim e b e in g .
MRS. FRANK.
Y ou're s u r e . . . . ?
I could h e l p , r e a l l y . . ..And Anne h a s n ’t
had h e r m i l k . . . .
MR. FRANK.
I ' l l give i t to h e r .
Anne, P e t e r . . . . i t ' s b e s t t h a t you ta k e
o f f your shoes now, b e fo re you f o r g e t . 3
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
I fe e l fin e .
MRS. FRANK.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
You’r e sure y o u 'r e n o t t i r e d , Anne?
I'm going t o h e lp F a t h e r . 4
P e t e r , I'm glad you a re to be w ith u s .
Yes, M rs. F rank .5
W h at's your c a t ' s name?
Mousch i . 6
Mousch i !
Mousch i !
d a rlin g l i t t l e c a t.
Mousc h i !
I love o a t s .
I have o n e . . . . a
But th e y made me le a v e h e r b e h in d .
I l e f t some
food and a n o te f o r th e n e ig h b o rs t o ta k e care o f h e r . . . . I ' m going to
m iss h e r t e r r i b l y .
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
H e 's a tom.
What i s y o u rs?
A him o r a h e r? 7
He d o e s n 't l ik e s t r a n g e r s .
Then I ’ l l have t o sto p b e in g a s t r a n g e r , w o n 't I ?
I s he fix e d ?
Huh?
Did you have him fix e d ?
No.
Oh, you ought t o have him f i x e d —t o keep him from f i g h t i n g .
63
"What i s i t ? A him or a h e r ? ”
1.
Anne sta n d s
P e te r s tr u g g le s w ith th e S ta r on ja c k e t
Anne p ic k s up h e r c o at and s t a r t s t e a r i n g o f f s t a r
65
Where d id you go t o school?
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
Jew ish Secondary.
But t h a t ' s where Margot and I go!
I never saw you a ro u n d .
I used t o see y o u . . . .s o m e tim e s .. . .
You did?
. . . . i n th e school y a r d .
You were always in th e middle o f a
bunch o f k i d s .
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
Why d i d n ' t you e v e r come over?
I'm s o r t o f a lone w o lf .
What a re you doing?1
Taking i t o f f .
But you c a n ' t do t h a t .
They’ l l a r r e s t you i f you go o u t w ith o u t
your s t a r .
PETER.
ANNE.
Who's going o ut?
Why, o f c o u rs e !
any m ore.
Y o u 're r i g h t !
Of course we d o n 't need them
I wonder what our f r i e n d s w i l l t h i n k when we d o n 't show up
to d a y ?
PETER.
ANNE.
I d i d n ' t have any d a te s w ith anyone.
Oh, I d i d .
I had a d a te -with Jo p ie t h i s a fte rn o o n to go and
p la y pingpong a t h e r h o u s e .
PETER.
ANNE.
Do you know Jo p ie deWaal?
No.
J o p i e 's my b e s t f r i e n d .
I wonder what s h e ' l l th in k when she
te le p h o n e s and t h e r e ' s no a n s w e r? .. . .P ro b a b ly s h e ' l l go over to th e
h o u s e . . . . I wonder what s h e ' l l t h i n k . . . . w e l e f t e v e r y th in g as i f w e'd
suddenly b e en c a l l e d a w a y . . . . b r e a k f a s t d is h e s i n th e s i n k . . . . b e d s n o t
1.
P e te r x up t o sto v e on R. w a ll of k i tc h e n
Anne s t a r t t o fo llo w , th e n t u r n back
2.
Mr. F. x U. t o k i t c h e n and looks f o r d ish p an
3.
Mr. F. x t o P e t e r ' s room
P e te r fo llo w Mr. F.
Anne s i t i n c h a i r U.C. of t a b l e
4.
P e t e r e n t e r s h i s room and c l o s e s th e door
Mr. F. x to c h a i r L. o f t a b l e and s i t s t o remove shoes
67
made. . . .Look!
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
I t ’s s t i l l th e re !
W h at're you going t o do w ith y ou rs?1
Burn i t .
I t ' s funny, I c a n ' t throw i t away.
You c a n ' t t h r o w . . . . ?
I d o n 't know why.
Something th e y branded you w i t h . . . . ?
That th e y made you wear so th e y co u ld s p i t on you?
ANNE.
I know.
I know.
But a f t e r a l l , i t i s th e S t a r o f D avid, i s n ' t
it?
PETER.
Maybe i t ’ s d i f f e r e n t f o r a g i r l . 2
MR. FRANK.
Forgiv e me, P e t e r .
f o r you r c a t .
I'm glad you b ro u g h t your c a t .
b adly about h e r s .
PETER.
He re we a r e .
Anne was f e e l i n g so
W ill i t be c om fo rtable i n t h a t ?
And h e re i s your room.
grow any more.
But I warn you, P e t e r , you c a n ' t
Not an in c h , o r y o u ’ l l have t o s le e p w ith your f e e t
out of th e s k y lig h t.
Are you hungry?
No.
MR. FRANK.
PETER.
We must f in d a bed
Thanks.3
MR. FRANK.
PETER.
Now l e t me s e e .
We have some b re a d and b u t t e r ?
No, th a n k yo u.
MR. FRANK.
You can have i t f o r luncheon t h e n .
And t o n i g h t we w i l l
have a r e a l s u p p e r. . . .o u r f i r s t supper t o g e t h e r .
PETER.
Thanks.
MR. FRANK.
ANNE.
T h a t's a n i ce b o y , P e t e r .
H e 's a w fu lly shy, i s n ' t he?
MR. FRANK.
ANNE.
Thanks.4
Y o u 'l l lik e him, I know.
I c e r t a i n l y hope so , s in c e h e 's th e o n ly boy I'm l i k e l y to see
1.
Mr . F. s ta n d s and s t a r t s f o r k i t c h e n —s to p s and opens
2.
Mr. F . x up to k i t c h e n and pour A nne's m ilk
Anne x to sm all t a b l e L. and back
U.C. o f t a b l e
3.
Mr. F. x t o L. o f t a b l e and s i t s
4.
Anne s ea rc h e s f o r p e n c i l th e n s t a r t s out door R.
5.
Mr. F. s ta n d s and x ' s t o Anne and le a d s h e r back t o c h a i r L.
of t a b l e —Mr. F. s i t s i n c h a i r U.C. o f t a b l e
69
f o r months and months.1
MR. FRANK.
ANNE.
Anne, t h e r e ’ s a box t h e r e .
W ill you open i t ? 2
You know th e way I ’m going t o t h i n k o f i t h e re ?
th in k of i t as a boarding h o u se.
lik e th e one t h a t we—-F ath er!
A v e ry p e c u l i a r summer b o a rd in g house,
F a th e r!
My movie s t a r s !
in g where th e y w e r e ! . . . . a n d Queen W ilhelm ina!
MR.
ANNE.
FRANK.
T h e r e 's som ething more.
A d ia r y !
I ’m going to
Go on.
I 'v e n ev er had a d i a r y .
one.4 P e n c il, p e n c i l , p e n c i l , p e n c i l .
I was wonder-
How w o n d erfu l!3
Look f u r t h e r .
And I ’ve always longed f o r
I'm going down to th e o f f i c e
to g e t a p e n c i l .
MR. FRANK.
ANNE.
Anne!
No! 5
But t h e r e ' s no one in th e b u ild in g now.
MR. FRANK.
I t d o e s n 't m a t t e r .
I d o n 't want you ever to go beyond t h a t
d o o r.
ANNE.
N ever? . . . .Not even a t n i g h t tim e , wh e n everyone i s gone?
Sundays?
MR. FRANK.
Or on
Can’t I go down to l i s t e n t o th e ra d io ?
N ever.
I am s o r r y , Anneke.
I t i s n 't safe.
No, you must
n ever go beyond t h a t d o o r.
ANNE.
I see.
MR. FRANK.
I t ' l l be h a r d , I know.
But always remember t h i s , Anneke.
There a re no w a l l s , th e r e a re no b o l t s , no locks t h a t anyone can p ut
on your m ind.
m ythology.
Miep w i l l b rin g us books.
We w i l l re a d h i s t o r y , p o e tr y ,
As a m a tte r o f f a c t , between u s , Anne, b e in g h e re has c e r t a i n
advantag es f o r you.
For i n s t a n c e , you remember th e b a t t l e you had w ith
your mother th e o th e r day on th e s u b je c t o f overshoes?
You s a id y o u 'd
1.
P e te r opens door and stan d s i n doorway o f h i s room
2.
P e t e r x U. to k i tc h e n
Sound cue, th e W estertoren
Mr. F. s to p s P e te r and sends him back t o h i s room
Mr. V.D. appears i n doorway L. on p la tfo r m
Mr. F. motions him to keep q u ie t
P e te r x D.R. t o h i s room
Anne x to P e t e r and pours some o f her m ilk i n t o th e c a t ’ s sau cer
and s i t s i n c h a i r R . o f t a b l e
P e te r moves i n t o h i s room
B lackout
C u rta in down
3.
C u rta in up
L ights up
71
r a t h e r d ie th a n w ear o v e rs h o e s .
But in th e end you had t o wear
them?
Well now, you see f o r as long as we a re h e re you w i l l n e v er have to
wear overshoes!
I s n ' t t h a t good?
And th e c o a t t h a t you i n h e r i t e d from
M a r g o t . .. . y o u w o n 't have t o wear t h a t .
have to p r a c t i c e on th e p ia n o .
And th e p ia n o !
You w o n 't
I t e l l you, t h i s i s going t o he a f in e
l i f e fo r you! 1
PETER.
I . . . . I . . . . I th o u g h t I ' d b e t t e r g e t some w a te r f o r Mouschi
b e fo re ....
MR. FRANK.
Of o o u r s e . 2
ANNE'S VOICE.
in to h id in g .
I e x p e c t I should be d e s c r ib i n g what i t f e e l s lik e t o go
But I r e a l l y d o n 't know y e t m y s e lf.
I o n ly know i t ’ s
funny nev er to be ab le t o go o u t d o o r s . . . . n e v e r t o b r e a th e f r e s h a i r . . . .
n e v er t o ru n and sho u t and jump.
f r i g h t e n s me m o st.
I t ' s th e s i l e n ce i n th e n i g h t t h a t
Every tim e I h e a r a c re a k i n th e h o use, o r a step
on th e s t r e e t o u t s i d e , I'm su re t h e y 'r e coming f o r u s .
so b a d .
The days a r e n ' t
At l e a s t we know t h a t Miep and Mr . K r a le r a re down th e r e below
us i n th e o f f i c e .
Our p r o t e c t o r s we c a l l them.
I asked F a th e r what
would happen to them i f th e N azis found o u t th e y were h id in g u s .
P im
s a id t h a t th e y would s u f f e r th e same f a t e t h a t we w o u ld .. . .Im a g in e !
They know t h i s and y e t when th e y come up h e r e , t h e y 'r e always c h e e r f u l
and g ay as i f th e r e were n o th in g i n th e w orld to b o th e r th e m .. . . F r i d a y ,
th e t w e n t y - f i r s t o f A ugust, n i n e t e e n - f o r t y - t w o .
you our g e n e r a l news.
Mother i s u n b e a ra b le !
lik e a baby, w hich I l o a t h e .
Today I ’m going to t e l l
She i n s i s t s on t r e a t i n g me
Otherw ise th in g s a re going b e t t e r . The w eather i s . 3
72
"I t e l l you, Anne, t h i s w i l l be a f i n e l i f e f o r yo u ."
D iscovered
Mr. F. a t window U.C.
M rs. V.D. on s o fa
Anne on c h a i r R. o f ta b le
P e te r on c h a ir L. of t a b l e
Mrs. F. on c h a ir D.L.
Margot i n A nne's b e d ro om
1.
Mrs. V.D. stan d and x to W.C.
M rs. F. x U. to k itc h e n
Mr. F. x to A nne's bedroom
2.
P e te r stand
Anne stand
3.
P e te r ch ases around t a b l e —he ru n s downstage Anne ru n s up stage
he c a tc h e s h e r and p u l l s h e r down in D.L. co rn e r o f th e room
M rs. F. moves to them
4.
P e te r sta n d s and x t o h i s room
Anne fo llo w s him
5.
Anne x back and s i t s a t ch a i r R. o f t a b l e
M rs. F. x down t o Anne
74
ACT I - Scene 3
MS. FRANK.
I t ' s s a fe now.
The l a s t workman has l e f t .
ANNE. Whee!
MRS. FRANK.
Anne! 1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETES.
ANNE.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
S c h o o l's o v e r.
Your shoes?
You've ta k e n them, h a v e n 't you?2
I d o n 't know what y o u ’re t a l k i n g a b o u t.
Y o u 're going to be s o r r y !3
Am I?
Anne, d e a r !
Wait t i l l I g e t you!
I'm w a itin g !
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
S ix o ’c lo c k .
Have you seen my shoes?
MRS. FRANK.
PETER.
I'm f i r s t f o r th e W.C.
Don’ t !
D o n 't!
P e t e r , s to p i t .
Ouch!
A n n e !....P e te r!4
P e t e r , where a re you going?
Come dance w ith me.
I t e l l you I don’t know how.
I ' l l te a c h you.
I'm going t o give Mousch i h i s d in n e r .
Can I w atch?
He d o e s n 't lik e people around w h ile he e a t s .
P e te r, p le a se .
No!5
MRS. FRANK.
Anne d e a r , I t h in k you s h o u ld n 't p la y l i k e t h a t w ith P e t e r .
1.
Mr. F. e n t e r s from Anne's room and s i t s
c h a i r L. o f t a b l e
2.
Margot e n te r s from A nne's room and s t a r t s f o r
k i tc h e n
Anne s ta n d s and x ’ s t o Margot and dances w ith h e r f o r 3 counts
3.
Margot moves up t o k itc h e n
4.
Anne s t a r t s t o dance by h e r s e l f
Mr. F . stan d and x to Anne and dance w ith h e r to D.L. c o rn e r
M rs. V.D. e n te r from W.C. and x back t o
5.
Anne s k ip t o P e t e r ' s door and knock
6.
P e t e r moves to door and opens i t
so fa.
76
I t ’s not d ig n if ie d .
ANNE.
Who c a r e s i f i t ’ s d i g n i f i e d ?
MRS. FRANK.
I d o n ’t want t o be d i g n i f i e d .
You com plain t h a t I d o n ’t t r e a t you l i k e a grownup.
But
when I do, you r e s e n t i t . 1
ANNE.
I o n ly want some f u n . . . .someone t o laugh and clown w i t h . . . .
A f te r y o u ’ve s a t s t i l l a l l day and h a r d ly moved, yo u ’ve g o t to have
some fu n .
MR.
I d o n 't know w h a t's th e m a tte r w ith t h a t boy.
FRANK.
ANNE.
He i s n ' t used to g i r l s .
Time?
dance w ith me.
MARGOT.
ANNE.
I s n ’t two months tim e?
I co uld c r y . 2 Come on, M a r g o t . . . .
Come on, p l e a s e .
I have t o h e lp w ith su p p e r.3
You know w e 'r e going to f o r g e t how t o d a n ce . . . . When we g e t o ut
we w o n 't remember a t h i n g .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Give him a l i t t l e tim e .
Next?
" Ta-dum, Ta-dum, Dum-dum." 4
Where' s P e te r ?
wh e re would he be!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
He h a s n 't f i n i s h e d h i s le s s o n s , h as he?
His f a t h e r ' l l
k i l l him i f he c a tc h e s him in th e r e w ith t h a t c a t and h i s work n o t
done.
Anne, g e t him o u t o f t h e r e , w i l l you?5
ANNE.
"Ta-dum, Ta-dum, Ta-dum, Knock-Knock. "
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
P e te r? 6
Wh a t i s i t ?
Your m other says t o come o u t.
I'm g iv in g Mouschi h i s d in n e r .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
P e te r ?
You know what your f a t h e r s a y s .
For h e a v e n ' t sa k e , I h a v e n 't even looked a t him sin ce lu n c h .
MRS. VAN DAaN.
I'm j u s t t e l l i n g you, t h a t ' s a l l .
1.
Anne e n t e r s P e t e r ’ s room
P e t e r e n t e r s l i v i n g room and s i t s c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
2.
Mrs. F . x down above C. o f t a b l e
3.
Sound cue — c a r coming t o a sto p and s t a r t i n g up a gain
Anne e n t e r s from P e t e r ’ s room d re s s e d i n h i s c lo th e s and x ’ s
D.S. around t a b l e and up C. o f t a b l e
4.
Anne s te p up w ith one f o o t on t a b l e and one f o o t on U.C. c h a i r
5.
P e te r sta n d and s t e p back
6.
Anne jumps to f l o o r U .S. of P e te r
7.
P e te r x below th e t a b l e C.
78
ANNE.
I ’ l l feed him .
PETER.
I d o n ’t want you i n th e r e
MRS. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
P e te r !
Then give him h i s d in n e r and come r i g h t o u t, you h e a r? 1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Now i s t h a t any way t o t a l k to your l i t t l e g i r l
f r ie n d ?
PETER.
M other. . . . f o r h e a v e n 's s a k e . . . . w i l l you p le a s e s to p saying
th a t?
MRS. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
MRS.
P le a se !
VAN DAAN.
Look a t him b lu s h !
Look a t him !
I 'm n o t . . . . a n y w a y . . . . l e t me a lo n e , w i l l you?
He a c t s l i k e i t was something t o be ashamed o f .
I t ’s
n o th in g to be ashamed o f , t o have a l i t t l e g i r l f r i e n d .
PETER.
You’r e c r a z y .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
S h e’ s o n ly t h i r t e e n .
So what?
And y o u 'r e s i x t e e n .
f a t h e r ' s t e n y e a rs o ld e r th a n I am.
Ju st p e rfe c t.
Your
I warn you, Mr. Frank, i f t h i s
war l a s t s much lo n g e r , you and I a re going t o be r e l a t e d .
MR. FRANK.
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
M azeltov!2
I wonder where Miep i s ?
Good e v en in g , e v ery o n e.
f r i e n d w a itin g f o r me i n t h e r e .
say t h a t we look a l i k e .
ANNE.
PETER.
F o rg iv e me i f I don’t s t a y .
My f r i e n d Tom,4 Tom C a t.
I have a
Some people
But Tom has th e most b e a u t i f u l w h i s k e r s . . . .
and I have on ly a l i t t l e f u z z .
PETER.
She’ s u s u a l l y so prom pt.3
I am h o p i n g . . . . i n t i m e . . . . 5
A ll r i g h t , M rs. Quack Quac k !6
P e te r! 7
I h e a rd about y o u ....H o w you t a l k e d so much in c l a s s th e y c a l l e d
1.
Anne x to P e te r
P e te r s te p back away from her
2.
P e t e r x D.L. t h r e e s te p s
Anne s t a r t throw ing h i s c lo th e s a t him
Mrs. V.D. stan d and x U. t o k itc h e n
3.
Anne t u r n and s i t c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
P e te r p ic k up c lo th e s and x to h is room
4.
Anne t r i p s Pe t e r
He sta n d s and moves in to h i s room and c lo s e s th e door
M rs. F. x D. t o Anne
5.
Anne s ta n d s and x ' s to D .S. end o f s o fa and s i t s
6.
Mrs. F. fo llo w s h e r and s i t s b e s id e h e r U. of Anne
7.
M rs. V.D. x D. above t a b l e R.
M rs.
8.
F. x U. to k itc h e n
Anne x L. to c o rn e r th e n U. to Mr. F.
Mrs. V.D. x t o s o fa and s i t C.
80
you M rs. Quack Quack.
How Mr. S m itte r made you w r ite a c o m p o s i t i o n ....
“ ’Quack, quac k , ’ s a id M rs. Quack Quack."1
ANNE.
W ell, go o n .
T e l l them th e r e s t .
How i t was so good he read i t
o u t loud t o th e c l a s s and th e n re a d i t to a l l h i s o th e r c l a s s e s ! 2
PETER.
ANNE.
Quack!
Q u a c k . ...Q u a c k ....Q u a c k . ...
You a re th e most i n t o l e r a b l e , i n s u f f e r a b l e boy I ’ve e v e r met!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Quack!
T h a t’ s r i g h t , Anneke!
Give i t to him!
With a l l th e boys i n th e w o rld ....W h y I had t o g e t locked up
w ith one l i k e you!3
PETER.
Quack, quack, quack, and from now on s t a y out o f my room!4
MRS. FRANK.
Anne, d e a r . . . . y o u r h a i r .
Y ou're warm.
Are you f e e l i n g
a ll rig h t? 5
ANNE.
P le a s e , M other.6
MRS. FRANK.
Anneke, d e a r , don’ t do t h a t .
d o c to r h e r e , e v e r .
T h e r e 's o n ly one t h i n g t o d o . ...w a t c h c a r e f u l l y .
P re v e n t an i l l n e s s b e fo re i t comes.
ANNE.
You know we c a n ' t c a l l a
Let me see your to n g u e .
M other, t h i s i s p e r f e c t l y a b s u r d .
MRS. FRANK.
Anne d e a r , d o n ’t be such a b aby.
Let me see your to n g u e .
O tto . . . . ?
MR. FRANK.
MRS. FRANK.
You h e a r your m oth er, Anne.
Come on—open up!
You seem a l l r i g h t . . . . b u t p erhaps an
aspirin....7
MRS. VAN DAAN.
For H eaven's sake d o n 't give t h a t c h ild any p i l l s .
I
w a ite d f o r f i f t e e n m inutes t h i s morning f o r h e r t o come out o f th e W.C.
ANNE.
I was w ashing my h a i r ! 8
81
"L et me see your to n g u e . "
1.
Mr. V.D. enters from door L. in k itc h e n
2.
Mr. V.D. x D.S. through k itc h e n in to main room U.C.
3.
Mr. V.D. s ta rts to pace around ta b le —Anne fo llo w s him
4.
Peter enters from h is room and s i t s ch a ir R. o f ta b le
Mr. V.D. continues pacing i n area above ta b le between Anne’ s and
P ete r’ s respective rooms
5.
Anne x and s i t in cha ir U.C. o f table
6.
Margot x D. from kitche n between Anne and Mr. P.
7. Anne stands and Margot s it s
Anne x to R. behind Peter
38
MR. FRANK.
I th in k th e r e ’ s nothing the m atter w ith out Anne th a t a
rid e on her b ik e , or a v i s i t w ith Jopie do Waal wouldn’ t cure.
Is n ’ t
th a t so, Anne?1
MR. VAN DAAN.
MSS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DANN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Miep n o t come yet?
The workmen ju s t l e f t , a l i t t l e w h ile ago.2
What’ s f o r dinner to n ig h t?
Beans.
Not again!
Poor P u t t i !
I know.
But what can we do.
That’ s a l l
Miep brought us.3
ANNE.
We are now i n what is known as the "bean c y c le ."
Beans b o ile d ,
beans en casserole, beans w ith s trin g s , beans w ith o u t s t r i n g s . . . . 4
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
I saw y o u . . . . i n th e re , pla yin g w ith your c a t.
He ju s t went in fo r a second, p u ttin g h is coat away.
He's been out here a l l the tim e, doing h is lessons.
MR. FRANK.
Anne, you got an e x c e lle n t i n your h is to r y paper t o d a y . . . .
and very good in L a tin . 5
ANNE.
How about algebra?
MR. FRANK.
I ’ l l have to make a confession.
to stay ahead o f you i n algebra.
Up u n t i l now I ’ ve managed
Today you caught up w ith me.
leave i t to Margot to c o rre c t.
ANNE.
I s n ’ t algebra v i l e , P im!
MR. FRANK.
MARGOT.
ANNE.
V ile ! 6
How d id I do?7
E x c e lle n t, e x c e lle n t, e x c e lle n t, e x c e lle n t!
W e 'll
84
"I saw y o u . . . i n t h e r e , p la y in g w ith t h a t c a t . ”
1.
M rs. F. s te p s D. t o between k i t c h e n and main room
2.
Mrs. V.D. s ta n d s and h e lp s Anne p u t on c o a t
3.
Mrs. V.D. x D.L. o f Mr. F.
4.
Mrs. V.D. x back to Anne
86
MR. FRANK.
MARGOT.
ANNE.
You should have used th e s u b ju n c tiv e h e r e . . . .
Should I ? . . . . I t h o u g h t. . . .lo o k h e r e . . . . I d i d n ' t use i t h e r e . . . .
M rs. Van Daan, may I t r y on your c o a t? 1
MRS. FRANK.
No, Anne.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
I t ' s a l l r i g h t . . . . b u t c a r e f u l w ith i t .2 My f a t h e r gave
me t h a t t h e y e a r b e fo re he d i e d .
He always bought th e b e s t t h a t money
could buy.
ANNE.
M rs. Van Daan, d id you have a l o t o f boy f r i e n d s b e fo re you were
m a rrie d ?
MRS. FRANK.
Anne, t h a t ' s a p e r s o n a l q u e s ti o n .
I t ' s n o t c o u rte o u s t o
ask p e r s o n a l q u e s ti o n s .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
b oys.
Oh, I d o n ’t mind.
Our house was always swarming w ith
When I was a g i r l we h a d . . . .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Oh, God.
Not a g a in !
Shut up!3 One summer we had a big house i n Hilv e rs u m .
The boys came buzzing around l i k e bees around a jam p o t .
And when I
was s i x t e e n ! . . . .we were w earing our s k i r t s v e ry s h o r t th o s e days and I
had good lo o king l e g s .
I s t i l l have ’em.
I may n o t be as p r e t t y as I
used t o b e , b u t I s t i l l have my l e g s .
How about i t , Mr. Frank?
MR. VAN DAAN.
We see them.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
A ll r i g h t .
A ll r i g h t .
I ’m n o t askin g you.
I ’m asking Mr. Frank.
M other, f o r h e a v e n 's s a k e .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Oh, I em barrass you, do I ? 4 W ell, I j u s t h o p e th e g i r l
you m arry h a s as good.
boys hanging ro u n d .
My f a t h e r used to w orry about me, w ith so many
He t o l d me, i f any o f them g e ts f r e s h , you say t o
h i m .. . . "Remember, Mr. So-and-So, remember I'm a la d y ."
1.
Anne x C. and l i e down on th e f l o o r l i s t e n i n g f o r something
d o w n stairs
Mr. V.D. x D.R. t o Mrs. V.D.
2.
M rs. V.D. x L. and s i t i n c h a i r D.L.
Mr. V.D. fo llo w her pacing
M rs. F . move D. t o t a b l e w ith t a b l e c l o t h
3.
P e te r stan d and s i t on s o fa
4.
Mr. V.D. pace U.S.
Mr. F. stand
5.
M rs. V.D. stan d and x t o Mr. F. and k i s s him.
Mrs. V.D. u sh ers Mr. F . to s o fa and th e y s i t D.S. of P e te r
6.
Mr. F . and P e te r stand
P e te r goes i n t o h i s room
Mrs. F. x to Mr. F. as he fo llo w s P e te r
Mr. V.D. s t a r t s pacing D .S .L . and th e x ’ s R.
7.
Mr. V.D. s te p s over Anne
88
ANNE.
MR.
"Remember, Mr. So-and-So, remember I ’m a la d y ." 1
VAN DAAN.
Look a t you, t a l k i n g t h a t way in f r o n t o f h e r!
Don’t
you know she p u ts i t a l l down i n t h a t d ia ry ? 2
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
Miep must have th e ra d io on.
Haven’t you f in i s h e d y e t?
No.
MR. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
I ’m o n ly t e l l i n g th e t r u t h !
Would you mind, P e t e r , i f I moved you over t o th e c o u c h ? 3
MR. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
So i f she does?
You ought to be ashamed o f y o u r s e l f .
A ll r i g h t .
A ll r i g h t .
I ’m a d un ce.
I ’m a h o p e le s s c a s e .
Why do I go on?
MRS. VAN DAAN.
You’r e n ot h o p e le s s .
Don’t t a l k t h a t way.
t h a t you h a v e n ’t anyone t o h e lp you, l i k e th e g i r l s h a v e .
I t ' s ju st
Maybe you
could h e lp him , Mr. Frank?
MR. FRANK.
I'm s u re t h a t h i s f a t h e r . . . . ?
MR. VAN DAAN.
t o me.
Not me.
I c a n ' t do a n y th in g w ith him .
You go a h e a d . . . . i f you w an t.4
MR. FRANK.
What about i t , P e te r ?
MRS. VAN DAAN.
S h a ll we make our sch o o l c o -e d u c a tio n a l? 5
You’r e an a n g e l, Mr. Frank!
An a n g e l!
why I d i d n 't meet you b e fo re I met t h a t one t h e r e .
F ran k .
I d o n 't know
H ere, s i t
down, Mr.
Now, P e t e r , you l i s t e n t o M r. F ran k .
MR. FRANK.
I t m ight be b e t t e r fo r us t o go i n t o P e t e r ’ s room.6
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Mr. F ran k .
ANNE.
He w o n 't l i s t e n
Shh!
T h a t 's r i g h t .
You go in t h e r e , P e t e r .
Mr. Frank i s a h ig h ly educated man.
I can h e a r a m an's v o ic e t a l k i n g . 7
You l i s t e n to
1.
Mr. V.D. sto p s and w alks back L. ste p p in g over Anne
2.
Mr. V.D. tu r n s to M rs. V.D.
3.
Anne sta n d s and s t a r t s f o r Mr. V.D.
M rs. F. x D.C. and s i t in c h a i r U.C. of ta b le
4.
Anne x L. to sm all t a b l e ta k e s k n i t t i n g t o M rs. F.
Margot x in to A nne's room
5.
Anne x R. to c h a i r R. of ta b le and le a n on i t
90
MR. VAN DAAN.
I s n ' t i t bad enough h e re w ith o u t your sp ra w lin g a l l
over th e p la c e ?
MRS. VAN DAAN.
I f you d i d n ’t smoke so much, you w o u ld n 't be so bad
te m p e re d .1
MR. VAN DAAN.
Am I smoking?
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
Don’t t e l l me yo u ’ve used up a l l th o s e c i g a r e t t e s . 2
One pack ag e!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Do you see me smoking?
Miep o n ly bro u g h t me one package!
I t ’ s a f i l t h y h a b i t anyway.
I t ’ s a good tim e t o b reak
y o u rs e lf.
MR. VAN DAAN.
Oh, s to p i t , p le a s e !
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Y o u're smoking up a l l our money.
You know t h a t , d o n 't
you?
MR. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
W ill you sh u t up?
And what a re you s t a r i n g a t?
I n e v er h e ard grownups q u a r r e l b e f o r e .
I th o u g h t o n ly c h ild r e n
q u a r r e le d .
MR. VAN DAAN.
This i s n ’t a q u a r r e l!
I t ' s a d is c u s s i o n .
And I never
h e a rd c h i l d r e n so rude b e f o r e .
ANNE.
I, r u d e ! 3
MRS. FRANK.
Anne, w i l l you b rin g me my k n i t t i n g ?
I must remember,
when Miep comes, t o a sk h e r t o b r in g me some more w ool.4
MARGOT.
I need some h a i r p in s and some soap.
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
I made a l i s t .
Have you some l i b r a r y books f o r Miep when she comes?
I t ' s a wonder t h a t Miep h a s a l i f e o f h e r own th e way we make
h e r ru n e rra n d s f o r u s .
P le a s e , M iep, g e t me some s t a r c h . 5 P le a se ta k e
my h a i r out and have i t c u t .
T e ll me a l l the l a t e s t news, M iep.
Did
1.Anne s t a r t s U.L. f o r Mr. V.D.
M rs. F. sta n d s and i n t e r u p t s Anne
Anne and M rs. F. x i n t o k itc h e n
Mr.
.2
V.D. roams about th e main room looking f o r h is pipe
.3Mr. V.D. goes to Anne’ s room
.4Anne p ic k s up Mr. V .D .'s p ip e from s h e l f on R. w a ll i n k itc h e n
Anne x D. i n t o U.R. o f main room
Margot x U. t o k itc h e n
Mr.
.5
V.D. x t o Anne
.6Anne X D .S. th e n x L. t o D.L. of main room
Mr. V.D. x L. th e n D .S. t o i n t e r c e p t Anne
92
you know she was engaged?
His name i s D irk and M iep’ s a f r a i d th e
N azis w i l l sh ip him o f f to Germany t o work in one of t h e i r war p l a n t s .
T h a t’ s what t h e y ’r e doing w ith some o f th e young D u tc h m e n ....th e y p ic k
them up o f f th e s t r e e t s —
MR. VAN DAAN.
D o n 't you e v er g e t t i r e d o f t a l k i n g ?
keeping s t i l l f o r f iv e m in u te s .
MRS. FRANK.
Come h e r e , Anne.
MR. VAN DAAN.
Ju st fiv e m in u te s .1
F in is h your g la s s o f m ilk .2
T alk, t a l k , t a l k .
I n ever h e a rd such a c h i l d .
m y ....E v e r y evening i t ’ s th e same, t a l k , t a l k , t a l k .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
Where i s
Where t h e . . . . ?
What’r e you lo o k in g f o r ?
My p i p e .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Suppose you t r y
Have you seen my pip e?
What good’ s a p ip e ?
You h a v e n ’t g o t any to b a c co .
At l e a s t I ’ l l have something to hold in my mouth!3 Mar­
g o t, have you seen my p ip e ?
MARGOT.
I t was on th e t a b l e l a s t n i g h t . 4
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
I know.
Anne, d id you see my p ip e ?
Anne.
Anne, d e a r , Mr. Van Daan i s speaking t o you.
Am I allo w ed to t a l k now?5
MR. VAN DAAN.
You’r e th e most a g g r a v a t i n g . . ..The t r o u b l e w ith you i s ,
you 've been s p o ile d .
ANNE.
I know.
What you need i s a good o ld -fa s h io n e d sp anking .
“Remember, Mr. So-and-So, remember I'm a l a d y . ”6
MR. VAN DAAN.
Why a r e n ’t you n ic e and q u i e t l i k e your s i s t e r Margot?
Why do you have t o show o f f a l l th e tim e?
a d v ic e , young la d y .
know t h a t ?
Le t me give you a l i t t l e
Men don’t l i k e t h a t k in d o f th in g in a g i r l .
You
A man l i k e s a g i r l who’ l l l i s t e n to him once i n a w h i l e . . . .
93
"What you need i s a good o ld -fa s h io n e d span k in g ."
1.
Anne x C.
2.
Anne sp in s R. as i f dancing and s p i l l s milk on Mr s . V.D.
Mrs. V.D. s tr u g g le s t o stan d
Anne drops on h e r knees t o h e lp c le a n up m ilk
Margot ta k e s c l o t h D. to h e lp wipe o f f the m ilk
3.
Mrs. V.D. stan d s and p u l l s c o a t away from Margot and Anne
Margot re a c h e s a g a in to h e lp wipe o f f th e c o a t
Mrs. V.D. s la p s M argot’ s hand away and tu r n s
Mrs. V.D. x ’s U.L. and walks up on th e p la tfo r m
Margot s ta n d s a n g r i l y
4.
Mrs. V.D. e x i t s door L. i n k i tc h e n
Mr. V.D. x U. and o u t L. door
Margot x U. t o k i t c h e n
Mrs. F. x D. t o Anne
95
a dom estic g i r l , who’ l l keep h e r house s h in in g f o r h e r h u s b a n d ....w h o
lov es to cook and sew a n d . . . .
ANNE.
I ’d c u t my t h r o a t f i r s t !
I ’d open
my ve i n s !
I ’m going t o be
remarkab l e ! 1 I ’m going to P a r i s . . . .
MR. VAN DAAN.
P a ris ....!
A N N E ....to stu d y music and a r t .
MR. VAN DAM.
ANNE.
Y e a h ....y e a h ....
I ’m going to be a famous d a n ce r o r s i n g e r . . . . o r something wonder-
fu l.2
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Now look what y o u ’r e d o n e ! . . . . y o u clumsy l i t t l e f o o l !
My b e a u t i f u l f u r c o a t my f a t h e r gave me!
ANNE.
I ’m so s o r r y . 3
MRS. VAN DAAN.
What do you c a re ?
Do you know what t h a t c o a t c o s t?
I t i s n ’t y o u r s . . . . S o go on, r u i n i t !
Do you?
And now look a t i t !
Look
at i t !
ANNE.
I ’m v e ry , v e ry s o r r y .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
I cou ld k i l l you f o r t h i s .
I could j u s t k i l l you!4
P e t r o n e l l a . . . l i e f j e ! . . .C o m e back . . . . t h e s u p p e r . . . .
come back!
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
Anne, you m u s t n 't behave in t h a t way.
I t was an a c c i d e n t .
MRS. FRANK.
Anyone can have an a c c i d e n t .
I d o n ’t mean t h a t .
n o t answer b a ck .
c o u r te s y t o them .
I mean th e answering back .
They are our g u e s t s .
You must
We must always show th e g r e a t e s t
We’r e a l l l i v i n g under t e r r i b l e t e n s i o n .
T h a t’s
1.
Anne stan d and x L.
2.
A nne
3.
Margot x D. in t o main room
4.
Anne run i n t o h e r room
5.
Mrs. F. s t a r t f o r k i tc h e n th e n sto p
x U.R. t o D.L. end o f t a b l e
Margot x to k itc h e n
6.
Mrs. F. x R. o f t a b l e
Margot x D. t o U.L. of t a b l e
97
why we m ust c o n t r o l o u r s e l v e s . . . . You d o n ’ t h e a r M argot g e t t i n g i n t o
arg u m en ts w ith th em , do you?
w ith th em .
Never f a m i l i a r .
her for i t .
ANNE.
S h e 's alw ays c o u r te o u s
She k e e p s h e r d i s t a n c e .
And th e y r e s p e c t
Try t o be l i k e M a r g o t . 1
And h av e them w alk a l l over me, t h e way t h e y do h e r ?
MRS. FRANK.
A nne.
Watch M a rg o t.
No, th a n k s !
I ’m n o t a f r a i d t h a t anyone i s g o in g t o w alk a l l o v er y ou ,
I ’m a f r a i d f o r o t h e r p e o p l e , t h a t y o u ’ l l w alk on them .
know w h at hap pen s t o y o u , Anne.
You a r e w i l d , s e l f - w i l l e d .
I d o n ’t
I f I had
e v e r t a l k e d t o my m o th er a s you t a l k t o me . . . . 2
ANNE.
T hings have ch an g e d .
"No, M o th e r .”
M o th e r."
t h i n g s o u t f o r m y s e lf !
MRS. FRANK.
P e o p le a r e n ' t l i k e t h a t any m ore.
“A n y th in g you s a y , M o th e r .“
"Yes,
I ’ve g o t t o f i g h t
Make som ething o f m y s e lf !
I t i s n ' t n e c e s s a r y t o f i g h t t o do i t .
M argot d o e s n ’t f i g h t ,
and i s n ’t s h e . . . . ?
ANNE.
M arg o t!
M argo t!
M arg o t!
M arg o t!
T h a t 's a l l I h e a r from
e v e r y o n e . . . .how w o n d e r f u l M argot i s . . . . "Why a r e n ’t you l i k e M argot?"3
MARGOT.
ANNE.
Oh, come on, Anne, d o n ' t be s o . . . .
E v e ry th in g she d o es i s r i g h t , and e v e r y t h in g I do i s w rong!
I ’m t h e g o a t aro u n d h e r e ! . . . . You’r e a l l a g a i n s t m e . . . . a n d you w o r s t o f
a ll! 4
MRS. FRANK.
L e t ' s p u t t h e soup on th e s t o v e . . . . i f t h e r e ’ s anyone who
c a r e s to e a t . 5 M arg o t, w i l l you ta k e t h e b read o u t?
I d o n ’ t know h ow
we can go on l i v i n g t h i s w a y . . . . I c a n ' t s a y a word t o A n n e . . . . s h e f l i e s
a t me. . . . 6
1.
Sound cue—b u z ze r
2.
M rs. F . U. to k itc h e n
Margot x to P e t e r ’ s room
3.
Mr. F. le a v e s P e t e r ’ s room th e n e x i t s th ro u g h door R.
Margot x t o A nne's room
5.
Mr. V.D. e n te r s from door L. in k itc h e n
6.
Margot e n t e r s main room and x D .S. between sm all t a b l e and
c h a ir L. o f ta b le
7.
Mr. V.D. down s t a i r s to L. of M rs. F . i n k itc h e n
8.
Mr. K ra le r e n t e r s door R. and s te p s on s te p
Mrs. F. s te p s D. between main room and k itc h e n
9.
Mr. V.D. x to Mr. K ra le r
Anne e n te r and stand a t her door
P e te r e n te r and s ta n d a t h i s door
M rs. F. c o u n te rs and x t o c h a i r U .C. o f t a b l e and p u l l s i t out
f o r Mr. K ra le r
.01 Mr. K ra le r x to M rs. F . and s i t s i n c h a ir
99
MARGOT.
You know Anne.
In h a lf an hour s h e 'l l be out here, laughing
and jo k in g .
MRS. FRANK.
A n d . . . . I to ld your fa th e r i t w o u ld n 't w o r k ....b u t n o . . . .
n o ....h e had to ask them, he s a id ....h e owed i t to him, he said .
he knows now th a t I was r i g h t !
MARGOT.
Shush.
MRS. FRANK.
MARGOT.
MARGOT.
These q u a r r e ls . . . . t h is b ic k e r in g .. . . 1
Shush.
Every tim e I hear th a t sound my h e a rt stops!2
I t ’ s Miep.
MR. FRANK.
Father?3
Thank you, Margot.
I ’ l l get my books.
Has everyone h is l i s t ? 4
Here’ s your l i s t .
Miep's h e re .5
MR. VAN DAAN.
Is i t Miep?6
MARGOT.
Yes.
F a the r’ s gone down to l e t her in . 7
MR. VAN DAAN.
A t la s t I ’ l l have some c ig a re tte s !
MRS. FRANK.
c o a t.
I ca n 't t e l l you how unhappy I am about Mrs. Van Daan's
Anne should never have touched i t .
MR. Van DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
Don’ t w orry. 8
M r. K ra le r!
MR. VAN DAAN.
MARGOT.
She’ l l be a l l r ig h t .
Is there anything I can do?
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
How are you, Mr. Kraler?9
This i s a s u rp ris e .
MRS. FRANK.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. KRALER.
W ell,
When Mr. K ra le r comes the sun begins to shine.
Miep is coming?1
0
Not to n ig h t.
1.
Mr. F. e n te r s and x t o R. o f K ra le r
2.
M rs. F. s i t s i n c h a ir L. of t a b l e
3.
Margot and Anne x to L. o f Mr. K ra le r and ta k e cabbages from him
Margot and Anne x U.C. to ki t c h e n th e n back t o p la tfo r m
4.
Mr. K ra le r stand
6.
Mr. K ra le r e x i t door R.
Mr. V.D. c o u n te r
Mr. F. x U. t o Mr. V.D.
101
MRS. FRANK.
W ouldn't you l i k e a cup o f co f f e e ? . . . . o r , b e t t e r s t i l l ,
w i l l you have supper w ith us?
MR. KRALER.
MR. FRANK.
No, th a n k y o u . 1
M r. K ra le r h as something to t a l k over w ith u s .
Something has
happened, he s a y s , w hich demands an immediate d e c i s i o n . 2
MRS. FRANK.
What i s i t ? 3
MR. KRALER.
U su a lly , when I come up h e r e , I t r y t o b rin g you some b i t
o f good news.
W hat's th e use o f t e l l i n g you th e bad news when t h e r e 's
n o th in g t h a t you can do about i t ?
But to d a y som ething has h a p p e n e d ... .
D i r k . . . . M i e p ' s D irk , you know, came t o me j u s t now.
h a s a Jew ish f r i e n d l i v i n g n e a r him .
a
d e n t i st .
He t e l l s me t h a t he
He says h e 's i n t r o u b l e .
He begged me, could I do a n y th in g f o r t h i s man—co u ld I f i n d him a h id in g
p l a c e ? . . . . S o I 'v e come to y o u . . . . I know i t ' s a t e r r i b l e th in g to ask of
you, l i v i n g a s you a r e , b u t would you ta k e him in w ith you?
MR. FRANK.
MR. KRALER.
p la c e .
Of co urse we w i l l . 4
I t ' l l be j u s t f o r a n ig h t or t w o . . . . u n t i l I f in d some o th e r
This happened so suddenly t h a t I d id n ’t know where t o t u r n .
MR. FRANK.
MR. KRALER.
MR. FRANK.
MR. KRALER.
MR. FRANK.
MR. KRALER.
Where i s he?
D ow nstairs i n th e o f f i c e .
Good.
B rin g him u p .
H is name i s D u s s e l . . . . J a n D u ss e l.
D u s s e l . . . . I th in k I know him.
I ’ l l g e t him .5
1.
Mr. V.D. x D.R. to so fa
2.
Mr. V.D. s i t s
3.
Mr. F . x to P e te r
4.
Anne s te p D.C. a s te p
5.
Margot x to Anne
6.
Anne x to Mr . F.
7.
M rs. F. stand and x t o between Anne and Margot
18 3
MR. FRANK.
Forgive me.
I spoke w ith o u t consulting you.
But I knew
you'd fe e l as I d o . 1
MR. VAN DAAN.
your pla ce.
There's no reason f o r you to consult anyone.
You have a r i g h t to do e x a c tly as you please.
This is
The on ly
th in g I f e e l . . . . t h e r e ’ s so l i t t l e food as i t is . . . . a n d t o take in another
p e rs o n ....
MR. FRANK.
We can s tre tc h the food a l i t t l e .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
You want to make a bet?
I th in k i t ' s fin e to have him.
going to put him?
PETER.
But, O tto , where are you
Where?
He can have my bed.
MR. FRANK.
I t ’ s only f o r a few days.2
I can sleep on the f l o o r .
That's good o f you, P eter,
I wouldn’ t mind.3
But your room's too sm all, even
f o r you.4
ANNE.
I have a much b e tte r ide a.
I ' l l come in here w ith you and Mother,
and Margot can take P e te r's room and Peter can go i n our room w ith Mr.
.5
Dussel.
MARGOT.
T h at's r i g h t .
MR. FRANK.
We could do th a t.
No, Margot.
nor Anne.
You m u stn't sleep i n th a t ro o m ....n e ith e r you
Mousch i has caught some ra ts in th e re .
P ete r's brave.
He
do esn't mind.6
ANNE.
Then how about t h i s ?
I ' l l come i n here w ith you and Mother and Mr.
Dussel can have my bed.7
MRS. FRANK.
her bed.
No!
No!
Margot w i l l come in here w ith us and he can have
I t ' s the on ly way.
Margot, bring your th in g s i n here.
Help her,
1.
Anne x to M rs. F .
2.
Mr. F . x t o Anne
3.
Anne x to h e r bedroom
P e te r x U .S. t o Anne’ s room
4.
Mr . F. x U. t o k itc h e n and back down
Margot g ives P e te r a bundle o f c lo th e s t o ta k e out o f A nne's
room
5.
Mr. F . giv es b o t t l e to Mrs. F . and ta k e s c lo th e s from P e te r
6.
P e te r x U. t o k i t c h e n and back to L. o f t a b l e
Mr. F . ta k e c lo th e s to U.S. end o f sofa
M rs. F . t o U.C. of t a b l e
Mrs. V.D. e n te r door R. in k itc h e n
7. Mrs. V.D. down s te p s and x t o so fa and s i t D .S. o f Mr. V.D.
Margot e n t e r s from Anne’ s room and s te p s D .S. two s te p s
Mr. F. x U.C. th r e e s te p s
8.
Mr. D uss. e n te r s door R. and s te p s o f f s te p
Mr. F . x to Mr. D uss.
Mr. K ra le r e n te r s behind Mr. D uss. and hold on s te p
9.
Mr. F . ta k e Mr. D uss. bag and s te p s t o P e te r
P e te r ta k e s bag i n t o A nne's room
Mr. D uss. x t o Mrs. F.
Mr. F . x between Mr. D uss. and s o fa
Mr. Duss. x t o s o fa and th e n x D .S. to L. o f t a b l e
105
A nne.1
ANNE.
Why M argot?
MRS. FRANK.
Because i t w o u ld n 't be p ro p er f o r Margot t o s le e p w ith a . . . .
P le a s e , Anne.
MR. FRANK.
Why c a n ' t I c ome in h e re ?
D o n 't a rg u e .
P le a s e .2
You d o n 't mind s h a rin g your room w ith Mr. D u ss e l, do you,
Anne?3
ANNE.
No.
MR. FRANK.
No, o f co u rse n o t .
Good. W here's th e c ognac ?
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
I t ’ s t h e r e . 4 B ut, O tto , I was sav in g i t i n case o f i l l n e s s .
I th in k we c o u l d n 't fin d a b e t t e r tim e t o use i t . 5 P e t e r ,
w i l l you g e t f iv e g la s s e s f o r me? 6
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
W hat's happening?
Someone’ s moving in w ith u s . 7
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MARGOT.
W hat's going on?
In h e re ?
Y o u're jo k in g .
I t ' s o n ly f o r a n i g h t o r t w o . . . . u n t i l Mr. K ra le r f in d s him
a n o th e r p l a c e .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
Yeah!
Yeah!8
Come i n , Mr. D u ss e l.
MR. KRALER.
This i s Mr. F ra n k .
MR. DUSSEL.
Mr. O tto Frank?
MR. FRANK.
Yes.
L et me ta k e your t h i n g s . 9 This i s my w ife E d i t h . . . . a n d
M rs. Van Daan, and Mr. Van D a an .. . . t h e i r son, P e t e r . . . . a n d my d a u g h te rs ,
M argot and Anne.
MR. KRALER.
Thank you, Mr. F ran k .
Thank you a l l .
Mr. D u sse l, I leave
1.
Mr. K ra le r x to U.C. o f ta b le
Mr. Duss. x U. to Mr. K ra le r
2.
Mrs.
F. x R. to sofa w ith cognac f o r V.Ds.
3.
Mr. F. steps D. to R. o f M r. K ra le r
4.
Mr. K ra le r x R. to door Peter s t a r t to x R.
5.
Mr. F. stop Peter C.S.
Peter moves back to p la tfo rm
Mr. F. x R. to Mr. K ra le r
6.
Mr. K rale r and Mr. F. e x it door R.
7.
Mr. Duss. s i t ch a ir L. o f tab le
Margot s i t in ch a ir D.L.
Anne s i t on f lo o r between Margot andMr.
Mrs. F. s i t ch a ir U.C. o f table
Duss.
107
you i n good hands .
O h . . D i r k 's c o a t .1
MR. DUSSEL.
What can I say t o th a n k y o u . . . . ? 2
MRS. FRANK.
Mr. K ra le r and M io p .. . .T h e y 're our l i f e l i n e .
W ithout them
we c o u l d n 't l i v e .
MR. KRALER.
th a t a t a l l .
m ethods.
P le a s e .
P le a se .
You make us seem v e ry h e r o i c .
We simp ly d o n 't lik e th e N a z is .
I t i s n 't
We d o n 't lik e t h e i r
We don’t l i k e a n y th in g about them .3
MR. FRANK.
I know.
I know.
"No o n e 's going t o t e l l us Dutchmen what
t o do w ith our damn Jews!"
MR. KRALER
Pay no a t t e n t i o n to Mr. F ran k .
t h a t t h e y 'r e t r e a t i n g you r i g h t .
I ' l l be up tomorrow to see
Don’t tr o u b l e to come down a g a in .
P e te r w i l l b o l t th e door a f t e r me, w o n 't you, P e te r ? 4
PETER.
Yes, S i r . 5
MR. FRANK.
Thank you, P e t e r .
MR. KRALE R . G ood n i g h t .
GROUP.
I ' l l do i t .
Good n i g h t . 6
Good n i g h t , Mr. K r a le r .
W e 'll see you tomorrow, e t c . , e t o .
MRS. FRANK.
P le a s e , Mr . D u ss e l, s i t down.7
MR. DUSSEL.
I'm dream ing.
O tto Frank h e r e !
I know i t .
I c a n ’t b e lie v e my e y e s .
Y ou're n o t in S w itz e rla n d th e n ?
Mr.
A woman t o l d m e . . . .
She s a id s h e 'd gone t o your h o u se. . . . th e door was open, e v e ry th in g was
i n d i s o r d e r , d is h e s i n th e s i n k .
She s a id she found a p ie c e o f paper
i n th e w aste b a s k e t w ith an a d d re ss s c r ib b le d on i t . . . . a n a d d re ss i n
Z u ric h .
ANNE.
She s a id you must have escaped to Z urio h.
F a th e r p u t t h a t th e r e p u r p o s e l y . . . . j u s t so people would th in k t h a t
1.
Mr. F. e n t e r and x t o U.R. o f t a b l e
Anne r u n t o him
2.
All s ta n d
3.
Mrs. V .D., Mrs. F . , Margot, and P e t e r s i t
Mr. V.D. x t o R. o f t a b l e
Mr. F. x t o so fa
4.
Mr. V.D. resume pacin g U.S. o f t a b l e
109
v e ry t h i n g !
MR. DUSSEL.
And y o u ’ve been h e re a l l t h i s tim e?
MRS. FRANK.
A ll t h i s t i m e . . . . e v e r s in c e J u ly .1
ANNE.
I t worked, P i m . . . . t h e a d d ress you l e f t ! M r . D u s s e l says t h a t
people b e lie v e we escaped to S w itz e rla n d .
MR. FRANK.
I ’m g l a d . . . . L e t ' s have a l i t t l e d rin k to welcome Mr. D u ss e l.2
To M r. D u s s e l.
MRS. FRANK.
We’re v ery honored to have you w ith u s .
To Mr. D u sse l, welcome.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
h e re ?
Welcome.
Um.
That was good.3
Did Mr. K ra le r warn you t h a t you won’t g e t much t o e a t
You can i m a g i n e . . . . t h r e e r a t i o n books among th e seven o f u s . . . .
and now you make e i g h t .
MR. DUSSEL.
Mr. Van Daan, you don’t r e a l i z e what i s happening o u ts id e
t h a t you should warn me o f a th in g li k e t h a t . 4 You d o n ’t r e a l i z e w h at’ s
going o n . . . . R i g h t h e re i n Amsterdam e v e ry day hundreds o f Jews d is a p ­
p e a r . . . . T h e y surround a block and se a rc h house by h o u s e .
back from sch o o l t o f in d t h e i r p a r e n ts gone.
C h ild re n come
Hundreds a re b e in g d e p o rte d
. . . . p e o p l e t h a t you and I k n o w ....th e H a l l e n s t e i n s . . . . t h e W e s s e l s . . . .
MRS. FRANK.
Oh, n o .
No!
MR. DUSSEL.
They g e t t h e i r c a l l - u p n o t i c e . . . .c o m e to th e Jew ish t h e a t r e
on such and such a day and h o u r . . . . b r i n g o n ly what you can c a r r y in a
ru c k s a c k .
And i f you r e f u s e th e c a l l - u p n o t i c e , th e n th e y come and
d rag you from your home and s h ip you o f f to M authausen.
The d e a th camp!
MRS. FRANK.
w orse.
We d id n ’t know t h a t th i n g s had g o t so much
1.
Anne x between Mr. Duss. and Mrs. F.
2.
Anne run D.L. t o Margot and s i t a t h e r f e e t
3.
Mr. F . x t o Mrs. F .
4.
Anne stan d
5.
Mr. D uss. stand and x D.S. o f th e t a b l e
Mr. Duss. th e n x U.L. t o Mr. andMrs.
6.
t o s o fa R.
F.
Anne x U. to h e r room and ho ld door f o r Mr. Duss.
Mr. D uss. x t o A nne's room and e n t e r
Anne fo llo w Mr. Duss. in t o room
7.
Margot and Mrs. F. go t o k itc h e n
P e te r x t o h i s room
Mrs. V.D. x th ro u g h k itc h e n and e x i t door R. i n k itc h e n
Mr. F. s i t c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
111
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
Forgive me f o r speaking so.1
Do you know the DeWalls?
Do you know what has become o f them?
Their daughter Jopie and I were in the same c la s s .
Jop ie's my best
fr ie n d .
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
Gone?
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
They are gon e .
With a l l the o th e rs.2
Oh, no.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Not Jopie!
There were some people c a lle d Wagner.
They l i ved near
us. . . . ? 3
MR. FRANK.
I th in k we should put t h i s o f f u n t i l l a t e r .
We a l l have
many questions we want to a s k ....B u t I'm sure th a t Mr. Dusse l
would
lik e to get s e ttle d before supper.
MR. DUSSEL.
MR. FRANK.
Thank you.
I would.
I brought ve ry l i t t l e w ith me.
I'm sorry we c a n 't give you a room alone.
w on't be too uncomfortable.
But I hope you
We've had to make s t r i c t ru le s h e r e . . . . a
schedule o f h o u r s . . . . We ’ l l t e l l you a fte r supper.
Anne, would you lik e
to take Mr. Dussel to h is room?4
ANNE.
I f you’ l l come w ith me, Mr. Dussel?5
MR. DUSSEL. Forgive me i f I h a ven't r e a l l y expressed my g ra titu d e to
a l l o f you.
This has been such a shock to me.
m yself as Dutch.
I was born i n H olland.
I ' d always thought o f
My fa th e r was born i n Holland,
and now.. . . a f t e r a l l these y e a rs .. . . I f y o u ' l l excuse me.6
ANNE.
Well, here we a r e . 7
1.
Mr . V.D. s i t on so fa
2.
In t h i s shor scene between Anne and Mr. D uss. t h e y unpack h i s
bag and p u t h i s c lo th e s and medicine away.
3 . Mr. Duss. goes t o d r e s s e r f o r h i s p i l l s
4.
Anne p o in ts to h er bed a g a i n s t th e L. w a ll and to Mr. D u s s 's .
bed on th e R.
Mr. Duss. i n t h e n e x t few l i n e s t e s t s th e beds f o r comfort and
s e l e c t s Anne’ s bed fo r h i m s e l f .
113
MARGOT.
The news sounds p r e t t y b a d , d o e s n 't i t ?
from what Mr . K ra le r t e l l s u s .
MR. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Mr. K ra le r says th in g s are im proving.
I l i k e i t b e t t e r th e way K ra le r t e l l s i t . 1
You’re going t o sh are th e room w ith m e.2
MR. DUSSEL.
I 'm a man who’ s always liv e d a lo n e .
a d j u s t m y self t o o t h e r s .
ANNE.
I t ' s so d i f f e r e n t
Let me h e lp you.
I h a v e n 't had t o
I hope y o u ' l l b e ar w ith me u n t i l I l e a r n .
Do you always l i v e a l l alo n e?
Have you no
f a m ily a t a l l ?
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
How d r e a d f u l .
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
a p e t?
No one.
You must be t e r r i b l y lo n e ly .
I 'm used t o i t .
I d o n 't th in k I could ever g e t used to i t .
D i d n 't you even have
A c a t , or a dog?
MR. DUSSEL.
I have an a l l e r g y f o r f u r - b e a r i n g a n im a ls .
They give me
asthm a.
ANNE.
Oh, d e a r .
P e te r has a o a t .
MR. DUSSEL.
H ere?
ANNE.
Yes.
But we h a r d ly ev er see i t . H e keeps i t i n h i s room a l l th e
tim e .
I'm sure i t w i l l be a l l r i g h t .
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
He has i t h e re ? 3
L et us hope so .
T h a t 's M a rg o t's bed,4 where y o u 'r e going t o s l e e p .
th e s o fa t h e r e .
We c le a r e d th e s e o f f f o r your t h i n g s .
I s le e p on
The b e s t p a r t
about t h i s r o o m ....y o u can look down and see a b i t o f th e s t r e e t and th e
c a n a l . . . T h e r e 's a h o u s e b o a t .. . .y o u can see th e end o f i t . . . . a bargeman
1.
Mr. D uss. l i e s down on th e s o fa L. (Anne’ s bed)
115
l i v e s th e r e w ith h i s f a m i l y . . . .They have a baby and h e 's j u s t beginning
to walk and I'm so a f r a i d h e 's going t o f a l l in to th e c a n a l some d ay .
I watch h i m . . . .
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
Your f a t h e r spoke o f a so h e d u le .
Oh, y e s .
I t ’ s m o stly about th e tim e s we have t o he q u i e t .
tim e s f o r th e W.C.
MR. DUSSEL.
And
You can use i t now i f you l i k e .
No, thank you.
ANNE.
I suppose you th in k i t ' s aw ful, my t a l k i n g about a th in g l i k e
th a t.
But you d o n 't know how im p o rta n t i t can g e t to b e . . . . e s p e c i a l l y
when y o u 'r e f r i g h t e n e d .
About t h i s room, th e way Margot and I d i d . . . .
she had i t to h e r s e l f i n the a fte rn o o n s f o r stu d y in g , r e a d i n g . . . . l e s s o n s ,
you k n o w ....a n d I took th e m ornin gs.
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
Would t h a t be a l l r i g h t w ith you?
I 'm n o t a t my b e s t i n th e m orning.
You s t a y h e re in th e morning th e n .
I ' l l ta k e th e room i n th e
a f te r n o o n .
MR. DUSSEL.
T e l l me, when y o u 'r e i n h e r e , what happens t o me?
am I spending my tim e ?
ANNE.
In t h e r e , w ith a l l th e people?
Yes.
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
I see.
I see.
We have supper a t h a l f p a s t s i x .
MR. DUSSEL.
Then, i f you d o n 't m i n d . . . . I l i k e to l i e down q u i e t l y fo r
t e n m inutes b e fo re e a t i n g .
ANNE.
Where
Of c o u r s e .
I f in d i t h e lp s the d i g e s t i o n . 1
I hope I 'm n o t going t o be to o much o f a b o th e r to you.
I seem t o be ab le to g e t e v ery o n e ’ s back up.
Anne
.1
s t a r t s to e x i t , s to p s and x ’ s t o U.R. o f Mr. D uss. and
ta p s him on th e sh o u ld er
Mr.
D uss. s i t up suddenly
Anne shakes h i s
hand
2Anne
.
e x its
B lackout
C u rta in down
C u rta in up - s e t re a rra n g e m en t # 1
l i g h t s up, n ig h t
Sound cu e—s t r e e t n o is e s
P e te r a s le e p on h is bed
Mr. F . a s le e p R. on h id e -a -b e d
M rs. F. a s le e p L. on h id e -a -b e d
Margot a s le e p on c o t C.S.
Anne a s le e p on h e r bed
Mr. D uss. a s le e p on so fa
3Mr.
.
V.D. s t r i k e s match o f f s ta g e L. o f k itc h e n th e n e n te r s and
sneaks down below s in k and ta k e s food and e x i t s L.
Ten co un ts and Anne s i t s up i n bed screaming
Mr.
.4
D uss. s i t up i n bed
R est of people s t i r i n bed
Mrs.
.5
F. s i t up
Mr.
.6
Duss. x to Anne and shake h e r
Mrs. F. x to Anne's room
Mr. F. s i t up
7Mrs.
.
F. s i t on bed b e sid e Anne
117
MR. DUSSEL.
I get along very w ell with children.
My patients a l l
bring th e ir children to me, because they know I get on w e ll with them.
So don’ t you worry about th a t.1
ANNE.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dussel.2
ANNE’ S VOICE....and yesterday I finished Cissy Van Marxvelt’ s latest
book.
I think she is a f i r s t - class w rite r.
children read her.
forty-tw o.
Dussel!
I shall d e fin ite ly le t my
Monday the tw e n ty -firs t of September, nineteen
Mr. Dussel and I had another ba ttle yesterday.
Yes, Mr.
According to him, nothing, I repeat....nothing is rig h t about
me....my appearance, my character, my manners.
While he was going on
at me I thought....sometime I ’ l l give you such a smack that you’ l l f l y
r ig h t up to the c e ilin g !
Why is i t that every grownup thinks he knows
the way to bring up children?
any.
P a rticu la rly the grownups that never had
I keep wishing Peter was a g i r l instead of a boy.
have someone to ta lk to .
too seriously.
Then I would
Margot's a darling, but she takes everything
To pause fo r a moment on the subject of Mrs. Van Daan.
I must t e l l you that her attempts to f l i r t with Father are getting her
nowhere.
Pim, thank goodness, won’ t play.
ACT I - Scene 43
ANNE.
No!
MR. DUSSEL.
AME.
No! Don’ t . . . . d o n 't take me!4
Shu3h!
Anne!
Anne, for God’ s sake, shush!5
Save me! Save me!6
MR. DUSSEL.
For God's sake!
Quiet!
MRS. FRANK.
Hush, darling, hush.
Quiet!
You want someone to hear?7
I t ' s a l l r ig h t.
There, th e re .... my
118
"gI e t along v e ry w e ll w ith c h i l d r e n ."
1.
Mr. Duss. x t o l i g h t U.L. and t u r n s i t on
Mr. F. g e ts up and p u ts on robe and x U.C. to window
Margot g e ts u p , s t a n d s on bed and tu r n s on l i g h t
Margot x to A nne's door
P e te r g e ts up, p u ts on ro b e , hangs b la c k o u t c u r t a i n , x to door
2.
Mr. F . x to Anne' s room
Margot x back t o her bed
3.
Mr. F. x i n t o A nne's room to window
Duss. x through door to W.C.
Mr. V.D. e n t e r s from L. door i n k itc h e n to p la tfo rm
4.
Mr. V.D. e x i t s door from p la tfo rm
Mr. Duss. e x i t s in to W.C.
Mr. F. le a v e s A nne's room and x D.R. to M a rg o t's bed
P e te r and Mr. F. x U.R. to h i s bedroom
Mr. F. x back and s i t s a t c h a i r U.C. o f t a b l e
120
poor baby....my c h ild .
W ill you be kind enough to turn on the lig h t,
Mr. Dussel?
I t ’ s nothing, my da rling.
MR. DUSSEL.
Something must be done about that child , Mrs. Frank.
Yelling lik e th a t!
I t was ju st a dream.1
Who knows but there's somebody on the street?
She's endangering a l l our liv e s .
MRS. FRANK.
Anne, d a rling.
L it t le Anne.
MR. DUSSEL.
Every night shetw ists and turns. I don’ t sleep.
spend h a lf my night shushing her.
MRS. FRANK.
I
And now i t ' s nightmares!2
You’re here, safe, you see?
Nothing has happened. Please,
Mr. Dussel, go back to bed.S h e 'll be herself in a minute or two.
Won't you, Anne?
MR. DUSSEL.
Thank you, but I'm going to the W.C.
The one place where
there' s peace! 3
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
A nightmare.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
MR. FRANK.
MRS. FRANK.
What is it ?
I
What happened?
She was having a nightmare!
thoughtsomeone wasmurdering
her.
Unfortunately, no.4
Thank you, Peter.
Go back to bed.
Would you lik e some water? Was i t a very bad dream?
Perhaps i f you to ld me....?
ANNE.
I 'd rather not ta lk about i t .
MRS. FRANK.
Poor darling.
Try to sleep then.
I ’ l l s it rig h t here
beside you u n t il you f a l l asleep.
ANNE.
You don't have to .
MRS. FRANK.
But I 'd lik e to stay with you ....very much.
Really.
1M
. rs. F.
e x i t s and x ' s to R. of Mr. F.
Mr. F . stan d and x to Mrs. F.
2M
. rs. F . x D. and s i t s on L. o f bed
Mr. F. fo llo w s h e r and s i t s b e sid e her
Mr.
.3
F. sta n d s and x ' s to k itc h e n and g e ts w a te r f o r Anne
Margot stand and x to M rs. F.
Mr.
.4
F. x to A nne's room, e n t e r , p u l l s to o l down t o L. o f Anne
Margot s ta n d , x to h e r bed, sta n d on i t and t u r n out l i g h t , th e n
l i e down
M rs. F. l i e down
122
ANNE.
I ’d r a t h e r you d id n ’t .
MRS. PRAM.
Good n i g h t , t h e n .
You’ l l be a l l r i g h t ?
T h e re ’s n o th in g
t h a t you want?
ANNE.
W ill you p le a s e a sk F a th e r t o come.
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
MRS. FRANK.
Of c o u r s e , Anne d e a r . 1 She wants you.2
E d ith , d e a r!
I t ’s a ll rig h t.
t o you when she needs c o m fo rt.
w ith f e a r .3
I th a n k God t h a t a t l e a s t she w i l l t u r n
Go to h e r , O tto .
She wants n o th in g o f me.
She i s s t i l l shaking
She p u lle d away when I leaned
down t o k i s s h e r .
MARGOT.
I t ’ s a p h a s e ....Y o u h e ard F a t h e r . . . . M o s t g i r l s go th ro u g h i t . . . .
th e y t u r n t o t h e i r f a t h e r s a t t h i s a g e . . . . t h e y g ive a l l t h e i r love to
th e ir fa th e rs .
MRS. FRANK.
MARGOT.
ANNE.
You w e re n ’t l i k e t h i s .
You d i d n ’t sh u t me o u t.
She’ l l g e t over i t . 4
Oh, Pim.
I dreamed t h a t th e y came t o g e t us !
The Green P o l i c e !
They broke down th e door and grabbed me and s t a r t e d t o d rag me out th e
way th e y did J o p ie .
MR. FRANK.
ANNE.
I want you t o ta k e t h i s p i l l .
What i s i t ?
MR. FRANK.
Something to q u i e t yo u .
Do you want me t o re a d t o you f o r
a w h ile?
ANNE.
No.
J u s t s i t w ith me f o r a m in u te .
t e r r i b l y loud?
MR. FRANK.
No.
Was I awful?
Did I y e l l
Do you th in k anyone o u ts id e could have heard?
No.
Lie q u i e t l y now.
Try t o s le e p .
12 3
"Go t o h e r , O t t o . "
124
125
ANNE.
I ’m a t e r r i b l e coward.
I ’m so d is a p p o in te d i n m y s e lf.
I th in k
I ’ve conquered my f e a r . . . . I t h i n k I ’m r e a l l y grown u p . . . . a n d th e n some­
th in g h a p p e n s .. ..a n d I ru n t o you lik e a b a b y . . . . I love you, F a th e r .
I
d o n 't love anyone b u t you.
MR. FRANK.
ANNE.
A n n e lin e !
I t ’s tru e .
I 'v e been th in k in g about i t f o r a long tim e .
Y ou're
th e o n ly one I lo v e .
MR. FRANK.
I t ' s f i n e t o h e a r you t e l l me t h a t you love me.
But I ' d
be much h a p p ie r i f you s a id you loved your mother as w e l l . . . . S h e needs
your h e lp so m u c h ....y o u r l o v e . . . .
ANNE.
We have n o th in g i n common.
She d o e s n 't u n d erstan d me.
When­
ev er I t r y t o e x p la in my views on l i f e to h e r she asks me i f I'm con­
stip a te d .
MR. FRANK.
You h u r t h e r v e ry much j u s t now.
S h e 's c r y in g .
She’ s i n
t h e r e c r y in g .
ANNE.
I c a n ' t h e lp i t .
I on ly t o l d th e t r u t h .
. . . . O h , P im, I was h o r r i b l e , w asn’t I?
I d i d n ' t want h e r h e re
And th e w o rst o f i t i s , I can
s ta n d o f f and look a t m yself doing i t and know i t ' s c r u e l and y e t I
c a n ’t sto p doing i t .
i t ' s j u s t a ph ase!
MR. FRANK.
W hat's th e m a tte r w ith me?
T e l l me.
Help me.
There i s so l i t t l e t h a t we p a r e n ts can do to h e lp our c h i l d r e n .
We can o n ly t r y to s e t a good e x a m p l e .. ..p o i n t th e way.
must do y o u r s e l f .
ANNE.
D o n 't say
I'm t r y i n g .
The r e s t you
You must b u ild your own c h a r a c t e r .
R e a lly I am.
Every n i g h t befo re I go t o s le e p I
th in k back over a l l o f th e t h i n g s I d id t h a t day t h a t were w r o n g . . . .
1.
Anne l i e down on bed
2.
Anne f a l l s a s le e p
Mr. F. s ta n d s , p ic k s up g l a s s , x U.L. and tu r n o f f l i g h t
Mr. F. le a v e s A nne's room x U.S. of t a b l e t o M rs. F . le a v in g
g la s s on t a b l e
B lackout
C u rta in down
127
l i k e p u t t i n g th e wet mop in Mr. D u s s e l’ s b e d . . . . and t h i s th in g now w ith
M other.
I say t o m y s e lf, t h a t was wrong.
going t o do t h a t a g a i n .
Ne v e r !
Of course I may do something w orse, b u t
a t l e a s t I ’ l l n ev er do t h a t a g a in !
s w e e te r, n i c e r s i d e .
I make up my mind, I ’m never
I have a n i c e r s i d e , F a t h e r . . . . a
But I ’m s c a re d t o show i t .
people a re going t o laugh a t me i f I ’m s e r i o u s .
I ’m a f r a i d t h a t
So the mean Anne comes
to th e o u ts id e and t h e good Anne s ta y s on th e i n s i d e 1and I keep on
t r y i n g t o sw itch them around and have th e good Anne o u ts id e and th e bad
Anne in s i d e and be what I ’d l i k e t o b e . . . . a n d might b e . . . . i f o n l y . . . .
o n ly ....2
ANNE ’S V O IC E ....the a i r r a i d s a r e g e t t i n g w o rse.
n ig h t.
ears.
The n o is e i s t e r r i f y i n g .
They come over day and
Pim says i t should be music to our
The more p la n e s , the sooner w i l l come th e end o f th e w ar.
Van Daan p re te n d s t o be a f a t a l i s t ,
Wh a t w i l l be, w i l l b e .
th e p la n e s come o v e r, who i s t h e most f r ig h te n e d ?
But when
No one e ls e but P e t-
r o n e l l a ! ....M o n d a y , th e n in th o f Novembe r , n in e te e n f o r ty - tw o .
f u l news.
The A l l i e s have landed in A f r i c a .
f o r an e a r l y f i n i s h to th e w ar.
M rs.
Wonder­
Pim says t h a t we can look
J u s t f o r fu n he asked each o f us what
was th e f i r s t th in g we wanted t o do when we got o u t o f h e r e .
M rs. Van
Daan longs to be home w ith h e r own t h i n g s , h e r n e e d le p o in t c h a i r s , th e
B e c k s te in pian o h e r f a t h e r gave h e r . . . . t h e b e s t t h a t money could buy.
P e te r would l i k e to go t o a m ovie.
d e n t i s t ’s d r i l l .
Mr. D ussel wants to g e t back to h i s
H e's a f r a i d he i s lo s in g h i s to u c h .
For m y self, th e r e
a re so many t h i n g s . . . . t o r id e a b ik e a g a i n . . . . t o laugh t i l l my b e l l y
a c h e s . . . . t o have new c lo th e s from th e s k in o u t . . . . t o have a h o t tu b f i l l e d
S e t rearran g em en t # 2
A ll s e a te d around t a b l e
Mr. F. U .S. end o f t a b l e
Margot U.S.R.
Mrs. F. U .S .L .
Mr. D uss. Mid. R.
Mr. V.D. Mid. L.
Anne. D .S.R.
Mrs. V.D. D .S.L.
P e te r D.S. end o f t a b l e
1Mr.
.
F. s i t down
M rs. F. stand
129
t o ov erflo w in g and wallow i n i t f o r h o u r s . . . . t o be back i n sch o o l w ith
my f r i e n d s . . . .
ACT I - Scene 5
MR. PRAM.
" P ra is e d be Thou, Oh Lord, our God, R uler o f th e u n iv e r s e ,
who has s a n c t i f i e d us w ith Thy commandments and bidden us k in d le th e
Hanukkah l i g h t s .
P r a is e d be Thou, Oh Lord our God, R uler o f t h e u n i­
v e r s e , who has wrought wondrous d e liv e r a n c e s f o r our f a t h e r s i n days o f
o ld .
P r a is e d be Thou, Oh Lord, our God, R u ler o f th e u n iv e r s e , t h a t
Thou h a s t giv en us l i f e and su ste n a n ce and brought us to t h i s happy
season.
Amen."
We k in d le t h i s Hanukkah l i g h t to c e l e b r a t e th e g r e a t
and w onderful deeds wrought th ro u g h th e z e a l w ith which God f i l l e d th e
h e a r t s o f the h e r o ic Maccabees, two thousand y e a rs ag o .
They fo u gh t
a g a i n s t i n d i f f e r e n c e , a g a i n s t ty ra n n y and o p p re s s io n , and th e y r e s t o r e d
our Temple to u s .
May th e s e l i g h t s remind us t h a t we should ever look
to God,whence cometh our h e l p .
ALL.
Amen.
Amen.1
MRS. FRANK.
my h e l p .
" I l i f t up mine eyes unto th e m ountains, from whence cometh
My h e lp cometh from th e Lord who made heaven and e a r t h .
w i l l n o t s u f f e r th y f o o t to be moved.
slum b er.
He t h a t k e e p e th th e e w i l l n o t
He t h a t k e e p e th I s r a e l doth n e i t h e r slumber no r s l e e p .
Lord i s th y k e e p e r .
The Lord i s t h y shade upon th y r i g h t hand.
sun s h a l l no t sm ite th e e by d ay, n or th e moon by n i g h t .
keep th e e from a l l e v i l .
He
He s h a l l keep t h y s o u l.
The
The
The Lord s h a l l
The Lord s h a l l
guard t h y going o u t and th y coming i n , from t h i s time f o r t h and f o r eveRmore. "
Amen •
1M
. rs.
F . and M argot t o k itc h e n —th ro u g h th e b egin n in g o f t h i s
scene th e y b r in g p l a t e s and g la s s e s from t h e k itc h e n t o th e
ta b le
Mr. F . stan d and x t o so fa w ith h a t s , th e n back to h i s c h a i r
2M
. rs. F. U.L. o f t a b l e
3Margot
.
d i s t r i b u t e s p l a t e s around t a b l e
4Margot
.
s i t s in h e r c h a ir
131
ALL.
Amen.1
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
That was v e ry moving.
I t i s n ' t over y e t !
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
S i t down!
S i t down!
T h e re 's l o t s more, songs and p r e s e n t s .
MR. DUSSEL.
P r e s e n ts ? 2
MRS. FRANK.
Not t h i s y e a r , u n f o r tu n a t e ly .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
But always on Hanukkah everyone g iv e s p r e s e n t s . . . .
e v ery o n e !
MR. DUSSEL.
Like our S t . N ic h o la s ' Day.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
No!
Not l i k e S t . N ic h o la s! W h a t k in d o f a Jew a re you
t h a t you d o n 't know Hanukkah!
MRS. FRANK.
I remember p a r t i c u l a r l y th e c a n d l e s . . . . F i r s t one, as we
have t o n i g h t .
Then th e second n ig h t you l i g h t two c a n d le s , th e n th e
n e x t n ig h t t h r e e . . . . a n d so on u n t i l you have e ig h t c an d les b u rn in g .
"When th e r e a re e i g h t c a n d le s i t i s t r u l y b e a u t i f u l .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
D o n 't t a l k a b o u t them!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
I make th e b e s t l a tk e s you ever t a s t e d !
I n v i t e us a l l n e x t y e a r . . . . i n your own home.
God w i l l i n g ! 3
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MARGOT.
And th e p o ta to p an cak es.
God w i l l i n g .
W h a t I remember b e s t i s th e p r e s e n ts we used to g e t when we
were l i t t l e . . . . e i g h t days o f p r e s e n t s . . . . a n d each day th e y got b e t t e r
and b e t t e r . 4
1.
Mrs. F . s i t s in h e r c h a ir
Anne stan d s and ru ns U.S. th e n x L. i n to h e r foom
2.
Anne e n t e r s main room and x t o s o fa w ith her s a t c h e l f u l l o f
g ifts
3.
Anne x to Margot
Margot stan d s
4.
M argot s i t s
Anne x U . S. to L. o f t a b l e behind M rs. V .D ., th e n x U. between
Mr. and M rs. F.
133
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
We a re a l l h e r e , a l i v e .
No i t i s n ' t .
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
I ’ve g o t s o m e t h in g ....
What i s i t ?
P r e s e n ts !
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ALL.
That i s p r e s e n t en o u g h .1
P r e s e n ts !
L' ohaim, l 'c h a im !2
MR. DUSSEL.
Look!
MR. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
ANNE.
W hat's she g o t on h e r head?
A lampshade!
Oh d e a r .
They’r e e v e ry which way.3 Read i t o u t lo u d .
MARGOT.
"You have n e v er l o s t your tem per,
You never w i l l , I f e a r ,
You a re so good.
But i f you sh o u ld ,
P u t a l l your c ro s s words h e r e . "
A new crossw ord p u zzle book!
ANNE.
I t i s n ' t new.
Where d id you ev er g e t i t ?
I t ' s one t h a t y o u 'v e done.
B ut I rubbed i t a l l
out and i f you w a it a l i t t l e and f o r g e t , you can do i t a l l over a g a in .
MARGOT.
I t ’ s w o n d e rfu l, Anne. Thank you.4 You'd n ev er know i t w a s n 't
new.
ANNE.
M rs. Van Daan.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
T his i s a w f u l . . . . I h a v e n 't a n y th in g f o r a n y o n e . . . . I
n e v er t h o u g h t . . . .
MR. FRANK.
T his i s a l l A nne's i d e a .
1.
Anne s te p s D.L. and g iv e s Mr. V.D. h is p re s e n t
2.
Anne x U. and R. between Margot and Mr. F.
3.
Anne x L. to Mrs. F. th e n back R. to R. o f Mr..F
135
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
What i s i t ?
I t ' s h a i r shampoo.
I took a l l th e odds and ends o f soap and
mixed them w ith th e l a s t o f my t o i l e t w a te r .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Oh, Anneke!1
I wanted to w r ite a poem f o r a l l of them, bu t I d i d n ' t have tim e .
Y ours, Mr. Van Daan, i s r e a l l y som ething2....s o m e t h i n g you want more
th a n a n y th in g .
MR. VAN DAAN.
Look!
C ig a r e t t e s !
C i g a r e tte s !
ANNE.
Two o f them!
lin in g
of h i s c o a t . . . . a n d we made t h e m . . . . o r r a t h e r , Pim d i d .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Pim found some old p ip e to b acco i n th e pocket
Let me s e e . . . . W e l l , look a t t h a t ! L ig h t i t , P u t t i !
L ight i t .
ANNE.
I t ' s to b a c c o , r e a l l y i t i s !
T h e re 's a l i t t l e f l u f f i n i t , b u t
n o t much.
PETER.
I t works!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Look a t him .
Thank you, Anne.
Thank you.3
For M other, Hanukkah g r e e t i n g .
MRS. FRANK.
"H ere’ s an I.O .U . t h a t I promise to p ay .
Ten h o u rs of doing w hatever you s a y .
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
S igned, Anne F ran k ."
Ten house o f doing what y o u 'r e to l d ? Anything y o u ’r e to ld ?
T h a t's r i g h t .
MR. DUSSEL.
You w o u ld n 't li k e t o s e l l t h a t , M rs. Frank?
MRS. FRANK.
Never!
This i s th e most p re c io u s g i f t I 'v e ev er had!
1.
Mr. F. stand.
2.
Mr. F. s i t
Anne x D.S. on R. o f t a b l e t o P e te r
P e te r stan d and bow th e n s i t
3.
Anne move U.S. between Margot and Duss.
4.
P e te r stan d and x t o h i s room and sto p a t doo r
Anne moves U. to R. co rn e r o f t a b l e
137
AME.
For Pim.1
MR. FRANK.
Ann e k e . . . . I w a s n 't supposed t o have a p r e s e n !
ANNE.
I t ' s a m u f f l e r . . . . t o p u t around your n e ck . . . . l i k e an A scot, you
know.
I made i t m yself o u t of odds and e n d s . . . . I k n i t t e d i t i n th e
dark each n i g h t , a f t e r I ' d gone t o b e d . I ’m a f r a i d i t looks b e t t e r in
th e d ark !
MR. FRANK.
AME.
PETER.
ANNE.
I t 's fin e .
I t f i t s me p e r f e c t l y .
Thank you, Anneke.2
T h a t's f o r Mouschi.
On b e h a l f o f Mousch i , I thank you.
A n e . . . . t h i s i s y o u r s . . . . f r o m M rs. Quack Quack.3 W e l l . . . . o p e n i t . . . .
A r e n 't you going t o open i t ?
PETER.
ANNE.
I 'm scared t o .
No.
I t ’ s n o th in g l i k e t h a t , r e a l l y .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Go on.
Show i t .
A what?
A ra z o r!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
What i s i t , P e te r?
I t ' s a s a fe ty ra z o r!
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
I know so m eth in g 's going t o jump out and h i t me.
You d i d n ' t make t h a t ou t o f odds and e n d s.
Miep g ot i t f o r me.
I t ' s n o t new.
I t ’ s second h and.
But you
r e a l l y do need a r a z o r now.
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
For what?
Look on h i s upper l i p . . . . y o u can see the beg in n in g o f a m oustache.
MR. DUSSEL.
He w ants to g e t r i d o f th a t?
l e t th e c a t l i c k i t o f f . 4
PETER.
Think y o u 'r e funny, d o n 't you?
P ut a l i t t l e m ilk on i t and
1.
P e t e r e x i t s i n t o h i s room
2.
Anne x D. to S. o f Mr. B uss.
Mr. B u ss. s ta n d and s te p behind c h a i r
3.
Anne x U.R. o f Mr. F .
4.
Anne x D. to Mr. B u ss. and th e y b o th s tr u g g le w ith e a r p lu gs
5.
Mr. B u ss. x U.S. o f t a b l e to door o f Anne’ s room
6.
Anne x t o Mr. Du s s .
7.
Anne s i t
's
ch a i r
139
MR. DUSSEL.
PETER.
M ouschi, Mousohi, Mousohi.
For me?
You have something f o r me?
I made them m y s e lf.3
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
H e's going i n t o t r y i t !
And l a s t b u t n sv er l e a s t , my roommate, Mr. D u ss e l.2
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
He c a n 't w a it!
I 'm going i n t o g iv e Mousohi h i s p r e s e n t! 1
MR. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Look!
C ap su le s!
Two c a p s u le s !
They’r e e a r - p l u g s !
MR. DUSSEL.
E a r-p lu g s?
ANNE. To p u t in your e a r s so you w o n 't h ear me when I th r a s h around a t
n ig h t.
I saw them a d v e r tis e d in a m agazine.
I made them o u t o f c o tto n and candle wax.
T h ey 're n o t r e a l o n e s . . . .
Try t h e m .. . .S e e i f th e y d o n 't
w o r k . . . . s e e i f you can h e a r me t a l k . . . .
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
Are you ready?
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
Wait now u n t i l I g e t them i n . . . . s o .
Huh?
Are you ready?
MR. DUSSEL.
Good God!
They've gone i n s i d e ! 4 I c a n ' t g e t them o u t!
Thank you, Anne!5 Thank you!
THE GROUP
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
A r e a l Hannukkah!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
o f her?
I d o n 't know when she d id
And now l e t ' s have th e song.
MARGOT.
i
t
W asn't i t c u te
I love
. my p r e s e n t . 6
F a t h e r . . . . p l e a s e . . . . H a v e you
h e ard t h e Hanukkah song, Mr . D ussel?7 The song i s t h e whole th in g !
Hanukkah, Oh, Hannukkah.
A sweet c e l e b r a t i o n . . . . "
"Oh,
1P
. e te r e n t e r from h i s room w ith bundle under h is c o a t and p la y in g
w ith th e t a s s l e and r ib b o n
2Mr.
.
Duss. x C. t o U.R. o f Mr. F.
Mr. V.D. stan d
P
.3 e te r p u l l to w e l from under c oat
4Mr.
.
Duss. x L. to Anne’ s door
5Mr.
.
D uss. e x i t i n t o Anne’ s room and ta k e s p i l l s and l i e s down
6Mr.
.
V.D. s i t
7P
. e te r sto p in C. a s te p
Anne k n e e l in c h a i r and le a n on t a b l e
141
MR. FRANK.
I ’m a f r a i d , Anne, we s h o u ld n 't s in g t h a t song t o n i g h t .
I t ’ s a song o f j u b i l a t i o n , o f r e j o i c i n g .
One i s a p t t o become to o
e n th u sia stic .
ANNE.
Oh, p l e a s e , p l e a s e .
L e t 's s in g th e s ong .
I p ro m ist n o t to
s h o u t! 1
MR. FRANK.
V ery w e l l .
But q u i e t l y n o w . . . . I ' l l keep an eye on you
and w h e n . . . . 2
MR. DUSSEL.
Y o u ....Y o u !
MR. VAN DAAN.
Eow many t i m e s . . . . I t o l d y o u . . . . O u t !
Wh a t ' s th e m a tte r w ith you?
Out!
Haven’t you any sense?
Get t h a t c a t o u t o f h e r e .
PETER.
Cat?
MR. VAN DAAN.
PETER.
You h eard me.
Get i t o ut o f h e re !3
I have no c a t . 4
MR. DUSSEL.
I t d o e s n 't need to be th e c a t . . . . h i s c lo th e s are enough
. ...w h e n he comes o u t o f t h a t r o o m . . . .
MR. VAN DAAN.
D o n 't w o rry .
You w o n 't be b o th e re d any more.
We're
g e ttin g r id o f i t .
MR. DUSSEL.
At l a s t you l i s t e n to me.5
MR. VAN DAAN.
a l l of i t !
I'm n o t doing i t f o r you.
T h a t's a l l i n your m i n d . . . .
I ’m doing i t because I ’m s ic k o f se e in g t h a t c a t e a t a l l
our fo o d .6
PETER.
T h a t’ s n o t t r u e !
MR. VAN DAAN.
I o n ly give him b o n e s . . . . s c r a p s . . . .
D o n 't t e l l me!
looks b e t t e r th a n any o f u s .
PETER.
No!
No!7
He g e ts f a t t e r ev ery day!
Out he goes t o n i g h t !
Damn c a t
1.
Anne s i t s back i n c h a ir
2.
P e te r e x i t s in to h i s room R.
3.
Mr. F. stan d s
4.
Sound cue—c ra s h from o f f i ce d o w n stairs
A ll fr e e z e f o r two co u n ts th e n
Mr. F . ta k e s o f f shoes and x to door U.R.
Mrs. F. ta k e s o f f shoes and x t o k itc h e n and tu r n s o f f l i g h t
P e te r opens door t o h i s room and looks out
Mr. F. m otions P e te r to t u r n o f f C. l i g h t
P e te r x D.L. t o h i s s t o o l , c a r r i e s i t t o C.S . and s ta n d s on i t
P e te r lo s e s b alance and f a l l s to f l o o r
Sound cue—f o o t s t e p s ru n n in g and door slamming
Mr. Duss. stan d and x to door o f A nne's room
Mr. V.D. stand
5.
P e te r p ic k up s t o o l and x to so fa
Mr. V.D. x U.R. to Mr. F.
Anne stan d behind h e r c h a i r
6.
Mrs. V.D. stan d
7.
Mr. F . x C.
8.
Mr. V.D. x t o Mr. F .
143
ANNE.
Mr. Van Daan, you c a n ' t do t h a t !
T h a t 's P e t e r ' s c a t .
P e te r
loves t h a t c a t .
MRS. FRANK.
PETER.
Anne.1
I f he goes, I go.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Go!
Go!2
You’r e n o t going and th e c a t ' s n o t going!
Now
p l e a s e . . . . t h i s i s H a n u k k a h ! ....Ha n u k k a h ! . . . . t h i s i s th e tim e t o
c e l e b r a t e ! . . . . w h a t ' s th e m a tte r w ith a l l o f you?
Come on, Anne!
L e t ' s have th e song!
ANNE.
"Oh, Hanukkah, Oh, Hanukkah.
The sweet c e l e b r a t i o n . " 3
MR. FRANK.
I th in k we should f i r s t blow out t h e c a n d le . . . .th e n w e 'l l
have something f o r tomorrow n i g h t .
MARGOT.
But, F a th e r , y o u ’r e supposed t o l e t them bu rn them selves
o u t.
MR. FRANK.
I ’m sure t h a t God u n d e rs ta n d s s h o r ta g e s .
" P ra is e d be
Thou, oh Lord our God, who h a s t s u s ta in e d us and p e rm itte d us to
c e l e b r a t e t h i s joyous f e s t i v a l . "
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
No.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
Amen.4
God A lmighty!5 Do you h e a r an y th in g ?
I th in k t h e y ’ve gone.6
I t ’ s th e Green P o li c e !
They've found us!7
I f th e y had, th e y w o u ld n 't have l e f t .
They'd be up
h ere by now.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
h e lp .
I know i t ' s t h e Green P o li c e !
T h a t 's a l l .
T h e y 'l l be back!8
They've gone t o g e t
1.
M rs. V.D. move U.L. o f t a b l e
2.
Anne dro p s to h e r knees and c r i e s
Mrs. F. x D.S. to Anne
Mr. F. x to door U.R.
3.
Margot x U.C. to k itc h e n
Mr. V.D. s to p s Margot
4.
Mr. F. x t o Mr. V.D.
5.
Margot x U.C. to sin k
Mr. F . x back to door U.R.
6.
Margot x D.R. t o Mr. F.
7.
Mr. F . e x i t
8.
Margot x to R. o f Mrs. F.
9.
Mrs. V.D. x to Mr. V.D.
10.
Mr. V.D. push Mrs. V.D. t o s o fa
145
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
Or i t may have been th e G estapo, looking f o r p a p e r s . . . .
Or a t h i e f , look ing f o r money.1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
We’ve got t o do s o m e th in g .. . .Q uick!
Quick!
Before
th e y come b a ck .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
There i s n ' t a n y th in g t o d o . J u s t w a i t . 2
Get some w a te r , p l e a s e .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
No.
No.
Get some w a te r .3
No o n e 's going to ru n w a te r!4
I f th e y 'v e found u s , t h e y 'v e found u s .
Get th e w a te r .
I'm going down.6
MARGOT.
No, F a th e r , no!
There may be someone t h e r e , w a i t i n g . . . . . I t
may be a t r a p !
MR. FRANK.
This i s S a tu rd a y .
There i s no way fo r us t o know what
has happened u n t i l Miep o r M r. K ra le r come on Monday m orning.
We
cannot l i v e w ith t h i s u n c e r t a i n t y .
MARGOT.
D o n 't go, F a th e r!7
MRS. FRANK.
Hush, d a r l i n g , h u s h .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Shush!
M argot!
S ta y c lo s e to me.
Shush!8
P u t t i , w h e re 's our money?
Get our money.
you can buy th e Green P o lic e o f f , so much a h e a d .
I h e ar
Go u p s t a i r s , q u ick !
Get t h e money!
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
camp?
Keep s t i l l ! 9
Do you want t o be dragged o f f to a c o n c e n tra tio n
Are you going to stan d t h e r e and w a it f o r them t o come up and
get you?
Do som ething, I t e l l you!1
0
MR. VAN DAAN.
W ill you keep s t i l l !
1P
. e te r stan d and x t o door U.R.
2Mr.
.
V.D. s to p him and send him back to so fa
3Mr.
.
F . e n t e r from door U.R.
Anne ru n t o him
4Mr.
.
V.D. pace in a re a U.S. o f t a b l e
Mr. F. and Anne x D.C. t h r e e s te p s
5Margot
.
x U. to D.R. c o rn e r o f k itc h e n and t u r n on l i g h t s
6Mr.
.
Duss. e n t e r from Anne's door and x to U.R. o f ta b le
7Mr.
.
F. x to Duss.
Mr. Duss x to P e te r
Mrs. F . x U. t o Margot
8Mrs.
.
V.D. stan d and back to Mr. D uss. U.L. t h r e e s te p s
9M
. rs. V.D. x D.L. around t a b l e and U. to her c h a ir
Mr. Duss. s t a r t s t o fo llo w Mrs. V.D.
P e te r sta n d and push D uss. U.S. ag ain
P e te r x D.L, to below Mrs. V.D.
147
ANNE.
Someone go a f t e r F a t h e r !
PETER.
Make F a th e r come back!1
I ’ l l g o .2
MR. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
Haven’t you done enough?
P le a s e , p l e a s e , Mr. Van Daan.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
Q u iet!
Q u ie t!
"I l i f t up mine eyes unto th e m o un tain s, from whence
cometh my h e l p .
e a rth .
Get F a th e r.
My h e lp cometh from th e Lord who made heaven and
He w i l l n o t s u f f e r th y f o o t to be m o v ed ....H e t h a t k e e p e th
th e e w i l l n o t s l u m b e r . . . . " 3
MR. FRANK.
I t was a t h i e f .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
That n o is e must have sca re d him away.
Thank God.4
He took th e c a s h b o x .
And the r a d i o .
He ra n away in such
a h u rry t h a t he d i d n ' t sto p t o shut th e s t r e e t d o o r. I t was swinging
wide
open.
MARGOT.
I th i n k i t ' d be good to have some l i g h t .
Are you su re i t ' s a l l r i g h t ? 5
MR. FRANK.
The danger has p a s s e d .
D o n 't be so t e r r i f i e d , Anne.
W e're s a f e . 6
MR. DUSSEL.
Who says th e danger has passed?
D o n 't you r e a l i z e
we a re i n g r e a t e r danger th a n ev er?
MR. FRANK.
MR. DUSSEL.
Mr. D u sse l, w i l l you be s t i l l ! 7
Thanks to t h i s clumsy f o o l , t h e r e ' s someone now who
knows w e 're up h e r e !
MRS.
VAN DAAN.
one?
A th ie f!
Someone now knows w e 're up h e r e , h id in g !8
Someone knows w e 'r e h e r e , y e s .
A th ie f!
But who i s th e some­
You th in k a t h i e f i s going t o go t o th e
Green P o lic e and s a y . . . . I was ro b b in g a p la c e t h e o th e r n ig h t and I
heard a n o is e up over my head?9 You t h i n k a t h i e f i s going to do t h a t ?
1Mr.
.
F . x to h i s c h a i r U.S. o f t a b l e and s i t s
Mr. Duss. x to R . o f h i s c h a i r
2Mr.
.
D uss. s i t s
Mr. V.D. x t o L. o f t a b l e and s i t a t h is p la c e
3Anne
.
x to R. o f Mr. F.
Margot fo llo w s Anne
Margot and Anne s i t i n M arg o t's c h a i r
M
.5 rs. F. x D.L. t o h e r c h a ir
Mrs.
.6
F. s i t s
Mr. F. sta n d s
7Anne
.
stan d s
Margot and Mrs. F. stan d
9P
. e te r and Mrs. V.D. stan d
.10Mr. V.D. s ta n d s
149
MR. DUSSEL.
Yes,
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
I th in k he w i l l .
You’r e c ra z y !1
I t h i n k some day h e ’ l l be caught andth e n h e ’ l l
make
a
b a rg a in w ith th e Green P o l i c e . . . . i f t h e y ’ l l l e t him o f f , h e ' l l t e l l
them where some Jews are h id in g ! 2
MR. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
H e's r i g h t ! 3
F a th e r , l e t ' s g e t out o f h e re !
We c a n ' t s ta y here n o w . . . .
le t's g o ....4
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
Go!
Yes.
Where?5
Where?6
Have we l o s t a l l f a i t h ? A ll courage? A moment ago
th o u g h t t h a t t h e y 'd come f o r u s .
i t w a s n 't th e end.
We were sure i t was th e end.
"We're a l i v e , s a f e .
we
But
We thank Thee, Oh Lord our
God, t h a t in Thy i n f i n i t e mercy Thou h a s t a g ain seen f i t to sp a re u s .
Come on, Anne.
The Song!
The song!7
ANNE.
"Oh, Hanukkah!
Oh, Hanukkah1
The sweet c e l e b r a t i o n . . . . " 8
GROUP.
"Around th e f e a s t we g a th e r
In complete j u b i l a t i o n . 9
H ap piest of seasons
Now i s h e r e .
Many a re th e re a so n s f o r good c h e e r ." 01
T ogether
1.
Margot s t e p D .S . and h e lp Mr. D uss. t o h i s f e e t
Mr. Duss.and Margot s te p U.S. t o R. o f Anne
2.
C u rta in down
151
W e 'll w eath er1
Whatever tomorrow may b r i n g . ”
"So h e ar us r e j o i c i n g
And m e r r i l y v o ic in g
The Hanukkah song t h a t we sin g
Hoy."
"Hear us r e j o i c i n g
And m e r r i l y v o ic in g
The Hanuklcah song t h a t we sing.2"
1.
C u rta in up
2.
L ig h ts up
Mr. D uss. i n A nne's room
M rs. F . i n k itc h e n
Mr. F. s e a te d i n c h a ir U.L.
Margot r e c l i n i n g o f so fa
Anne s e a te d in c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
P e te r in h i s room
3.
Sound cue—bu zzer
Mr. F . stan d and x to do o r U.R.
4.
M rs. F. x L. to p la tfo rm th e n x D. R. a s te p
P e te r stan d and x t o door
Anne stan d and x D.S. o f the t a b l e t o th e D.L. c o rn e r o f th e
room
5.
Miep e n t e r and x t o Anne
Mr. K r a le r e n te r
6.
Mr. K r a le r x t o M rs. F.
Mrs. F . x U.C. t o k itc h e n
Mr. K ra le r x R. t o P e te r
7.
Miep x R. t o Margot and s i t on so fa
Anne fo llo w Miep and s i t on f l o o r L. o f s o fa
153
ACT I I - Scene 1
ANNE’S VOICE.
S a tu rd a y , th e f i r s t o f Jan u a ry , n in e te e n f o r t y - f o u r .
Another new y e a r has begun and we f in d o u rs e lv e s s t i l l i n our h id in g
p la c e .
We have been here now f o r one y e a r , f i v e months, and tw e n ty -
fiv e days.
I t seems t h a t our l i f e i s a t a s t a n d s t i l l .
l i t t l e th in n e r.
The Van Daans, " d is c u s s io n s " ar e as v i o l e n t as e v e r .
Mother s t i l l does n o t u n d e rsta n d me.
e ith e r.
We are a l l a
But th e n I d o n 't u n derstand h e r
There i s one g r e a t change, however.
A change i n m y s e lf.
I
re a d somewhere t h a t g i r l s o f my age d o n 't f e e l q u ite c e r t a i n of
th e m s e lv e s .
That th e y become q u i e t w ith in and b eg in to t h i n k o f t h e
m ira c le t h a t i s ta k in g p la c e i n t h e i r b o d ie s .1
I th in k t h a t what i s
happening t o me i s so w o n d e r f u l.. . . n o t only what can be see n , but
what i s ta k in g p la c e i n s i d e . 2 Each tim e i t has happened I have a f e e l i n g
t h a t I have a . . . . s w e e t s e c r e t .
And i n s p i t e o f my p a in , I long f o r
th e tim e when I s h a l l f e e l t h a t s e c r e t w ith in me a g a i n . 3
MR. FRANK.
MRS. FRANK.
I t ’ s Miep!4
Wake up, everyone!
Mie p i s h e re !5 M i e p . . . .and Mr.
K r a l e r . . . .what a d e l i g h t f u l s u r p r i s e !
MR. KRALER.
We came to b r in g you New Y e ar’ s g r e e t i n g s . 6
MRS. FRANK.
You s h o u l d n 't . . . .you should have a t l e a s t one day to
y o u r s e lv e s .
ANNE.
D o n 't say t h a t , i t ' s so w onderful t o see them.
I can sm ell
th e wind and th e c o ld on your c l o t h e s .
MIEP.
MARGOT.
There you a r e . 7 How a re you, M a rg o t? .. . .F e e lin g any b e t t e r ?
I 'm a l l r i g h t .
1.
Mr. and Mrs. V.D. e n te r door L. i n k itc h e n
2.
M rs. V.D. move o f f p la tf o r m and x D.C. t o f r o n t o f k i tc h e n
Mr. K ra le r x to Mrs. V.D.
3.
P e te r x D. t o U.L. of Miep
4.
P e te r x L. t o c h a i r L. o f t a b l e and s i t
Mr. F . e n te r and x to U.C. o f t a b le
Mrs. F . x D .S. t o Mr. F.
5.
Mr. V.D. move o f f p la tfo rm t o k itc h e n
6.
Mrs. V.D. x D. to Mrs. F.
Mr. F . x L. t o Mr. K ra le r
Mr. Duss. stan d and x t o door o f A nne's room
7.
Mrs. F. x U.C. t o k itc h e n
8.
Mr. Duss. e n t e r main room
Miep and Mr. K ra le r x to Mr. D uss.
9.
Mr. V.D. x D. to R. of M rs. V.D.
10.
P e te r stan d and x U.R. t o k i tc h e n
Miep x D .S. t o c h a i r D.L. and s i t
11.
Mr. K ra le r move to c h a i r U.L. and s i t
12.
Mr. F. x D. between Mr. D uss. and Mr. K ra le r
155
ANNE.
We f i l l e d h e r f u l l o f e v e ry k in d o f p i l l so she w o n 't cough
and make a n o i s e . 1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. KRALER.
PETER.
W ell, h e l l o , M iep.
Mr. Kr a l e r . 2
With my hope f o r peace i n th e New Ye a r . 3
Miep, have you seen Mouschi?
Have you seen him anywhere
around?
MIEP.
I'm s o r r y , P e t e r .
th e y seen a grey c a t .
MR. FRANK.
I asked everyone i n th e neighborhood had
But th e y s a id n o . 4
Look what M iep’ s b ro u g h t f o r u s !
MRS. FRANK.
A cake!
MR. VAN DAAN.
A cake!
MRS. FRANK.Thank
I ' l l g e t some p l a t e s . 5
you, M ie p ia .
You s h o u l d n 't have done i t .
You
must have used a l l o f your sugar r a t i o n f o r w eeks.6 I t ' s b e a u t i f u l ,
i s n 't it? 7
MRS. VAN DAAN.
I t ’ s been ages sin ce I even saw a c a k e .
you brought us one l a s t y e a r .
Remember?
gave us one on New Y e a r's Day?
Not sin c e
D o n 't you remember, you
J u s t t h i s tim e l a s t y e a r?
I ’ l l never
f o r g e t i t because you had "Peace in n i n e t e e n - f o r t y - t h r e e " on i t .
"Peace in n i n e t e e n - f o r t y - f o u r " !
MIEP.
W ell, i t has t o come sometime, you know.8 He l l o , Mr. D u s s e l.
MR. KRALER.
How a re you?9
MR. VAN DAAN.
MIEP.
H e re 's th e k n i f e , l i e f j e .
None f o r me, than k you.11
MR. KRALER.
MR. FRANK.
No, t h a n k s . 12
Oh, p l e a s e . You m ust.
Now, how many of us a re t h e r e 01?
1.
Mr. D uss. x t o Mr. V.D.
2.
Anne stand
3.
Mrs. F. x D.L. to U.L. o f t a b l e
4.
Mr. D uss. s to p Mrs. V.D. from c u t t i n g th e cake
5.
Mr. F. x U.R. t o k itc h e n
6.
M rs. V.D. advances L. to D uss.
7.
Mrs. V.D. x back to cake
8.
Mr. V.D. x t o Mr. Duss.
9.
Mr. F . s te p D.C. between Mr.
10.
Mr.
V.D. and Mr. Duss.
F . s i t s in c h a i r L. o f t a b l e
Mrs. F . x D. to U.L. o f t a b l e
157
MIEP.
I c o u ld n ’t .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
Good!
E ig h t!
MR. VAN DAAN.
That le a v e s o n e. . . . t w o . . . . t h r e e . . ..s e v e n o f u s .1
E ig h t!
I t ’ s th e same number as i t always i s !
I l e f t M argot o u t.
I ta k e i t f o r g ra n te d Margot won’t
e a t any.2
ANNE.
Why w ouldn’t she?3
MRS. PRANK.
I th in k i t won’t harm h e r .
MR. VAN DAAN.
A ll r i g h t !
A ll r i g h t !
I j u s t d id n ’t want h e r to
s t a r t coughing a g a in , t h a t ’s a l l . 4
MR. DUSSEL.
And p le a s e , M rs. Frank should c u t th e c ak e .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
What’ s th e d i f ­
I t ' s n o t Mrs.
F ran k ’s cake, i s i t , Miep?
fe re n c e ?
I t 's
fo r a l l of u s .5
MR. DUSSEL.
M rs. Frank d iv id e s th in g s b e t t e r .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
What a re you
w a stin g tim e .6
tr y i n g t o say?
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Oh, come on, Stop
D o n 't I always give everybody e x a c tly th e same?
Don’t I?
MR. VAN DAAN.
F o rg e t i t , K e r l i .
MRS.. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
No.
Yes.
I want an answ er.
Yes.
D o n 't I?
Everybody g e ts e x a c t l y th e same7
.....e x c e p t
Mr. Van Daan always g e ts a l i t t l e b i t m o re .8
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
to us?
T h a t’ s a l i e !
She alw ays c u ts t h e same.9
P le a s e , p le a s e ! 10 You see what a l i t t l e sugar cake does
I t goes r i g h t t o our h e a d s .
1.
Mrs. V.D. x U.R. t o door
Anne x to t a b l e and ta k e t e a t o Margot and M rs. V.D.
2.
P e te r x D.S. to Miep
Mr. Duss. x R. and s i t on U.S. end o f so fa
Mr. V.D. x U.R. o f Mr. Duss.
3.
P e t e r s t a r t t o x t o Mr. D uss.
Mr. P . s to p P e te r
P e te r x U.S. t o p la tfo r m
4.
M rs. F . x R. to Margot and Mr. Duss. then x back t o U.C. of
t a b l e and s i t
5.
Miep and Mr. K ra le r stan d
Mr. F. stan d and x t o door U.R.
6.
Miep x U.R. tow ard door
Anne x D.L. and s to p Miep
7.
Miep x to door U.R.
8.
Mr. V.D. s te p U.L. t o Miep th e n x U.L. to k i t c h e n , up p la tfo r m
and e x i t door L. in k itc h e n
9.
M rs. V.D. fo llo w Mr. V.D. out
10.
Anne x U .S. t o R. o f p la tfo r m
11.
P e te r s t e p toward Mr. Duss.
159
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
MIEP.
Here you a r e , M rs. F rank. 1
Thank you.
Are you su re you w o n 't have some?
No, r e a l l y , I have t o go i n a m in u te .2
PETER.
Maybe Mouschi went back t o our h o u s e . . . .th e y say t h a t c a ts
Do you e v e r g e t over t h e r e . . . . ?
MIEP.
I ' l l tr y , P e te r.
I m e a n ....d o you suppose you c o u l d . ...?
The f i r s t m inute I g e t I ' l l t r y .
But I'm
a f r a i d , w ith him gone a w e e k . . . .
MR. DUSSEL.
Make up your mind, a lr e a d y someone has had a n ic e b ig
d in n e r from t h a t c a t !3
MRS. FRANK.
This i s d e l i c i o u s , Miep!4
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
D e lic io u s !
D ir k ’ s i n luck t o g e t a g i r l who can ta k e l ik e t h i s !
MIEP.
I have t o r u n .5 D ir k ’ s ta k in g me t o a p a r t y t o n i g h t . 6
ANNE.
How h eav en ly !
Remember now what everyone i s w e arin g , and what
you have to e a t and e v e r y th in g , so you can t e l l us to m o rro w .7
MIEP.
I ’ l l g iv e you a f u l l r e p o r t !
MR. VAN DAAN.
J u s t a m in u te .
Good-bye, ev ery o n e.8
T h e re 's something I ' d l i k e you to do
f o r me.9
MRS. VAN DAAN.
P u t t i , where a re you going?
Wh a t do you want?
P u t t i , what a re you going t o do?
MIEP.
PETER.
W hat's wrong?1 0
F a th e r says h e 's going t o s e l l her f u r c o a t .
S h e 's c ra z y
about t h a t old f u r c o a t .
MR. DUSSEL.
Is i t p o s s ib le ?
I s i t p o s s ib le t h a t anyone i s so s i l l y
as to worry about a fu r c o a t i n tim e s lik e t h i s ? 1
1.
Mr. F. x t o P e t e r
P e te r x U. t o p la tfo r m
2.
Mr. V.D. e n t e r s door L. i n k itc h e n and x to Miep
Mr. F . x back t o door U.R.
Mrs. V.D. e n te r s door L. i n k itc h e n and k n e e ls on p la tfo rm
Anne x t o Mr . K ra le r
3.
Miep e x i t s door U.R.
Mr. F. fo llo w s Miep
Mrs. V.D. stan d and move i n t o k i t c h e n
4.
M rs. F. sta n d and x t o Anne
5.
Mr. V.D. x D.L. to U.C. o f t a b l e
6.
Mr. K raler x R. and s i t in c h a i r L. o f t a b l e
7.
Mr. V.D. pace in a r e a U.R. o f t a b l e
Mr. Duss. stan d x to t a b l e ta k e t e a and x U.L. to p la tfo rm
Mrs. F. x t o t a b l e , th e n ta k e s t e a U.L. t o P e te r
8.
Mr. F . e n te r s door U.R. and x to U.R. o f t a b l e
161
PETER.
I t ' s none o f your d a rn b u s i n e s s . . . . a n d i f you say one more
t h i n g . . . . I ' l l — I ' l l ta k e you and I ' l l . . . . I mean i t . . . . I ' 1 1 . . . . 1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
I t ’ s m ine!
No!
No!
No!
D o n 't you d a re ta k e t h a t !
My f a t h e r gave me t h a t !
have no r i g h t .
MR. VAN DAAN.
You h ear?
You d i d n ' t give i t t o me.2 You
Let go o f i t . . . . y o u hear?
J u s t a l i t t l e —d is c u s s io n over th e a d v i s a b i l i t y of
s e llin g th is co at.
As I have o f te n reminded M rs. Van Daan, i t ' s
v e r y s e l f i s h o f h e r t o keep i t when people o u ts id e a re i n such d e s ­
p e r a te need o f c l o t h i n g . . . .So i f you w i l l p le a s e t o s e l l i t f o r us?
I t should f e t c h a good p r i c e .
a re tte s?
MIEP.
try .
And by th e way, w i l l you g e t me c i g ­
I d o n 't c a re what k in d th e y a r e . . . . g e t a l l you c an .
I t ' s t e r r i b l y d i f f i c u l t to g e t them, Mr. Van Daan. But I ' l l
Good-bye.
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
Good-bye.
Good-bye, Miep.3
MRS. FRANK.
Are you su re you won’t have some c ak e, Mr. K ra le r? 4
MR. KRALER.
I ' d b e t t e r n o t.5
MR. VAN DAAN.
Y ou're s t i l l f e e l i n g badly?
MR. KRALER.
I h a v e n 't been t o him.
MRS. FRANK.
Now, Mr. K r a l e r ! . . . . 7
MR. KRALER,
Oh, I t r i e d .
d a y s . . . . t h e y ' r e so b u sy .
on th e te le p h o n e .
f e e l i n g v ery w e l l .
What does th e d o c to r say?6
But you c a n ' t g e t n e a r a d o c to r th e s e
A fte r weeks I f i n a l l y managed t o g e t one
I t o l d him I ' d l i k e an a p p o i n t m e n t . . . . I w a s n 't
You know what he a n s w e r s . . . . o v e r th e te le p h o n e
. . . . S t i c k out your tongue!8
I have some c o n t r a c t s h e r e . . . . I wonder i f
1.
Mr. K r a le r stand
Mrs. V.D. x D.L.
2.
Mr. F. s t a r t f o r door U.R.
Mr. K ra le r s t a r t s to fo llo w Mr. F . , s to p s and t u r n s to Mrs. R.
Anne s i t c h a i r L. o f t a b le
3.
Mr. K raler x D.R. t o Margot
4.
Mr. F. x D.L. t o U.C. o f t a b l e
Mrs. F. x to Margot and s i t on s o fa
Mrs. V.D. s i t in c h a i r U.L.
5.
Mr. F. s i t U.C. o f t a b l e
6.
Mr. K ra le r x to R. of t a b l e —d u rin g h i s s t o r y he works to U.L.
o f Mr. F.
163
y o u ’ d l o o k o v e r th e m w i t h m e . . . . 1
MR. FRANK.
O f c o u rs e .
MR. KRALER.
I f we c o u l d go d o w n s t a i r s .2 . . . W i l l y o u f o r g i v e
us?
I
w o n ’ t ke e p h im b u t a m i n u t e .
MARGOT.
W h a t 's happe ned?
S o m e t h i n g 's h a p p e n e d !
Hasn’ t
it,
M r.
K r a le r? 3
MR. KRALER.
MARGOT.
N o, r e a l l y .
I want your fa th e r 's
S o m e t h in g ’ s gone w r o n g !
MR. FRANK.
If
a d v ic e .
I know i t ! 4
i t ’ s s o m e th in g t h a t c o n c e r n s us h e r e ,
i t ’ s b e tte r th a t
we a l l h e a r i t .
MR. KRALER.
MR. FRANK.
B u t....th e
c h ild re n ....? 5
Wh a t t h e y ’ d i m a g in e w o u ld be w o r s e t h a n a n y r e a l i t y . 6
MR. KRALER.
I t ’ s a man i n t h e
n o t y o u rem em ber h i m . . . . C a r l ,
s to re ro o m .. . . I don’ t
about f i f t y ,
know w h e th e r o r
h e a v y -s e t, n e a r - s ig h te d ....
H
ecame w i t h us j u s t b e f o r e y o u l e f t .
MR. FRANK.
He was f r o m U t r e c h t ?
MR. KRALER.
th e
T h a t ’ s t h e m an.
A c o u p le
o f w eeks a g o , w hen I was i n
s t o r e r o o m , he c l o s e d t h e d o o r and a s k e d m e . . . . H o w ’ s M r . F r a n k ?
W hat do y o u h e a r f r o m M r . F r a n k ?
ru m o r t h a t y o u w e re i n
to o ,
to ld
S w itz e rla n d .
h im I
o n l y knew t h e r e was a
He s a i d h e ’ d h e a r d t h a t r u m o r
b u t he t h o u g h t I m i g h t know s o m e th in g m o r e .
a tte n tio n to
some i n v o i c e s
th e m ,
I
I
I d id n ’ t
pay any
i t . . . . b u t t h e n a t h i n g happe ned y e s t e r d a y . . . . H e ’ d b r o u g h t
to th e o f f ic e
lo o k e d u p .
f o r me t o
He was s t a n d i n g
bookcase t h a t h id e s y o u r d o o r .
s ig n .
As I was g o i n g t h r o u g h
s ta rin g
a t th e b o o k c a s e .. . .th e
He s a i d he t h o u g h t he rem em bered a d o o r
1.
Mr. V.D. s te p D.S. a s te p
2.
Mr. V.D. move D .S. a few s te p s
3.
Mr. D uss. x D. to L. o f Mr. F.
Mr. K ra le r x between Mr. V.D. and Mr. F.
4.
Mr. Duss. x t o Mr. K ra le r
5.
Mr. Duss. x back to L. o f Mr. F.
6.
Mr. K ra le r x D.R. a few s te p s toward M rs. F.
165
t h e r e . . . .w asn ’t t h e r e a door th e r e t h a t used to go up to th e l o f t ?
Then he t o l d me he wanted more money.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. FRANK.
B la ck m a il!
Twenty g u ild e r s ?
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
Very modest b la c k m a il.2
T h a t’s j u s t th e b e g i n n i n g . 3
You know what I th in k ?
th e re th a t n ig h t.
MR. FRANK.
He was th e t h i e f who was down
T h a t’ s how he knows we’r e h e r e .
How was i t l e f t ?
MR. KRALER.
Twenty g u ild e r s more a week. 1
What d id you t e l l him?
I s a id I had to t h i n k about i t .
What s h a l l I do?
him th e money?.. ..T ak e a chance on f i r i n g h i m . . . . or what?
Pay
I d o n 't
know.
MR. DUSSEL.
For God's sake d o n 't f i r e him.4 Pay him what he a s k s . . . .
keep him h ere where you can have your eye on him.
MR. FRANK.
Is i t so much t h a t h e 's ask in g ?
What a re th e y paying
nowadays?
MR.
KRALER.
p la n t.
He could g e t i t in a war p l a n t .
But t h i s i s n ' t a war
Mind you, I d o n 't know i f he r e a l l y k n o w s . . . . o r i f he d o e s n 't
know.
MR. FRANK.
O ffer him h a l f .
Then w e ' l l soon f in d out i f i t ’ s b la c k -
m a il or n o t . 5
MR.
DUSSEL.
And i f i t i s ?
We've got to pay i t , h a v en ’t we?
Any­
th in g he asks w e've g o t t o pay.
MR. FRANK.
MR. KRALER.
L e t 's d e cid e t h a t when th e tim e comes.6
T his may be a l l my im a g in a tio n .
You g e t to a p o i n t ,
th e s e d a y s, where you s u s p e c t everyone and e v e r y th in g .
Again and
1.
Mrs. V.D. stand
2.
Mr. K ra le r x U. t o door U.R. and e x i t
Mr. F. stan d and fo llo w Mr. K ra le r out
Mrs. F. stand and x U. t o k i tc h e n
Mrs. V.D. s i t c h a i r U.L.
P e te r s t r o l l D.L. and s i t i n c h a i r D.L.
3.
M rs. F . x D.H. t o Margot
Mr. Duss. x U.C. t o window
Mr. V.D. x L. to p la tfo r m
4.
Anne k n e e l i n c h a ir
5.
Mrs. F. t u r n t o Anne
Anne stand D.L. c o rn e r o f t a b l e
6.
Mrs. F . x D.S. o f t a b l e to Anne
7.
Anne x behind c h a i r L. o f t a b l e
8.
Mrs. F. s te p toward Anne
167
a g a i n . . . . o n s ome sim ple look o r word, I ’ve found m y s e l f . . . ! 1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
T h e re ’ s th e te le p h o n e !
What does t h a t mean, th e
te le p h o n e r i n g i n g on a h o lid a y ?
MR. KRALER.
T h a t’ s my w i f e .
I t o l d h e r I had to go over some papers
i n my o f f i c e . . . . t o c a l l me th e r e when she got out of c h u rc h .
o f f e r him h a l f t h e n .
MR. DUSSEL.
I ’l l
G o o d - b y e . . .. w e 'l l hope f o r th e b e s t ! 2
You can th a n k your son f o r t h i s . . . .smashing th e l i g h t !
I t e l l you, i t ' s j u s t a q u e s tio n o f tim e now.
MARGOT.
Sometimes I w ish th e end would come. . . .w hatever i t i s .
MRS. FRANK.
MARGOT.
M argot!
Then a t l e a s t w e'd know where we w ere.3
MRS. FRANK.
You should be ashamed o f y o u r s e l f !
Think how lucky we a r e !
ev ery day!
ANNE.
Think of th e th o u san d s dying i n th e w ar,
Think o f th e people in c o n c e n tr a tio n camps!4
What' s th e good o f t h a t ?
Wh a t ’ s th e good o f th in k in g o f
m ise ry when y o u 'r e a lr e a d y m is e ra b le ?
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
T h a t 's s tu p id !
Anne!5
W e're young, Margot and P e te r and I !
your chance!
T alking t h a t way!
You grownups have had
But look a t u s . . . . I f we beg in th in k in g o f a l l th e h o r r o r
i n th e w orld, we’r e l o s t !
W e're t r y i n g to hold on t o some k in d o f
i d e a l s . . . .when e v e r y t h i n g . . . . i d e a l s , h o p e s . . . .e v e r y th in g , a re b e in g
d e s tro y e d !6
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
Now, A n n e . .. . 7
I t i s n ' t our f a u l t t h a t th e w o rld i s in such a mess!
w e r e n 't around when a l l t h i s s t a r t e d ! 8
We
1Anne
.
ru n i n t o h e r room and slam door
Mr. V.D. x D.S. to t a b l e where Anne l e f t h e r cake
2P
. e te r stan d and x up to L. o f t a b l e
and t a k es cake and x i n t o
Anne' s room
Mr. F. e n te r door R. and x to U.C. o f t a b l e and x R. t o Margot
and s i t
M rs. F. s i t s in c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
Mr. V. D. x U.C. th e n e x i t s door L. i n k itc h e n
3P
. e te r s t a r t s t o le a v e , sto p s and t u r n s to Anne
4Mr.
.
D uss. x D.R. t o Anne’ s room
5M
. r . D uss. e n t e r A nne's room
P e t e r sto p s Mr. Duss. and backs him ou t o f A nne's room
Mr. D uss. e x i t s from A nne's room and x to P e t e r ' s room, e n t e r s
and s i t s on P e t e r ’ s bed
6P
. e te r x to D .S. end o f s o fa on L. w a ll and look a t p i c t u r e s
169
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
Anne!
So d o n 't ta k e i t out on u s ! 1
MR. VAN DAAN.
She t a l k s as i f we s t a r t e d th e w a r!
Did we s t a r t th e
war?2
PETER.
ANNE.
She l e f t h e r cak e .
Thanks.3
PETER.
I th o u g h t you were f i n e j u s t now.
to them.
You know j u s t how to say i t .
You know j u s t how to t a l k
I ’m no g o o d . . . . I never can
t h i n k . . . . e s p e c i a l l y when I ’m. m a d ....T h a t D u s s e l .. ..when he s a id
t h a t about M ouschi! . . . .someone e a t in g h i m . . . . a l l I could t h in k i s . . . .
I wanted t o h i t him.
I wanted t o give him such a . . . . a . . . . t h a t h e ’d
. . . . t h a t ' s what I used to do when t h e r e was an argument a t school
. . . . t h a t ' s th e way I . . . . b u t h e r e . . . . and an old man l i k e t h a t . . . . i t
w o u ld n 't be so good.
ANNE.
Y ou're making a b i g m istak e about me.4 I do i t a l l wrong.
say too much.
PETER.
I go too f a r .
I h u r t p e o p l e 's f e e l i n g s . . . . 5
I t h i n k y o u 'r e j u s t f i n e . . . . w h a t I want t o s a y . . . . i f i t
w a s n 't f o r you around h e r e , I d o n ' t know.
ANNE.
Do you mean i t , P e te r?
PETER.
I s a id i t , d i d n ' t I?
ANNE.
Wh a t I m e a n . . . .
Do you r e a l l y mean i t ?
Thank you, P e t e r .
PETER.
ANNE.
I
You've got q u i t e a c o l l e c t i o n . 6
W ouldn't you l i k e some i n your room?
I could give you some.
Heaven knows you spend enough tim e i n t h e r e . . . . d o i n g Heaven knows
w h a t. . . .
1.
Anne x U.C. o f room
2.
P e te r s i t on U.S. end o f so fa
Anne p u l l s t o o l D. t o U.R. o f P e te r and s i t
3.
P e te r stan d and x D.S.
4.
Anne x D.S. L. o f P e t e r and k n e e l on D.S. end of so fa
5.
Anne s i t
171
PETER.
I t 's e a sie r.
A f i g h t s t a r t s , or an a r g u m e n t . . . . I duck in
th e re .
AME.
Y ou're lucky, having a room t o go t o .
h e r e . . . . . I h a r d ly e v e r g e t a m inute a l o n e .
me, I c a n ' t duck away.
PETER.
ANNE.
Hi s lo r d s h ip i s always
When th e y s t a r t i n on
I have t o stan d t h e r e and ta k e i t .
You gave some of i t back j u s t now.
I g e t so mad.
They've formed t h e i r o p i n i o n s . . . . a b o u t e v e ry ­
t h i n g . . . . b u t w e . . . . w e ' r e s t i l l t r y i n g to f i n d o u t....W e have problems
h e re t h a t no o th e r people our age have ever h a d .
And j u s t as you
t h i n k y o u 'v e solved them, something comes along and bang!
You have
t o s t a r t a l l over a g a in .1
PETER.
ANNE.
h er.
At l e a s t yo u 'v e got someone you can t a l k t o . 2
Not r e a l l y .
M o t h e r . . . . I never d is c u s s a nyth ing s e r io u s w ith
She d o e sn ’t u n d e rs ta n d .
F a t h e r 's a l l r i g h t .
e v e r y t h i n g . . ..e v e r y t h i n g b u t one t h i n g .
t a l k about h e r .
M other.
We can t a l k about
He simply w o n 't
I d o n 't th in k you can be r e a l l y in tim a te w ith anyone
i f he h o ld s something back , do you?3
PETER.
ANNE.
I th in k your f a t h e r ' s f i n e . 4
Oh, he i s , P e te r !
He i s !
H e's the o n ly one who's ever given
me th e f e e l i n g t h a t I have any s e n s e .
But anyway, n o th in g can ta k e
th e p la c e of school and f r i e n d s o f your own a g e . . . . o r n e ar your age
. . . . can i t ?
PETER.
ANNE.
I suppose you m iss your f r i e n d s and a l l .
I t i s n ' t j u s t .5. . . I s n ' t funny, you and I?
Here we've been see in g
each o th e r e v ery m inute f o r alm ost a y e ar and a h a l f , and t h i s i s th e
1.
P e te r x up t o door
2.
Anne stan d and x U.S. to P e te r
3.
P e te r e x i t s and x t o h i s room and e n te r s
Mr. D uss. stan d and e x i t P e t e r ’ sroom
and e n t e r main room
Mr. Duss. x toward Anne's room
Anne s h u ts h e r
door
Mr. D uss. tu r n s back tow ard P e t e r ' s door
P e te r s h u ts h i s door
Mr. Duss. s to p s C.
B lackout
C u rta in down
173
f i r s t tim e we’ve e v e r r e a l l y t a l k e d .
to t a l k t o , don’t you th in k ?
PETER.
I t h e lp s a l o t t o have someone
I t h e lp s you to l e t o f f steam .1
W ell, any tim e you want to l e t o f f steam , you can come i n to
my room.
ANNE.
I can g e t up an awful l o t o f steam .2 You’ l l have t o be c a r e f u l
how you say t h a t .
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
I t ’ s a l l r i g h t w ith me.
Do you mean i t ?
I s a id i t , d i d n ’t I?3
ANNE’S VOICE.
We’ve had bad news.
our r a t i o n books have been a r r e s t e d .
our fo o d .
The people from whom Miep got
So we have had t o c u t down on
Our stomachs a re so empty t h a t th e y rumble and make s tra n g e
n o ise s, a l l in d if f e r e n t keys.
a bass f id d le .
Mr. Van Daan’ s i s deep and low, lik e
Mine i s h ig h , w h i s t l i n g lik e a f l u t e .
As we a l l s i t
around w a itin g f o r su pp er, i t ’ s l i k e an o r c h e s tr a tu n in g up.
I t only
needs T o sc an in i to r a i s e h is b a to n and we’d be o f f i n th e Ride o f th e
V a lk y r ie s .
Monday, th e s i x t h o f March, n i n e t e e n - f o r t y - f o u r .
K ra le r i s in th e h o s p i t a l .
a re h i s u l c e r s .
I t seems he has u l c e r s .
q u ick f i n i s h to th e w ar.
from one s u b je c t to a n o th e r?
fu s e d .
The Ameri­
F a th e r looks f o r a
Mr. D ussel i s w a itin g every day fo r th e
warehouse man to demand more money.
coming.
Pim says we
Miep has to run th e b u s in e s s and us t o o .
cans have landed on the s o u th e rn t i p o f I t a l y .
Mr.
Have I been s k ip p in g to o much
I c a n ' t h elp i t .
I f e e l i t in my whole body and s o u l .
I f e e l t h a t Spring i s
I f e e l u t t e r l y con­
I am lo n g in g . . . . s o l o n g i n g . . . . f o r e v e r y t h i n g . . . . f o r f r i e n d s . . . .
1.
C u rta in up
L ig h ts up
M rs. F . U.S. end on so fa
Mr. F. in c h a i r L. o f t a b l e
Mrs. V.D. in c h a ir U.L.
P e te r s i t t i n g on h is bed
Mr. D uss. pacing below p la tfo r m
Margot i n A nne's room on s o fa
Anne s ta n d in g lo ok ing i n m irro r on back of door
Mr. D uss. x t o Anne's room and opens door
Anne push door c lo se d
2.
Mr. Duss. x R. t o s o fa and s i t
3.
Mrs. F. sta n d and x t o Anne’ s room and knocks on door
4.
M rs. F . e n t e r s Anne's room
175
f o r someone t o t a l k t o . . . .someone who u n d e r s t a n d s .. . .someone young,
who f e e l s as I d o . . . . 1
ACT I I - Scene 2
ANNE.
No, no, Mr. D u s s e l! I am n o t d re s s e d y e t . 2 How i s t h a t ?
How
does t h a t look?
MARGOT.
ANNE.
You d i d n ’t even lo o k .
MARGOT.
ANNE.
Of cou rse I d i d .
MARGOT.
I t ’s f in e .
M argot, t e l l me, am I t e r r i b l y ugly?
MARGOT.
ANNE.
F in e .
Oh, s to p f i s h i n g .
No.
No.
T e ll m e .3
Of co u rse y o u ’r e n o t .
You’ve got n ic e e y e s . . ..a n d a l o t o f
a n im a tio n , and. . . 4
ANNE.
A l i t t l e vague, a r e n ' t you?
MRS. FRANK.
MARGOT.
Come i n , M other.5
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
May I come in ?
Mr. D u s s e l's im p a tie n t t o g e t in h e r e .
Heavens, he ta k e s th e room f o r h im s e lf th e e n t i r e d ay.
MRS. FRANK.
Anne, d e a r , y o u ’r e n o t going in a g a in to n i g h t to see
P e te r?
ANNE.
That i s my i n t e n t i o n .
MRS. FRANK.
But y o u ’ve a lr e a d y sp e n t a g r e a t d e a l o f tim e in t h e r e
to d a y .
ANNE.
I was i n t h e r e e x a c t l y t w i c e . Once t o g e t th e d i c t i o n a r y ,
1.
Mrs. F. s i t U .S. end o f s o fa
2.
Mrs. F. s ta n d and s te p to Anne
3.
Mrs. F. e x i t s and x U.R. t o sh elv es i n k itc h e n , ta k e s c a rd s down,
th e n x D.S. and s i t U.C. t a b l e
4.
Anne s i t on bed f a c in g Margot
177
and th e n t h r e e - q u a r t e r s o f an hour b e fo re su p p er.1
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
A ren’t you a f r a i d yo u ’re d i s t u r b i n g him?
M other, I have some i n t u i t i o n .
MRS. FRANK.
Then may I ask you t h i s much, Anne.
P le a s e don’t shut
th e door when you go i n .
ANNE.
You
MRS. FRANK.
sound li k e Mrs. Van Daan!2
No.
No.
I d o n ’t mean t o su g g est a n y th in g wrong.
I
only w ish t h a t you w ouldn’t expose y o u r s e l f to c r i t i c i s m . . . . t h a t
you w o u ld n 't give M rs. Van Daan th e o p p o r tu n ity t o be u n p le a s a n t.
ANNE.
M rs. Van Daan d o e s n 't need an o p p o r tu n ity t o be u n p le a s a n t!
MRS. FRANK.
E v e ry o n e 's on edge, w o rried about Mr. Kr a l e r .
This i s
one more t h i n g . . . .
ANNE.
I'm s o r r y , M other.
in g t o l e t
MARGOT.
I'm going t o P e t e r ' s room. I'm n o t go­
P e t r o n e l l a Van Daan s p o i l our f r i e n d s h i p . 3
Why d o n 't you two t a l k i n th e main room? I t ' d save a
of tro u b le .
lo t
I t ' s hard on Mother, having t o l i s t e n to th o se remarks
from Mrs. Van Daan and n o t say a word.
ANNE.
Why d o e s n 't she say a word?
I th in k i t ’ s r i d i c u l o u s to ta k e
i t and ta k e i t .
MARGOT.
You d o n 't u n d e rsta n d Mother a t a l l , do you?
ta lk back.
S h e 's n o t l i k e you.
She c a n ' t
I t ' s j u s t not i n h e r n a tu re t o f i g h t
ba ck .4
ANNE.
Anyway. . . .th e only one I w orry about i s you.
g u i l t y about you.
MARGOT.
What about?
I f e e l a w fu lly
1. Anne sta n d and x t o U.R. of Margot and s i t b e s id e h e r
2.
Ma r g o t sta n d and s te p D.R.
3.
Anne x U.R. t o m ir ro r
4.
Mr. D uss. stan d and x t o A nne's room and knocks
5.
Margot opens door
on so fa
on door
Anne x o u t i n t o main room and x R. to P e t e r ’ s room and knocks
a t door
Margot fo llow s Anne ou t and x U.R.
6.
to k i tc h e n
Mr. D uss. bows and e n t e r s A nne's room and c lo s e s th e door
P e te r sta n d s and x to door and opens i t .
7.
Mrs. V.D. stand
8.
M rs. V.D. x between Anne and P e t e r
9 . Mrs. V.D. x D. to R. o f t a b l e
179
ANNE.
I m ean,1e v e ry tim e I go i n t o P e t e r ' s room, I have a f e e l i n g
I may be h u r ti n g you,
I know i f i t were me, I ' d be w ild .
I ' d be
d e s p e r a t e l y j e a l o u s , i f i t were me.
MARGOT.
W ell, I'm n o t .
ANNE.
You d o n 't f e e l b ad ly ?
MARGOT.
R e a lly ?
T ru ly ?
Y ou're n o t je a lo u s ? 2
Of course I'm j e a l o u s . . . .j e a l o u s t h a t y o u 'v e g o t something
to g e t up in th e morning f o r . . . . B u t je a lo u s o f you and P e te r?
ARNE.
Maybe t h e r e ' s n o th in g t o be je a lo u s o f .
r e a lly lik e
me.
you l ik e to
come in w ith us?
MARGOT.
Maybe he d o e s n 't
th e p la c e o f h i s c a t ! 4 W ouldn't
I have a book.
MR. DUSSEL.
ANNE.
Maybe I'm j u s t ta k in g
No.3
W ill you p le a s e l e t me i n my room!
J u s t a m in u te , d e a r , d e ar Mr. D u ss e l.
W ell, here
Ig o . . . . t o
ru n the gaunt l e t . 5
MR. DUSSEL.
Thank you so much.6
MRS. VAN DAAN.
My God, look a t h e r !
to have a son.
I n ev er see him .
I d o n 't know what good i t i s
He w o u ld n 't c a re i f I k i l l e d my-
s e l f . 7 J u s t a m in u te , Anne.8 I ' d l i k e t o say a few words t o my son.
Do you mind?
to n ig h t.
P e t e r , I d o n 't want you s ta y in g up t i l l a l l hours
You've go t t o have your s l e e p . Y ou're a growing
boy.
You hear?
MRS. FRANK.
Anne w o n 't s t a y l a t e .
n in e .
A r e n 't you, Anne?
ANNE.
Yes, M other.
M S . VAN DAAN.
S h e 's going to bed prom ptly a t
May we go in now?
Are you a sk in g me?9 I d i d n ' t know I had an yth in g to
1.
Anne e n t e r P e t e r ’ s room and x D .S. to c e n te r o f c o t
2.
M rs. V.D. x U.C. t o s in k
3.
Anne s i t s on c o t
4.
Anne k n e e ls and looks a t photographs
Mrs. V.D. x D.L. and e n t e r W.C.
181
say about i t .
MRS. FRANK.
L is te n f o r the c h i me s , Anne d e a r . 1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
se c re ts.
You know how young people li k e t o f e e l t h a t th e y have
P e t e r ’ s room i s th e o nly p la c e where th e y can t a l k .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
In my day i t was th e boys who c a l l e d on th e g i r l s .
Tal k !
T h a t' s n o t what th e y c a l l e d i t when I was young.2
A r e n 't th e y awful?
A r e n 't th e y i mp o s s ib le ?
T r e a tin g us as
i f w e 'r e s t i l l in th e n u r s e r y .
PETER.
ANNE.
D o n 't l e t i t b o th e r you.
I t d o e s n 't b o th e r me .
I suppose you c a n ' t r e a l l y blame them .3. . . t h e y t h i n k back to
what th e y were l i k e a t our a g e .
They d o n 't r e a l i z e how much more
advanced we a r e . . . . w hen I t h i n k what w onderful d is c u s s io n s we've had!
. . . . Oh, I f o r g o t ,
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
I was going t o b rin g you some more p i c t u r e s .
Oh, th e s e a r e f i n e , t h a n k s .
D o n 't you want some more?
Miep j u s t brought me some new ones.
Maybe l a t e r.4
I remember when I got t h a t . . . . I won i t .
could e a t f i v e ic e cream c o n es.
I b e t Jo p ie t h a t I
We'd a l l been p la y in g p i n g - p o n g . . . .
We used to have h e avenly t i m e s . . . . w e'd f i n i s h up w ith ic e cream a t
th e D e lp h i, or th e O a s is , where Jews were a llo w e d . . . . t h e r e ' d always
be a l o t o f b o y s . . . . w e 'd laugh and j o k e . . . . I ' d l i k e t o go baok to
i t f o r a few days or a week.
d e a th .
I t h i n k more s e r i o u s l y about l i f e now. I
j o u r n a l i s t . . . . or som ething.
PETER.
But a f t e r t h a t I know I ' d be bored to
I love t o w r i t e .
want to be a
What do you want t o
I th o u g h t I m ight go o f f some p l a c e . . . .work on a farm or
do?
1.
Anne a t orange o r a te fa c in g main room
P e te r D.S.R. fa c in g open
2.
P e te r x up to Anne
183
s o m e th in g .. . .some job t h a t d o e s n 't ta k e much b r a i n s .
ANNE.
You s h o u l d n 't t a l k t h a t way.
You've got th e most aw ful i n ­
f e r i o r i t y complex.
PETER.
ANNE.
I know I'm n o t s m art.
That i s n ' t t r u e .
Y ou're much b e t t e r th a n I am i n dozens of
t h i n g s . . . .a r i t h m e t i c and a lg e b r a a n d . . . . W e l l , y o u 'r e a m i l l i o n tim es
b e t t e r th a n I am in a l g e b r a . 1 You l i k e Margot, d o n 't you?
R ig h t from
t h e s t a r t you lik e d h e r , lik e d h e r much b e t t e r th a n me.
PETER.
ANNE.
Oh, I don’t know.
I t ’s a l l r ig h t.
Everyone f e e l s t h a t way.
M arg o t's so good.
S h e 's sweet and b r i g h t and b e a u t i f u l and I'm n o t . 2
PETER.
ANNE.
I w o u ld n 't say t h a t .
Oh, no, I ’m n o t .
n o t a b e a u ty .
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
I know t h a t .
I know q u ite w e ll t h a t I'm
I never have been and I never s h a l l b e .
I d o n 't agree a t a l l .
I t h i n k y o u 'r e p r e t t y .
T h a t 's n o t t r u e !
And a n o th e r t h i n g .
You've c h a n g e d .. . .from a t f i r s t , I mean.
I have?1
I used to t h in k you were awful n o is y .
ANNE.
And what do you t h i n k now, P e te r ?
PETER.
W e ll.. . . e r . . . .y o u 'r e . . . .q u ie te r .
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
How have I changed?
I'm glad you d o n 't j u s t h a te me.
I n ever s a id t h a t .
I b e t when you g e t ou t o f h e re y o u ' l l never t h i n k o f me a g a in .
T h a t 's c r a z y .
1.
Mr s . V.D. e x i t s from W.C. and x U .C. to s in k
2.
P e te r s i t on D.S. end o f cot
185
ANNE.
When you g e t back w ith a l l o f your f r i e n d s ,
y o u 'r e going to
s a y . . . . n o w what d id I ev er see i n th e Mrs. QuackQuack?
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
I h a v e n 't got any f r i e n d s .
Oh, P e t e r , o f course you have.
Not me.
I d o n 't want any.
Everyone has f r i e n d s .
I g e t a lo n g a l l r i g h t w ith o u t
them.
ANNE.
Does t h a t mean you can g e t alo n g w ith o u t me?
I th in k o f my­
s e l f as your f r i e n d .
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
No.
I f th e y were a l l li k e you, i t ' d be d i f f e r e n t .
P e t e r , did you ever
Yes.
k iss a g irl?
Once.
That p i c t u r e ' s cro o k ed .
Was she p r e t t y ?
Huh?
The
g i r l t h a t you k i s s e d .
I d o n 't know.
I was b l i n d f o l d e d .
I t was a t a p a r t y .
One o f
th o s e k i s s i n g games.1
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
Oh.
I d o n 't suppose t h a t r e a l l y c o u n ts , does i t ?
I t d i d n ' t w ith me.
I ’ve been k is s e d tw ic e .
Once a man I ’d never
seen b e fo re
k is s e d me on t h e cheek when he picked me up o f f th e ic e and I was
c r y in g .
And th e o th e r was Mr. Koophuis, a f r i e n d o f F a t h e r 's who
k is s e d my hand.
PETER.
ANNE.
You w o u ld n 't say th o s e c o unted, would you?
I w o u ld n 't say s o .2
I know alm ost fo r c e r t a i n t h a t Margot would never k i s s anyone
u n le s s she was engaged t o them.
And I'm sure too t h a t Mot h e r never
1.
Anne s i t U.S. of P e t e r on c o t
2.
P e te r sta n d and x U.S. and p ic k s up Anne’ sshawl
3.
Anne x U.S. t o P e t e r
Mr. Duss. e x i t A nne's room andx to W.C. and
4.
e n te r
Anne t u r n and s t a r t to door
P e te r sto p Anne, t u r n her around and k i s s h e r
Anne tu r n s and h u r r i e s out o f th e room
P e te r t u r n s L. and looks out s k y lig h t u n t i l Anne has gone th e n
he c lo s e s door and s i t s on c o t
Anne x down t o Margot k i s s e s h e r g o o d n ig h t, x L. t o Mr. F . and
k i s s e s Him goodnight, x to Mrs. F. and k i s s e s her good n ig h t
s t a r t t o x t o her own room, s to p , ru n U.C. t o Mrs. V.D. and
k i s s e s h e r good n i g h t , ru n s D.R. i n t o her room and c lo s e s door
Mrs. V.D. x D.C. t o R. of t a b l e and slams c o ffe e p o t on t a b l e
5.
C u rta in down
187
touched a
man b e fo re Pim.
But I d o n ’t know .. . . t h i n g s are so d i f f e r ­
e n t now .. . .What do you th in k ?
Do you th in k a g i r l sh o u ld n ’t k i s s
anyone e x c e p t i f s h e 's engaged or something?
I t ' s so hard to t r y to
t h in k what t o do, when h ere we are w ith th e whole w orld f a l l i n g
around our e a r s and you t h i n k . . . . w e l l . . . .you d o n 't know w h a t's going
t o happen tomorrow a n d. . . . What do you th in k ? 1
PETER.
I suppose i t ' d depend on th e g i r l .
d o 's wrong.
w ith them.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
Some g i r l s , a n y th in g th e y
But o t h e r s . . . . w e l l . . . . i t w o u ld n 't n e c e s s a r i l y be wrong
I ’ve always th o u g h t t h a t when two p e o p l e . . . .
Nine o ’ c lo c k .
I have to go.
T h a t’ s r i g h t .
Good n i g h t . 2
You w o n 't l e t them stop you coming?3
No.
Some tim e I m ight b r in g my d i a r y .
t h i n g s i n i t t h a t I want t o t a l k over w ith you.
There are so many
T h e re 's a l o t about
you.
PETER.
ANNE.
What kin d o f th in g ?
I w o u ld n 't want you to see some o f i t .
I th o u g h t you were
a n o th in g , j u s t th e way you th o u g h t about me.
PETER.
Did you change your mind, th e way I changed my mind about
you?
ANNE.
W ell—y o u ' l l s e e . . . . 4
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE’S VOICE.
Ah hah!5
By t h i s tim e we a l l know each o th e r so w e ll t h a t i f any­
one s t a r t s to t e l l a s t o r y , th e r e s t can f i n i s h i t f o r him.
We're
8
1
1.
C u rta in u p —S e t re a rra n g e m e n t # 1
L ig hts up
P e te r in h i s c o t
Mr. and Mrs. F. i n th e h id e - a - h e d , Mr. F. R. , M rs. F. L.
Margot i n h e r c o t C. sta g e
Anne in h e r bed
Mr. D ussel on th e so fa in A nne's room
Mr. V.D. e n te r from door L. i n k i t c h e n and sneak to food c a b i n e t
as he c lo s e s th e d o o r, i t c re ak s
Mrs. F. s i t up i n bed and see Mr. V.D.
2.
Mrs. F . stan d and x U.C. to Mr. V.D.
Everyone s i t up in bed
3.
Mr. F. g e t out o f bed
Margot sta n d on c o t and t u r n on C. l i g h t th e n x U.L. to Anne's
door
P e te r g e t up and p u t up b la c k o u t c u r t a i n
Mr. Duss. sta n d and x out o f room toward k itc h e n and Mr. V.D.
4.
Mr. F. x U.C. and hold on t o Mr. V.D.
5.
P e t e r x R. and h o ld on to Mr. Duss.
Mrs. F . x R. to door
189
having t o c u t down s t i l l f u r t h e r on our m e a ls.
th e r a t s have been a t work a g a in .
p re c io u s fo o d .
What makes i t w orse,
They've c a r r i e d o f f s ome o f our
Even Mr. D ussel w ishes now t h a t Mouschi was h e re .
Thursday, th e tw e n tie th of A p r il, n in e te e n f o r t y - f o u r .
f e v e r i s mounting e v e ry day.
o f n o th in g e l s e .
Miep t e l l s us t h a t people o u ts id e t a l k
For m y se lf, l i f e has become much more p l e a s a n t .
o f te n go t o P e t e r ' s room a f t e r s u p p e r.
because I'm n o t .
I
Oh, d o n 't th i n k I'm i n love,
But i t does make l i f e more b e a ra b le t o have some­
one w ith whom you can exchange view s.
must be h o n e s t.
m e e tin g .
In v a sio n
No more t o n i g h t .
P .S
I
I must co n fess t h a t I a c t u a l l y l i v e f o r the n e x t
I s th e r e an y th in g l o v e l i e r th a n to s i t under th e s k y lig h t
and f e e l th e sun on yo u r cheeks and have a d a r l i n g boy in your arms?
I admit now t h a t I'm glad th e Van Daans had a son and n o t a d a u g h te r.
I ' v e outgrown a n o th e r d r e s s .
M a rg o t's c lo th e s a f t e r a l l .
T h a t 's th e t h i r d .
I'm having to wear
I'm working h ard on my F r e n c h .. . .and am
now re a d in g "LaBelle N iv e r n a is e ." 1
ACT I I - Scene 3
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
O tto !
O tto !
What i s i t ?
Come qu ick !2
W hat's happened?3
MRS. FRANK.
H e's s t e a l i n g th e fo o d !
MR. DUSSEL.
You!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
MR. FRANK.
You!
Give me t h a t .
P u t t i . . . . P u t t i .. . .what i s i t ? 4
You d i r t y t h i e f . . . . s t e a l i n g f o o d . . . . y o u g o o d - f o r - n o th in g ..
Mr. D u sse l!
For God's sake!
Help me, P e te r ! 5
1. Mr. V.D. stum bles t o L. o f t a b l e
2.
Mrs. V.D. e n t e r from door L. i n k itc h e n
3.
Mrs. F. x to U.S. end o f t a b l e
4.
Mrs. V.D. o f f p la tfo r m and x D.L. to Mr. V.D.
5 . Mr. F. x to Mrs. F.
6. Mr. V.D. s i t on M argot’ s bed
191
PETER.
Let him g o !
MR. DUSSEL.
Let go! 1
You g re e d y , s e l f i s h . . . . 2
MRS. VAN DAAN.
P u t t i . . . .what i s i t ? 3
MRS. FRANK.
The b re a d !
MR. DUSSEL.
I t was you, and a l l th e tim e
MR. PRANK.
we th o u g h t i t was th e r a t s !
Mr. Van Daan, how could you!
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
He was s t e a l i n g t h e b re a d !4
I ’m hungry.
We’r e a l l o f us hungry!
t h i n n e r and t h i n n e r !
I see th e c h i l d r e n g e ttin g
Your own son P e t e r . . . . I've heard him moan i n
h i s s le e p , h e ’ s so hungry!
And you come i n th e n ig h t and s t e a l food
t h a t should go to t h e m . . . . t o th e c h ild r e n !
MRS. VAN DAAN.
more.
He needs more food th a n th e r e s t o f u s .
He’ s a b ig man.
MRS. FRANK.
And y o u . . . . y o u 'r e worse th a n he i s !
y e t you s a c r i f i c e
MR. FRANK.
MRS. FRANK.
cest
H e 's used to
E d ith !
to n g u e .
your c h i l d to t h i s man!. . . . t h i s . . . . t h i s . . . . ! 5
E d ith !
D o n 't th in k I h a v e n 't seen you!
b i t s f o r him!
You’r e a m other, and
Always saving th e
c h o i­
I 'v e watched you day a f t e r day andI 'v e h e ld my
But n o t any lo n g e r!
Not a f t e r t h i s !
Now I want him t o g o .
I want him t o g e t out of h e r e .
MR. FRANK.
E d ith !
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MRS. PRANK.
MR. FRANK.
s a y in g .
MR. VAN DAAN.
Get out o f h ere?
What do you mean?
Just th a t!
Take your th i n g s and g e t o u t!6
Y ou 're speaking in a n g e r.
You cannot mean what you are
1.
Mr. V.D. stan d and x U.S. to W.C. and e n t e r
Margot s i t i n c h a i r U.L.
Anne k n e e l on f l o o r b e sid e Margot
M rs. F. x R. t o above bed
2.
M r . F. x to Mrs. F.
3.
Mrs. F. x U.C. t o k itc h e n to g e t purse
4.
Mrs. V.D. x R. t o Mr. F.
5.
Mrs. F. x D.C. t o U.C. o f t a b l e
6.
Mr. Duss. x to Anne’ s room and e n t e r s
193
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
I mean e x a c t l y t h a t !
For two long y e a r s we have liv e d h e r e , sid e b y s i d e .
We
have re s p e c te d each o t h e r ’ s r i g h t s . . . . w e have managed t o l iv e i n p e ac e .
Are we now going t o throw i t a l l away?
I know t h i s w i l l never
happen a g a in , w i l l i t , Mr. Van Daan?1
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
No.
No.
He s t e a l s once!
E d i th , p le a s e !
He’ l l s t e a l a g a in !2
l e t us be calm.
ro o m s ....a n d a fte rw a rd s we’ l l s i t
down
We’ l l a l l go to our
q u i e t l y and t a l k t h i s o u t . . . .
we’ l l f i n d some w a y . . . .
MRS. FRANK.
No!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
No!
No more t a l k !
I want them to le a v e!
You'd p u t us o u t, on th e s t r e e t s ?
There a re o th e r h id in g p l a c e s .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
A c e l l a r . . . . a c lo se t.
I know.
And we have no money
l e f t even t o pay f o r t h a t . 3
MRS. FRANK.
I ’ l l give you money. Out o f my own p o c k et I ' l l
give
i t g la d ly .4
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Mr. Frank, you t o l d P u t t i y o u 'd never f o r g e t what
h e ’ d done f o r you when you came to Amsterdam.
You s a id you could never
re p a y him, t h a t y o u . . . . 5
MRS. FRANK.
I f my husband had any o b l i g a t i o n t o you, h e 's paid
i t , over and o v e r.
MR. FRANK.
E d ith , I 'v e n ev er seen you l i k e t h i s b e f o r e .
know you.
MRS. FRANK.
I should have spoken out long ago.6
I d o n 't
1.
Mrs. V.D. fo llo w him t o L. end o f t a b l e
2.
Mr. F. s i t i n c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
3.
Mrs. F. s t a r t to x U.C. t o k it c h e n
Anne run t o R. o f Mrs. F.
4.
Mr. V.D. e n t e r s from W.C.
5.
P e te r x i n t o h is room
6.
Mr. Duss. e n t e r s from Anne’s room and stan d s a t
7.
Mrs. F. x U.S. t o s h e lv e s i n k i t c h e n
Mr. Duss. x U.C. t o food cupboard andr e t u r n t o
w ith p o ta to e s
Margot x R. to Mr. Duss.
door
U.C. o f t a b l e
195
MR. DUSSEL.
You c a n ’t be n ic e t o some p e o p le .1
MRS. VAN DAAN.
There would have been p l e n t y fo r a l l of u s, i f you
h ad n ’t come i n h e r e !2
MR. FRANK.
We do n ’t need t h e Nazis t o d e s t r o y u s .
We’r e d e s tr o y in g
o u rse lv es.
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
Give t h i s t o Miep.
S h e ' l l f i n d you a p l a c e .3
M other, y o u ’r e n o t p u t t i n g P e te r o u t .
P e te r h a s n ’t done
a n y th in g .
MRS. FRANK.
H e 'l l
s t a y , of c o u r s e .
When I say the c h i l d r e n , I
mean P e te r t o o .
PETER.
I ' d have to go i f F a th e r go e s.4
MRS. FRANK.
H e's no f a t h e r t o y o u . . . . t h a t man!
He d o e s n 't know what
i t i s t o be a f a t h e r . 5
PETER.
I w o u ld n 't f e e l r i g h t .
MRS. FRANK.
Very w e ll t h e n .
ANNE.
No. P e te r !
mine!
I d o n ’t want i t !
l i g h t soon.
MARGOT.
No!
I c o u l d n 't s t a y .
I ’m s o r r y .
I d o n ' t c a re about th e fo o d .
Only d o n 't send them away.
They can have
I t ’ l l be day­
They’ l l be c a u g h t . . . .
P le a s e , Mother!
MRS. FRANK.
They’r e n o t going now.
T h e y 'l l s t a y h e re u n t i l Miep
f in d s them a h id in g p l a c e . 6 But one t h i n g I i n s i s t on !
n ever come down h e re a g a i n !
th e food i s s to r e d !
each!
MARGOT.
We’ l l
He must
He must n ev er come t o t h i s room where
d iv id e what we h a v e . . . . a n e qual sh are f o r
You can cook i t here and ta k e i t up to h im .7
Oh, n o !
No!
We h a v e n 't sunk so f a r t h a t we’r e going t o
1.
Sound cue—bu z ze r
Mr. F. stan d
Mrs. V.D. s ta n d and move U .S. t o L. o f Margot
2.
Mr. F. x t o door U.R.
M rs. F. x D.R. t o Mr. F .
3.
Mr. F. e x i t
4.
Miep e n t e r s and x t o Mrs. F.
P e te r move t o h i s door
Anne x to U.S. o f P e te r
197
f i g h t over a h a n d fu l o f r o t t e n p o t a t o e s .
MR. DUSSEL.
Mrs. F rank, Mr. F rank, Margot, Anne, P e t e r , Mrs. Van
Daan, m y s e lf. . . .M rs. F r a n k . . . . 1
MR. FRANK.
MARGOT.
I t ' s Miep!
At t h i s hour?2
MRS. FRANK.
MR. FRANK.
MR. DUSSEL.
I t must be t r o u b l e .
I beg you, d o n 't l e t h e r see a t h i n g li k e t h i s ! 3
Anne, P e t e r , M rs. Van Daan, Mr. Van Daan, m y se lf, Mrs.
F ra n k ....
MARGOT.
Stop i t !
Stop i t !
MR. DUSSEL..........Mr. Frank, M argot, Anne, P e t e r , M rs. Van Daan, Mr.
Van Daan, m y se lf, Mrs. F r a n k . . . .
MRS. VAN DAAN.
Y ou're keeping th e b ig ones f o r y o u r s e l f !
A ll the
b ig o n e s ....L o o k a t th e s iz e o f t h a t ! . . . . a n d t h a t ! . . . .
MARGOT.
MIEP.
Stop i t !
Mr. F r a n k . . . . t h e most w onderful n e w s . . . . t h e in v a s io n has begun!
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
Stop i t !
No!
No!4
Did you h e a r t h a t , everybody?
in v a s io n has begun!
PETER.
MIEP.
The in v a s io n !
I t began e a r l y t h i s morning!
How do you know?
The r a d i o ! . . . . The B .B .C .!
o f Normandy!
PETER.
The
Where?
MRS. FRANK.
MIEP.
Did you h e a r what I sa id ?
The B r i t i s h ?
They s a id th e y landed on the c o a s t
1.
Everyone e x ce p t Mr. V.D. k i s s one a n o th e r
P e te r ru n U.C. and g e t a d is h pan
P e t e r , M argot, and Anne sk ip around the room s in g in g th e Dutch
N a tio n a l Anthem
They end up w ith Mr. and M rs. F. L. o f door U.R.
Miep U.C. o f t a b l e
Mr. D uss. a t M iep’ s L.
Mrs. V.D. and P e te r to L. o f t a b l e
Anne a t P e t e r ’ s door
Margot below p la tfo r m
Mr. V.D. s t i l l on couch
2.
Miep x to door U.R.
3.
Miep e x i t
4.
Mr. F. fo llo w h e r ou t
Margot x t o Mr. V.D. and g ive him flo w e rs
M rs. V.D. x D.S. and s i t w ith Mr. V.D.
5.
Mr. D uss. ta k e p o ta to e s back t o food cupboard
6.
Mr. F . e n t e r door U.R. and x to U.R. end o f t a b l e
7.
Mr. F. x U.S. to k i t c h e n and g e ts Cognac
Mr. Duss move D. t o U.C. o f t a b l e
Mrs. F. x D.S. to U.R. end o f t a b l e
8.
Mrs. F. x R. to Anne
9.
Mr. F. x D.L. to Mr. V.D.
19 9
MIEP.
B r i t i s h , Americans, F rench , D utch, P o le s , N orw eg ian s.. . . a l l
o f them!
More th a n fo u r thousand s h ip s !
e r a l Eisenhow er!
MR. FRANK.
D-Day th e y c a l l i t ! 1
Thank God i t ' s came!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MIEP.
C h u r c h ill spoke, and Gen-
At l a s t !
I ’m going to t e l l Mr. K r a l e r . . . . T h i s ’ 11 be b e t t e r th a n any
blood t r a n s f u s i o n ! 2
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
What p a r t o f Normandy d id th e y la n d , d id th e y say?
N orm andy... . t h a t ’ s a l l I know now.
I ' l l be up th e minute I
h ear some more! 3
MR. FRANK.
What d id I t e l l you!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
P u tti!
MR. VAN DAAN.
P le a s e .
MR. DUSSEL.
What happened?
I ’m so ash am ed .5
D o n 't, P u t t i .
I t d o e s n 't m a tte r now!6
MR. FRANK.
D id n 't you h ear what Miep sa id ?
W e're going t o be l i b e r a t e d !
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
ANNE.
What i s i t !
Oh, f o r God's sake!
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MARGOT.
P u tti!
What d id I t e l l y o u ! 4
The in v a s io n has come!
This i s a tim e to c e l e b r a t e !
To s t e a l bread from c h i l d r e n .
We've a l l done t h i n g s t h a t w e 're ashamed o f .
Look a t me, th e way I 'v e t r e a t e d M o t h e r . . . . s o mean and h o r r id
to h e r.8
MRS. PRANK.
ANNE.
7
No, Anne l i n e , n o .
Oh, M other, I was a w fu l.
MR. VAN DAAN.
Not l i k e me!
No one i s as bad as me! 9
1.
Anne x L. t o Mr. V.D.
M rs. F . s i t R. o f t a b l e
2.
Mrs. V.D. stan d and x D.L.
Mr. D uss. s te p back two s te p s
Mr. F. x L. and U.S. o f t a b l e t o Mrs. F.
Margot x t o Mrs. F.
Anne x t o Mrs. F . and k n e e ls a t h e r f e e t
Mr. V.D. s ta n d and move to L. o f t a b l e
3.
Mr. D uss. s t e p D.C. t o U.C. of t a b l e
4.
C u rta in and b la c k o u t
5.
C u rta in up
L ights up
P e t e r s i t t i n g i n c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
Anne s i t t i n g in c h a i r U.C. o f t a b l e
Mrs. F. U.S. end o f s o fa
Mrs. V.D. D.S. on s o fa
Mr. V.D. pacing U.R. o f t a b l e and in to k i t c h e n
Margot s i t t i n g c h a i r R. o f ta b le
Mr. F. s i t t i n g c h a i r D.L.
Mr. Duss. pacing U.L. o f t a b l e D.S. t o Mr. F.
Sound cue—te le p h o n e r in g i n g
201
MR. DUSSEL.
MR. FRANK.
Stop i t now!
Here!
MRS. FRANK.
Here!
L e t 's be happy.
Schnapps!
Locheim!1
When I t h in k of t h e t e r r i b l e th i n g s I
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. FRANK.
No!
No!
s a id ....
You were r i g h t !
That I should speak t h a t way to y o u . . . . o u r f r i e n d s . . . .
our g u e s t s . . . . 3
MR. DUSSEL.
Stop i t !
ANNE'S VOICE.
Y ou're s p o i l i n g t h e whole in v a s io n !4
W e're a l l i n much b e t t e r s p i r i t s th e s e d a y s .
s t i l l e x c e l l e n t news of th e in v a s i o n .
The b e s t p a r t about i t i s t h a t
I have a f e e l i n g t h a t f r i e n d s a r e coming.
back i n schoo l by F a l l .
Ha, ha!
T h e re 's
Who knows?
The joke i s on us!
man d o e s n 't know a th in g and we a r e paying him a l l
Maybe I ' l l be
The warehouse
t h a t money!
Wednesday, t h e second o f J u ly , n in e te e n f o r t y - f o u r , t h e in v a s io n seems
te m p o r a r ily t o be bogged down.
which looks b ad .
Mr. K ra le r has to have an o p e r a tio n ,
The Gestapo have found the r a d io t h a t was s t o l e n .
Mr. D ussel says t h e y ' l l t r a c e i t back and back t o th e t h i e f , and th e n
i t ' s j u s t a m a tte r o f tim e ' t i l they g e t t o u s .
Even poor P im c a n ' t r a i s e t h e i r s p i r i t s .
m yself . . . . b u t n e v er in d e s p a i r .
w rite .
Everyone i s low.
I have o f te n been downcast
I can shake o f f e v e ry th in g i f I
B u t . . . . a n d t h a t i s t h e g r e a t q u e s t i o n . . . . w i l l I e v er be a b le
t o w r i t e w e ll?
my d e a t h .
I want t o so much.
I want t o go on l i v i n g even a f t e r
Another b ir t h d a y has gone by, so now I am f i f t e e n .
re a d y I know what I w a n t.
I have a g o a l, an o p in io n . 5A
C
TI-Scene4
Al­
1.
Mr. V.D. X D.L. to U.S. o f Margot
203
MR. DUSSEL.
There i t goes a g a in , th e te le p h o n e !
Mr. Fra n k , do you
h ear?
MR. FRANK.
Yes.
MR. DUSSEL.
I hear.
But t h i s i s th e t h i r d tim e , Mr. Frank!
q u i c k s u c c e s s io n !
get us!
I t ’ s a s ig n a l!
The t h i r d tim e in
I t e l l you i t ’s Miep, t r y i n g to
For some re a so n she c a n ’t come to us and s h e ’ s t r y i n g t o warn
us o f something!
MR. FRANK.
P le a se .
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
P le a se .
You’r e w a stin g your b r e a t h .
Something has happened, Mr. F rank.
Miep h a s n ' t been to see us!
For th re e days now
And to d a y n o t a man has come t o work.
There h a s n ’t been a sound i n th e b u i l d i n g !
MRS. FRANK.
Perhaps i t ' s Sunday.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MR. DUSSEL.
i t is !
We may have l o s t t r a c k o f th e d a y s.
You w ith th e d i a r y t h e r e .
What day i s i t ?
I d o n ' t l o s t t r a c k o f th e days!
I t ' s F r id a y , th e f o u r t h o f A ugust.
a t work!
I t e l l you Mr. K r a l e r ’ s d e ad .
I know e x a c tly what day
F r id a y , and n o t a man
T h a t's th e o nly e x p la n a ti o n .
He' s dead and th e y 'v e c lo se d down th e b u il d i n g ,
and M iep's t r y i n g to t e l l
us!
MR. FRANK.
S h e'd nev er te le p h o n e u s .
MR. DUSSEL.
Mr. Frank, answer t h a t !
MR. FRANK.
I beg you, answer i t !
No.1
MR. VAN DAAN.
J u s t p ick i t up and l i s t e n .
J u s t l i s t e n and see i f i t ' s Miep.
MR. DUSSEL.
For God's s a k e . . . . I ask you.
You d o n 't have t o speak.
1.
Mr. V.D. resume pacing
2.
Sound cue—te le p h o n e
Mr. Duss. x to door U.R. and e x i t
3.
Mr. F. stan d
P e t e r stan d
M rs. F. stan d and x U .S. t o door U.R.
Anne k n e e l in c h a i r
Mr. V.D. sto p pacing
Mr. D uss. e n t e r s D.R. and h o ld s i n s i d e door
4.
Mr. F. x i n t o A nne's room and looks out window
M rs. F. x U.S. t o k i tc h e n
Mr. V.D. resume pacing
P e te r s i t
5.
Mr. V.D. x D.R. t o Mrs. V.D.
6.
Mr. V.D. pace to D.L. c o rn e r o f room
7.
Mrs. V.D. stand and x U.L. t o k i t c h e n
Mr. V.D. x U.R. and sto p s Mrs. V.D.
Mrs. V.D. p u l l s f r e e and c o n tin u e s U .S. and e x i t s door L. i n
k itc h e n
Mr. V.D. fo llo w M rs. V.D.
8.
P e te r stan d and x t o h i s room and l i e on bed
Mr. F . e n t e r main room from Anne’ s room and x R. t o s o fa and
Mr. D uss. x L. i n t o A nne's room
Anne stan d and x i n to P e t e r ' s room and s i t U .S. o f him on bed
205
MR. FRANK.
No.
I ’ve t o l d you n o .
I ' l l do n o th in g t h a t m ight l e t
anyone know w e 'r e in th e b u i l d i n g .
PETER.
Mr. F ra n k 's r i g h t . 1
MR. VAN DAAN.T h e r e 's no need t o t e l l us what s id e y o u 'r e on!
MR. FRANK.
I f we w a i t p a t i e n t l y , q u i e t l y , I b e lie v e t h a t h e lp
w ill
come.2
MR. DUSSEL.
I'm going down.3 Too l a t e . 4
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
MR. VAN DAAN.
MRS. VAN DAAN.
So we j u s t w a it here u n t i l we d i e .
I c a n ' t stan d i t ! I ' l l k i l l m y self!
I ’ l l k i l l m y self!5
For God's sak e, sto p i t !
I th in k y o u 'd be g lad i f I d id !
I t h i n k you want me
t o d ie ! 6
MR. VAN DAAN.
Whose f a u l t i s i t w e 're h e re ?
somewhere. . . . i n America o r S w itz e rla n d .
We c o u ld ’ve been sa fe
But no!
No!
You w o u ld n 't
leave when I wanted t o ! 7 You c o u l d n 't leave your t h i n g s !
You c o u ld n ’t
leave your p re c io u s f u r n i t u r e !
MRS. VAN DAAN.
ANNE.
D o n 't to u ch me!8
Look, P e t e r , t h e sky.
b e a u tifu l?
What a lo v e ly d ay .
A ren’t th e clouds
You know what I do when i t seems as i f I c o u l d n 't stan d
being cooped up f o r one more m inute?
I t h i n k m yself o u t .
m y self on a walk i n th e park where I used to go w ith P im.
I th in k
Where th e
d a f f o d i l s and the cro cu s and th e v i o l e t s grow down th e s l o p e s .
know th e most w o nd erfu l t h i n g a b o u t th in k in g y o u r s e l f o u t?
have i t any way you l i k e .
You
You can
You can have ro s e s and v i o l e t s and ch ry ­
santhemums a l l blooming a t th e same t i m e . . . . I t ' s f u n n y . . . . I used t o
ta k e i t a 11 f o r g r a n t e d . . . .and now I ’ve gone c ra z y about e v e r y th in g to
do w ith n a t u r e .
PETER.
Haven’t you?
I ’ve j u s t gone c r a z y .
I th in k i f something d o e sn ’t happen
s o o n . . . . i f we d o n 't g e t out o f h e r e . . . . I c a n ' t s ta n d much more o f i t !
ANNE.
PETER.
ANNE.
I wish you had a r e l i g i o n , P e t e r .
Oh, th a n k s .
Not me.
Oh, I d o n 't mean you have to be O rth o d o x .. . . o r b e lie v e i n heaven
and h e l l and p u rg a to ry and t h i n g s . . . . I j u s t mean some r e l i g i o n . . . .
i t d o e s n 't m a tte r w h a t.
J u s t t o b e lie v e i n something!
When I th in k
of a l l t h a t ' s out t h e r e . . . . t h e t r e e s . . . . a n d f l o w e r s . . . . a n d s e a g u l l s . . .
when I t h i n k o f t h e d e a rn e s s o f you, P e t e r . . . . a n d th e goodness o f the
people we k n o w ....M r. K r a le r , Miep, D irk , th e v e g e ta b le man, a l l
r i s k i n g t h e i r l i v e s f o r us e very d a y ....W h e n I t h i n k o f th e s e good
t h i n g s , I 'm n o t a f r a i d any m o r e . . . . I f i n d m y s e lf, and God, and I . . . .
PETER.
T h a t 's f i n e !
But when I b e g in t o t h i n k , I get mad!
u s , h id in g out f o r two y e a r s .
Not a b le t o move!
Look a t
Caught h e re l i k e . . . .
w a itin g f o r them t o come and g e t u s . . . . and a l l f o r what?
ANNE.
W e're n o t th e o n ly peo ple t h a t ' v e had t o s u f f e r .
T h e re ’ve
always been people t h a t ' v e had t o . . . . sometimes one r a c e . . . .sometimes
a n o t h e r . . . .and y e t . . . .
PETER.
ANNE.
That d o e s n 't make me f e e l any b e t t e r !
I know i t ' s t e r r i b l e , t r y i n g to have any f a i t h . . . .when people
a re doing such h o r r i b l e . . . .b u t you know what I sometimes th in k ?
I
th in k th e world may be going th ro u g h a phase, t h e way I was w ith
M other.
I t ' l l p a s s , maybe not f o r hundreds of y e a r s , b u t some d a y . . . .
1.
Sound cue—c a r s to p p in g i n f r o n t of b u ild in g
Anne and P e te r x to door and s t e p i n t o main room
Mrs. F. x D.R. to U.R. c o rn e r of main room
Mr. F. x U.S. to Mrs. F.
Margot k n e e l i n c h a i r
Mr. Duss. x t o door i n Anne's room and open i t
Mr. F. e x i t door U.R.
Anne x t o Mrs. F .
Mr. Duss. x R. and fo llo w Mr. F. out
P e te r e x i t door U.R. a f t e r Mr. Duss.
Margot x U.R. to Mrs. F.
Mr. and M rs. V.D. e n t e r door L. and x D.L. to f r o n t o f W.C.
Mr. Duss. e n t e r and x t o Anne's room
P e te r e n t e r and x t o Mrs. V.D.
Mr. F. e n t e r and x t o U.R. end o f t a b l e and nods
Mrs. F . Margot and Anne x D .S. to Mr. F.
Sound cue—men t e a r i n g down door
2.
C u rta in down
3.
C u rta in up
L ig h ts up
Mr. F . s i t t i n g U.C. c h a i r of t a b l e
Miep i n c h a i r R. o f t a b l e
M r. K r a le r i n c h a i r D.L.
4.
Miep stan d and x U.C. to k i tc h e n and back
Mr. K ra le r s ta n d and x to c h a i r L.
to t a b l e
o f t a b l e and
s it
w ith c o ffe e
209
I s t i l l b e l i e v e , i n s p i t e o f e v e r y th in g , t h a t people a re r e a l l y good
a t h e a rt.
PETER.
ANNE.
I want to see something n o w ....N o t a thousand y e a rs from now.
B ut, P e t e r , i f y o u 'd o nly look a t i t as a p a r t of a g r e a t p a t t e r n
. . . . t h a t w e 'r e j u s t a l i t t l e minute i n l i f e . . . . L i s t e n to u s , going a t
each o th e r l i k e a couple of s tu p id grownups!
I s n ' t i t lo v e ly ?
MR. FRANK.
Look a t th e sky now.
Some day, when w e 'r e o u ts id e ag ain I 'm going t o . . . . 1
F o r th e p a s t two y e a rs we have liv e d i n f e a r .
Now we can
l i v e in hope.
MEN'S VOICES.
Auf machen!
Da d r i n n e n !
Auf machen!
S c h n e ll!
S c h n e ll!
e tc . e tc .2
ANNE'S VOICE.
And so i t seems our s t a y here i s o v e r.
in g f o r us now.
They are w a it­
They've allow ed us f i v e minutes to g e t our t h i n g s .
We can each ta k e a bag and w hatever i t w i l l ho ld o f c l o t h i n g .
e lse .
So, d e ar D ia ry , t h a t means I must leave you b e h in d . Good-bye
f o r a w h ile .
e lse .
Nothing
P .S .
P le a s e , p l e a s e , Miep, o r Mr. K ra le r or anyone
I f you should f i n d t h i s d i a r y w i l l you p le a s e keep i t s a f e fo r
me, because some day I h o p e . . . . 3
ACT I I - Scene 5
MR. FRANK.
MIEP.
No more.
I ' d gone t o th e c o u n try to f in d fo o d ....W h e n I g o t back th e
b lo c k was surrounded by p o l i c e . . . .
MR. KRALER.
We made i t our b u s in e s s t o l e a r n how th e y knew.
th e t h i e f . . . . t h e t h i e f who t o l d them.4
I t was
210
"We're j u s t a l i t t l e m inute i n l i f e ."
1.
Miep x t o Mr. F . th e n x t o Mr. K ra le r th e n x U.S. o f t a b l e to
c h a i r R . o f t a b l e and s i t
2.
C u rta in down
212
MR. FRANK.
I t seems s tra n g e to say t h i s , t h a t anyone could be happy
i n a c o n c e n tr a tio n camp.
But Anne was happy i n th e camp in Holland
where th e y f i r s t took u s .
A fte r two y e a r s o f being sh ut up i n th e se
rooms, she could be o u t . . . . o ut in th e sunshine and th e f r e s h a i r t h a t
she lo v e d .
MIEP.
A l i t t l e more?1
MR. PRAM.
Yes, th an k yo u .
The news o f th e war was good.
and Americans were sweeping th ro u g h F ran c e .
We f e l t sure t h a t th e y
I n September we were t o l d t h a t we were to be
would g e t to us i n t i m e .
shipped to P o la n d . . . .th e men to one camp.
was s e n t t o A uschw itz.
The B r i t i s h
The women to a n o th e r .
They went t o B e lse n .
t h e few of us who were l e f t .
a long tim e t o g e t home.
l i n e s where we’d be s a f e .
I
In January we were f r e e d ,
The war w asn’t y e t o v e r, so i t took us
We’d be s e n t here and th e r e behind t h e
Each tim e our t r a i n would s t o p . . . . a t a
s id in g , or a c r o s s i n g . . . . we’d a l l g e t o ut and go from group to group
. . . . Where were you?
Were you a t B elsen?
Is i t p o s s ib le t h a t you knew my w ife ?
My son?
My dau g h ter?
At Buchenwald?
Did you ev er see my husband?
T h a t’ s how I found ou t about my w i f e ’s
. . . . o f M argot, th e Van Daans, P e t e r . . . . D u s s e l .
hoped.
At Mathausen?
Y esterd ay I went t o R o tterd am .
d e ath
But A n n e . . . . I s t i l l
I ' d h eard o f a woman t h e r e .
Sh e'd been i n B elsen w ith Anne. . . . I know now.
ANNE’S VOICE.
In s p i t e o f e v e r y th in g , I s t i l l b e lie v e t h a t people a re
r e a l l y good a t h e a r t .
MR. FRANK.
She p u ts me t o shame .2
213
"She p u ts me to shame."
CHAPTER VI
AN EVALUATION OF THE PRODUCTION
As m ight be expected from any p ro d u c tio n , t h e r e were many
p a r t s o f th e p la y which d id n o t come up t o th e le v e l o f p e r f e c t i o n
which t h e d i r e c t o r had e n v isio n e d when f i r s t he undertook i t s d i r e c ­
tio n .
The main re a s o n f o r t h i s was t h a t th e l e v e l which was s e t
was u n r e a l i s t i c .
But th e d i r e c t o r w i l l n o t a pologize fo r h i s h ig h
s ta n d a r d s , n or w i l l he a p o lo g ize f o r h i s f a i l u r e t o a t t a i n th e
g o a ls s e t by th e s e s t a n d a r d s .
I n s te a d he w i l l t r y a g a in t o d i r e c t
a p e r f e c t p r o d u c tio n , and f o r t u n a t e l y , he w i l l p ro b a b ly f a i l a g a in .
Looking a t th e f i n i s h e d p ro d u c tio n r e a l i s t i c a l l y , th e p la y
produced by th e Iowa C ity Community T heatre was f a i r l y s u c c e s s f u l .
I t was c o n sid e re d by th e members o f t h e group t o be th e b e s t produc­
t i o n o f t h e i r s e a so n .
On June 3, 1960, a t th e annual Iowa C ity
Community T he a tre Banquet, i t won s i x awards out o f th e e ig h t p r e ­
s e n te d .
The awards p re s e n te d t o th e D ia ry o f Anne Frank were th e
fo llo w in g :
b e s t costum es, b e s t scene d e s ig n , b e s t sound e f f e c t s ,
b e s t s u p p o rtin g a c t r e s s , b e s t a c t r e s s , and b e s t d i r e c t o r .
I f th e p la y was th e success t h a t th e awards seem t o i n d i ­
c a t e , th e n t h e r e must have been a re a so n fo r i t s s u c c e s s .
The
d i r e c t o r , who was n o t q u i t e as e n t h u s i a s t i c about th e f i n a l p ro d u c tio n
as th e members o f th e o r g a n iz a t io n , f e l t t h a t th e p l a y 's s tr e n g th la y
211
215
in th e c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n and the a b i l i t y o f t h e a c t o r s to make t h e i r
r o l e s a p p ea r h o n e s t.
They were a b l e , f o r the most p a r t , t o make the
audience f e e l th e s e r io u s n e s s o f th e s i t u a t i o n and, a t th e same tim e ,
e n jo y th e people who were l i v i n g th ro u g h t h i s t e r r i b l e o r d e a l .
Said one member o f the a u d ie n c e , " I s t i l l lik e d M rs. Van Daan
even though I d i d n ' t always l ik e th e t h in g s she d i d . " 1
This f e e l i n g was what th e d i r e c t o r was s t r i v i n g f o r s in c e he
f i r s t began r e h e a r s a l s , and i n t h i s in s ta n c e a t l e a s t , he f e l t t h a t
he was s u c c e s s f u l .
The c h a r a c t e r s were p o rtra y e d as human b e in g s
w ith th e norman and u s u a l human f a i l i n g s , th e s e f a i l i n g s were so normal
t h a t the audience could e a s i l y sympathize w ith th e c h a r a c t e r s .
The d i r e c t o r ' s id e a o f imposing an e x tre m e ly lim i te d a c tin g
a r e a upon h i s c a s t i n o rd e r to h e lp p o r t r a y a c lo s e n e s s in th e s i t u a ­
t i o n and a cramped f e e l i n g , a lm o st proved to be th e undoing o f th e
e n t i r e p r o d u c tio n .
The s e t was n o t a c c e s s ib le u n t i l f o u r days b e fo re
th e opening perfo rm an ce, so th e c a s t had to r e h e a r s e in a church b a s e ­
ment.
Although t h e y th o u g h t t h a t th e y were on a p e r f e c t model o f th e
s e t , th e y were s u r p r is e d t o d is c o v e r t h a t th e s iz e of th e a c t u a l f u r n i t u r e
took up more space th a n d id t h a t which was used in t h e p r a c t i c e s e t .
This t h e r e f o r e gave them l e s s space to p la y in th a n th e y had had i n
1P e rs o n a l o b s e r v a tio n to th e d i r e c t o r by Louis I n s e r r a , s e n io r
drama s tu d e n t , U n iv e rs ity of Omaha, A p r il 22, 1960.
216
th e a lr e a d y cramped space i n th e church b asem ent.
An i n f i n i t e number
o f minor b lo c k in g a d ju stm en ts had t o be made d u rin g th e l a s t few
r e h e a r s a l s , and t h i s problem was made even g r e a t e r by th e la c k of
a c tin g e x p e rie n c e o f most o f th e c a s t .
Such sm all a d ju stm en ts as
uncovering had to be d i r e c te d in s te a d o f b e in g done a u to m a tic a lly as
more e x p erien c e d a c t o r s would have done.
Due t o t h i s , th e b lo c k in g
i n many p la c e s looked r a t h e r c o n tr i v e d , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n th e scenes
which in c lu d e d th e e n t i r e c a s t on s ta g e i n th e c e n te r room.
I f th e
d i r e ct o r were t o redo th e show, he would d e s ig n th e s e t so t h a t th e
a c t o r s would have more room on a h o r i z o n t a l p la n e , and th e n make th e
s e t t i n g more s h allo w .
Of a l l th e c r i t i c i s m o f t h i s p ro d u c tio n , th e
problem o f blo ck in g was th e f a u l t mentioned most o f t e n .
One member
o f th e audience saw th e problem so c l e a r l y t h a t she s a id t o th e
d i r e c t o r t h a t she f e l t t h a t th e a c t o r s were moving a l o t o f th e tim e
j u s t so th e y could be s e e n .
They were fo llo w in g t h e i r d i r e c t o r ' s
o rd e rs even though he had n o t helped t o show them how t o be le s s
o b tru s iv e in t h e i r movements.2
Another t r o u b l e sp o t i n th e b lo c k in g was i n th e two rooms on
th e s id e s o f th e main room.
"I wished t h a t P e t e r 's room would have been
about a f o o t w id e r so t h a t Anne and P e te r could have played beside each
P
2 e rs o n a l o b s e rv a tio n made t o th e d i r e c t o r by Bea G ardner,
g rad u ate s tu d e n t i n drama, S ta te U n iv e r s ity o f Iowa, June 11, 1960.
2 17
o th e r in s te a d of b lo c k in g one a n o th e r as th e y d i d . " 3
This same
d e s ir e was ex p re ssed about Anne' s room by th o s e who s a t on th e
r i g h t s id e o f th e a u d ito riu m .
The b lo c k in g which was th e w eakest p a r t o f th e p ro d u c tio n
was n o t c o n s i s t e n t l y b ad .
For th e most p a r t th e p i c t u r e s were
p le a s in g , and th e fo cu s of a t t e n t i o n was always on th e im p o rtan t
p erso n i n a s c e n e .
When th e a c t o r s had space i n which t o move, t h e i r
b lo c k in g was q u i t e o f te n i n t e r e s t i n g .
A person i n th e audience f e l t
t h a t th e t r a n s f e r o f a t t e n t i o n was q u ite smooth.
"When i t came time
f o r someone e l s e t o c a r r y th e w eig ht o f th e s c e n e , I was q u ite
s u r p r is e d t o see them i n p o s i t i o n re a d y t o r e c e iv e th e fo cu s of
a t t e n t i o n because I had n o t n o tic e d them moving i n t o p o s i t i o n . "4
From th e s e rem arks, th e d i r e c t o r f e l t t h a t th e tr o u b l e in blo ck in g
could be a t t r i b u t e d t o h i s n o t f o r e s e e in g th e p o s s i b i l i t y o f a lack
o f space i n which th e a c t o r s could work and be se e n .
I n s o f a r as c h a r a c te r s are co n cern ed , i t was a v e ry balan ced
p ro d u c tio n .
Anne was n o t allow ed t o ru n unchecked.
She remained
th ro u g h o u t an i n t e r e s t i n g l i t t l e g i r l , and h e r mother and f a t h e r were
allowed t o have more o f a h o ld over th e g i r l th a n th e s c r i p t would
3
P e rs o n a l O b serv atio n made to t h e d i r e c t o r by Ken H a r r is ,
g ra d u a te s tu d e n t i n drama, S t a te U n iv e r s ity o f Iowa on May 24, 1960.
4
P e rs o n a l o b s e r v a tio n made t o t h e d i r e c t o r by Steven Cole,
g ra d u a te s tu d e n t i n drama, S ta te U n iv e rs ity o f Iowa on A p ril 22, 1960.
218
s u g g e st t h a t th e y d i d .
As one o b s e rv e r s t a t e d , "Wit h th e e x c e p tio n
o f Anne, who was th e s p a r k lin g elem ent o f th e p la y , th e c h a r a c te r s
reach ed a l e v e l and played as an e n se m b le .”5 M r . Frank did not have
th e power which t h e d i r e c t o r had e n v isio n e d f o r him i n h i s a n a l y s i s .
This la c k o f power was due t o th e in e x p e rie n c e o f th e a c to r c a s t i n
th e p a r t .
His in e x p e rie n c e might have been a b l e s s i n g in d i s g u i s e .
Had he been a b le to achiev e th e d e s ir e d p o s i t i o n o f dominance which
was e n v isio n e d i n th e a n a l y s i s , he might have put th e p ro d u c tio n out
o f b alan ce by b e in g much to o s tro n g a f i g u r e among t h e o th e r a c t o r s .
As i t was, he blended i n to t h e fam ily v e ry c o m fo rta b ly , b u t as a le a d e r ,
he should have had a t l e a s t a l i t t l e more s t r e n g t h to make h i s p o s i ­
t i o n c o m p le te ly b e l i e v a b l e .
The r e s t of th e c a s t b le n d e d w e ll w ith th e p o s s ib le e x c e p tio n o f
Mr. D u ssel who seemed a t tim e s t o be fo rc in g h i s r o l e .
He lacked th e
n a tu r a ln e s s t h a t w i l l p ro b a b ly come t o him w ith more e x p e r ie n c e .
Margot achieved the s tr e n g th which th e d i r e c t o r wanted h e r to
have and which th e p la y w rig h ts f a i l e d to give h e r i n h e r l i n e s .
M a rg o t's r e a c t i o n s to s i t u a t i o n s , such as Mrs. Vain D a an 's anger
a f t e r t h e m ilk was s p i l l e d on h e r c o a t , showed Margot to be an
i n t e l l i g e n t young lad y w ith a mind o f h e r own.
Her r e a c t i o n s made
h e r appear ad m irab le r a t h e r th a n m erely weak when she k e p t q u i e t .
5P e rs o n a l o b s e r v a tio n made t o th e d i r e c t o r by P r o fe s s o r John
W innie, S ta te U n iv e r s ity o f Iowa, on June 30, 1960.
219
I n th e d i r e c t o r ' s o p in io n , one o f th e b e s t perform ances
was g iv e n by th e young man c a s t i n th e r o l e o f P e te r Van Daan.
His a b i l i t y t o a c t c o n tin u o u s ly , and h is a b i l i t y t o in v e n t b u sin ess
when he was n o t p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n th e a c t io n of th e s c r i p t were o f
the utm ost v a lu e .
During th e many long scenes when he was sh u t up
i n h i s room, he was always doing th e a p p ro p ria te t h i n g .
In a p o s i­
t i o n where he co uld have e a s i l y c a l l e d a t t e n t i o n to h im s e lf, he
m a in ta in e d th e b a la n ce o f th e p ro d u c tio n by c o n t r o l l i n g h is
pantomimed b u s i n e s s .
" I n o tic e d P e t e r 's pantomimed b u sin e ss when
he was alo n e in h i s room, but he was m a in ta in in g h i s c h a r a c te r so
w e ll t h a t he d id n o t s t e a l th e a t t e n t i o n away from th e im p o rtan t
elem ent o f th e s c e n e .”6
He worked long and h ard and re c e iv e d v e ry
l i t t l e r e c o g n itio n f o r h i s e f f o r t .
His was th e most d i f f i c u l t type
o f a c t i n g , because i t was a c tin g which was n o t t o be n o tic e d .
Although P e te r does n o t appear as a m ajor p e rso n i n th e
p la y , he d id appear i n th e b e s t scene of th e p ro d u c tio n .
This
s c e n e , c o n sid e re d by th e d i r e ct o r to be th e most d i f f i c u l t i n th e
e n t i r e p la y , i s th e d a te scene between Anne and P e t e r .
This scene
was d i r e c te d t o show th e awakening aw areness on th e p a r t o f th e two
young people t o p e rso n s o f th e o p p o s ite s e x .
These two y o u n g sters
had seen each o th e r f o r a y e a r when, due t o a la c k o f normal
6P e rs o n a l o b s e rv a tio n made t o th e d i r e c t o r by D r. P h i l l i p
Benson, i n s t r u c t o r , S ta te U n iv e r s ity of Iowa on June 30, 1960.
220
c o n v e r s a tio n and a cq u ain tan ce w ith people t h e i r own a g e , th e y d i s ­
covered each o t h e r .
Both o f them were lo n e ly i n t h e i r own way, and
th e y f i n a l l y tu r n e d to each o th e r t o f i l l th e gap i n t h e i r l i v e s .
I n t h i s scene th e y showed how th e y overcame t h i s lo n e l i n e s s b y t u r n ­
in g t o each o t h e r .
They played th e scene as two h o n e s t young people who were n ot
y e t accustomed t o being alone w ith a p e rso n o f th e o th e r s e x .
They
were t o l d t o t r y to appear o ld e r a s young people always do, b u t y e t
l e t t h e i r y o u th f u l exuberance keep showing i t s e l f and g iv in g them
away.
They executed t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n p e r f e c t l y .
Anne and P e te r
fo u g h t each o th e r i n t r y i n g t o appear th e most n o n c h a la n t, and y e t
when Anne worked P e te r i n to t e l l i n g h e r t h a t she was p r e t t y and fun
and t h a t he lik e d t o have h e r around, she showed t h a t she was a lre a d y
female wise and had succeeded i n f o o li n g h e r f i r s t male companion.
The scene b u i l t to th e clim ax o f th e k i s s .
As do a l l boys
and g i r l s , th e y came t o th e p o in t i n t h e i r c o n v e r s a tio n where th e y
d is c u s s e d th e m oral l i m i t s i n t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p .
or s h o u ld n ’t th e y ?
Should th e y k i s s ,
They d id n ’t so lv e th e problem; b u t when i t came
tim e f o r Anne to le a v e , th e y k is s e d anyway.
I t was a w o n d e rfu l,
awkward k i s s a s f i r s t k i s s e s g e n e r a ll y a r e .
The d i r e c t o r was
s e v e r e ly c r i t i c i z e d by two from th e audience i n h i s d i r e c t i o n of
t h e n e x t movement.
Im m ediately a f t e r th e k i s s , which was r a t h e r awkwardly
221
executed p u rp o s e ly , P e te r tu rn e d away h a s t i l y , p ut h i s hands in h i s
p o c k e ts , and looked o u t o f th e s k y l i g h t .
th e door rem ained open.
Anne l e f t th e room, and
As soon as she had l e f t h i s room, P e te r
tu rn e d and c lo se d th e door and th e n s a t on h i s bed and wiped h i s
lip s .
This was done u n o b tr u s iv e ly , because Anne was t o m a in ta in
th e focus o f a t t e n t i o n , which she d id as s h e , a l i t t l e d re a m ily and
s e l f - c o n s c i o u s l y , s a id good n ig h t t o h e r fa m ily .
The p o in t i n ques­
t i o n was why d id P e te r t u r n away from Anne im m ediately a f t e r th e
k i s s and p u t h i s hands i n h i s po ck ets so su d d en ly .
a
laugh a t t h a t p o in t? " 7
This was th e problem .
"Did you want
Both men th o u g h t
t h a t such an obvious move would c l e a r l y c a l l fo r la u g h te r , and th e
d i r e ct o r should have changed th e movement sin ce he s u r e ly could
have known t h a t th e movement as i t was would g e t a la u g h .
This
laugh b o th e re d them because th e y saw t h i s f i r s t k i s s as a te n d e r
moment i n a young g i r l ' s l i f e , and i t should n o t be in te r r u p t e d
w ith
a la u g h .
"This moment i s n o t humorous,"8
The d i r e c t o r defended t h i s movement.
His r e p ly was t h a t
he d id n o t d e l i b e r a t e l y p u t i n a laugh a t t h i s p o i n t , b u t he agreed
th a t
he knew t h a t th e r e would be one.
He f u r t h e r e x p la in e d t h a t to
Anne and P e te r t h i s was th e te n d e r and p le a s in g th in g which th e two
c r i t i c s demanded i t w as, b u t he as th e d i r e c t o r was a ls o o b lig a te d
7P e rs o n a l o b s e rv a tio n made to th e d i r e c t o r by B i l l R appell
and Bob M eadors, drama s tu d e n t s , S ta te U n iv e rs ity of Iowa on
A p ril 26, 1960.
8I b i d .
222
to p o r t r a y th e t r u t h .
P e te r was a shy young man.
His k i s s i n g Anne
would have had to come from an im pulse or he would n ev er have atte m p te d
it.
A f te r a c t i n g on t h i s im p u lse, he was em barrassed; young men
g e n e r a ll y a r e .
His t u r n i n g and p u t t i n g h i s hands i n h is p o c k ets was
an a tte m p t on h i s p a r t t o appear r e la x e d and c o m p le te ly a t e a s e , but
h i s sudden, je r k y movements showed t h a t he d e f i n i t e l y was n o t a t e a s e .
The laugh which came as a r e s u l t o f t h i s awkward, obvious movement
was r e a l l y n o th in g more th a n a c o n firm a tio n t h a t th e d i r e c t i o n had
b een c o r r e c t .
The au d ience re c o g n iz e d P e t e r ' s f e e l i n g s o f e m b arrass­
ment, c o n fu s io n , and f r u s t r a t i o n ; and t h e y sympathized because many
o f them could remember when th e y to o had e x p erien c e d s i m i l a r f e e l i n g s .
The r e s u l t a n t la u g h te r th e n was n o t th e audience laughing a t P e te r
and Anne, b u t r a t h e r th e au d ien ce laughing a t some p a s t and s im ila r
ex p e rie n c e th e y th e m selv e s had h ad .
The p la y h e ld th e a u d ie n c e 's a t t e n t i o n th ro u g h o u t.
I t s ta rte d
slow ly w h ile t h e n e c e s s a ry e x p o s it io n was im p arted and th e c h a r a c te r s
in tr o d u c e d ; b u t once t h a t had been accom plished, by about th e m iddle
o f th e second sce n e , th e a c t i o n got under way and ro s e g r a d u a lly
tow ards i t s clim a x .
The d i r e c t o r f e l t t h a t from t h e middle o f th e
second scene h i s h a n d lin g o f tempo and pace did j u s t i c e t o th e in h e r e n t
rhythm o f th e s c r i p t .
Due t o h i s a c t o r s ' lack of e x p e r ie n c e , he f e l t
t h a t th e y could n o t handle a slow er tempo and st i l l m a in ta in c o n tr o l
over the a u d ie n c e .
The r e a l danger p o in t f o r th e m aintenance o f th e pace came
223
d u rin g th e scene c h an g es.
Anne' s n a r r a t i o n d u rin g th e s e changes
helped t o u n ite th e scenes and keep th e pace g oin g , but because o f
a co m p licated prop l i s t and n e c e s s a ry s e t changes, th e r e was always
a problem o f run n in g over th e s h o r t tim e a l l o t t e d d u rin g th e
n a rra tio n .
F o r tu n a te ly th e prop crew was re h e a rs e d enough so t h a t
on opening n ig h t th e y were on tim e i n most c a s e s .
The p ro d u c tio n had i t s f a u l t s , y e s , but i n s p i t e o f them th e
p ro d u c tio n was a s u c c e s s .
The f a u l t s were n o t bad enough to d e t r a c t
from th e meaning o f th e p la y which was p re s e n te d p r im a r ily th ro u g h
th e e f f o r t s o f c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n .
The audience f e l t t h a t th e y had
become f a m i l i a r enough w ith th e fa m ily t h a t when th e e v e n tu a l c a p tu re
and d e s t r u c t i o n o f th e fa m ily came, th e y could f e e l th e i n j u s t i c e o f
th e s i t u a t i o n and be moved by i t . 9
Anne’ s p r e s e n t a t i o n was an h o nest
one, and t h e r e f o r e t h e message o f h e r growth th ro u g h ad o lescen ce was
u n d e rs to o d .
The one p a r t o f th e p la y which was n o t as m ean ing fu l as
i t m ight have been was th e p a r t which opens and c lo s e s th e p la y .
M r. F ra n k ’s growth does n o t appear t o be as g r e a t as i t sh ould have
b een .
He should have been d i r e c t e d t o appear more angry and b i t t e r
a t th e i n j u s t i c e accorded h is fa m ily a t th e b e g in n in g t o make h is
c o n v e rsio n a t th e end more a p p a re n t and m e a n in g fu l.
9P e rs o n a l o b serva tio n made t o th e d i r e c t o r by Leda Kern,
p r e s id e n t o f th e Iowa C ity Community T h e a tre ’ s Board o f Di r e c t o r s
on June 8, 1960.
224
The d i r e c t o r as a d i r e c t o r i s young and needs e x p e rie n c e .
The o p p o rtu n ity to d i r e c t a p la y f o r a community t h e a t r e was a v a lu ­
a b le one f o r him .
I t gave him, or r a t h e r fo rced upon him, th e
o p p o rtu n ity to n o t o n ly handle act o r s b u t th e chance t o le a d an
e n t i r e p ro d u c tio n f o r th e f i r s t tim e .
This e x p e rie n c e h e ig h te n ed
h i s a p p r e c ia tio n fo r th o s e who work b a ck sta g e on a p ro d u c tio n t o
keep a p la y ru n n in g sm oothly.
Of th e d i r e c t o r , one of h i s many c r i t i c s s a id , "The f a u l t s
o f t h i s p la y a re o f th e type which w i l l be overcome by e x p e rie n c e .
The m ista k e s you made you can le a r n t o c o r r e c t ; b u t th e elem ents o f
a s u c c e s s f u l d i r e c t o r , th e t r a i t s which he must have, s e n s i t i v i t y ,
i n s i g h t , and u n d e rs ta n d in g , a re a p p a re n t i n your p ro d u c tio n .
These
th in g s you can n o t be t a u g h t . " 10
10P e rs o n a l o b s e r v a tio n made to th e d i r e c t o r by D r. Edwin L.
C la rk , chairm an o f th e drama d e p artm en t, U n iv e r s ity o f Omaha on
A p r il 22, 1960.
APPENDIX
225
227
The C ast
228
The S et
229
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
F rank, Anne, The D ia ry o f a_ Young G i r l . T r a n s la te d b y M. M ooyaart.
New York: Pocke t Books, I n c . , 1953.
G oodrich, F ra n c e s, and H a c k e tt, A l b e r t ,
New York: Random House, 1956,
The D iary of Anne F ran k ,
Schnabel, E r n s t . Anne Frank: A P o r t r a i t i n Courage.
H a rc o u rt, Brace and Company, 1958.
New York:
A r t i c l e s and P e r i o d i c a l s
de Jong, L o u is. "The G i r l Who was Anne F ra n k ," The R ea d e r' s D ig e s t,
LXXI, O cto b er, 1957.
Frank,
S ta n le y .
Hewes,
Henry.
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"I Knew Anne F ra n k ," M cC all' s , LXXXV, J u l y , 1958.
"Broadway P o s t s c r i p t , " Satu rd ay Review, O ctober 22,
Levin, M eyer. "C hild Behind th e S e c r e t D oor," New York Times Book
Review S e c tio n , June 15, 1952.
New Y o rker, XXVIII, June 21, 1952.
Time, LIX, June 16, 1952.
W hite, A n to n ia. "From th e S e c r e t Annex,"
X L III, May 17, 1952.
New Statesm an and N a tio n ,