Wayne S. Turney has brought to life the heartbreaking story of one of World War ll's most tragic figures, Anne Frank, in Desales University's production of 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' running through March 2. In a world with thousands of plays to choose from, what struck you about the script for Anne Frank' "Its stageworthiness. This script is extremely playable and smart as a piece of theatre. And the story on which it's based is not only true but truly moving. Turney offers us a unique perspective on the show. He's even performed in it! "In fact, I played the young son 40 some years ago. Fortunately, I've forgotten most of the specifics of that production, so I could approach this one with fresh eyes." When asked if his personal experiences have influenced his direction, he answers "Theatre is largely about allowing your life experience to influence your work. I was raised in the fifties and I remember vividly being aware of the evils of the Nazis and dictatorships in general. Stanislavski's "magic 'if'" was easy for me in this one."
Here we are, in 2014, several years after the events in this play. Why this play, and why now' He answers "This is one of those plays that is truly timeless. I am confident that its insights into the evils of oppression and intolerance, and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming evil will never go out of fashion." The Franks lived in a very small space for over two years. Stage shows are sometimes created to be larger than life. How did you go about staging this production' "Working with Will Neuert, our resident scene designer, we looked at the actual attic (which is now a museum and very well known) and based a lot of the ideas on that space. The script makes the reality of living in the confines of a small space with seven other human beings very clear. It was a very decent road map to those behaviors." The roles require a maturity beyond some of the actors' ages. "Most of the cast is older than or younger than our students; all the roles were taken by our super-talented students." The actors have recieved very postitive reviews for their portrayal of the characters, evoking genuine emotions that moved the audience in more ways than one. Why is this story so important today' What can we still learn from the Franks' "We tend to bandy about the word 'tragedy' to mean only a shocking misfortune. But Tragedy (with a capital 'T' means something more to theatrical types. In a real Tragedy, a (usually) flawed character is caught in the coils of fate too late to avoid his or her fall, and recognizes some transcendant Truth (with another capital 'T'). And a true tragic 'hero' or 'heroine' is essentially innocent. The Franks (and Van Daans and Mr. Dussel) are very human and therefore flawed human beings and the Franks rise above their situation: "In spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart..." "For two years we have lived in fear; now we can live in hope." That's the stuff great Theatre (one more capital 'T') is made of." The Diary of Anne Frank runs through March 2. For tickets and more information please call 610-282-3192 or visit them online at http://www.desales.edu/home/arts-events/act-1-productions/main-stage/the-diary-of-anne-frank. Desales University's theatre is located atThe Labuda Center 2755 Station Ave Center Valley, PA 18034