The Diary of Anne Frank & Holocaust Talk Panel - LATTE Theater

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, by LATTE THEATER, will bring real, Living History to Plymouth Place Auditorium this weekend. Come join us for this interactive play and discussion that is so relevant today with all the conflict we fight in our society. The teens of LATTE bring wisdom, strength, and hope for the future through the stage.

Join us in this vibrant reenactment of the Frank's final days in hiding. In partnership with the Illinois Holocaust Museum, Steve Koek will join the cast for a panel discussion following each show. Steve's family were in hiding in Amsterdam at the same time Anne Frank was... and barely escaped with their lives to America.

"Anne Frank’s story, at its core, is about a normal teenager trying to understand and define her place in an ever-changing world. We hear her developing her own voice in her diary as she searches for autonomy. She is human. She teases a boy… and later develops a crush on him. She fights PTSD and traumatic nightmares. She is a Daddy’s girl. She worries about her friends and is processing her body changing. She gets angsty for absolutely no reason toward her mother. She is a prankster and loves to laugh. She desperately seeks validation and yearns to make a difference in this world. She is unfiltered, sublimely candid, and quite human. The Annex family are perfectly imperfect people with their own personalities. They are fun and amusing, with their own strengths and Achilles heels. ", shares LATTE producer/director Felicia Pfluger

They attempt to create normalcy and dignity in the claustrophobic, pressure cooker of living together in hiding… and just when things couldn’t get more stressful, they selflessly take in a quirky dentist to save his life. And somehow, they unite as a family. The fact that this true story happened when the family are fighting for their lives ~ as Jews are being exterminated in Nazi occupied Amsterdam, adds an intense layer to the story…

During intermission, music dedicated to Anne Frank will be played that was sung by the TOWER CHORALE. As the Frank family in the story could not leave the annex in real life, the cast will stay in motion on stage during the intermission. The audience will be asked to quietly share our reverence for this living history reenactment.

These nine voices reach out to us vibrantly, yet hauntingly from the past. Ever so quickly, we feel like they are our friends. Yet these bright voices are but a few in the sea of six million Jews and eleven million total individuals whose voices were silenced so horribly. "I am humbled that I have been able to produce and direct Anne Frank. It shares history, life, resilience, and so many heartwarming moments… The teens have crafted rich and beautiful characters that pay homage to their real-life counterparts, and attack head-on the issues of hatred that resonate deeply still today" Pfluger shares. The tale is jarringly relatable. Though in America we are not facing genocide, we are facing terror attacks, mass shootings (particularly at schools), and a record amount of abductions.

PANEL DISCUSSION

After the show, you will have an incredible opportunity to be part of a panel discussion, created in partnership with the Illinois Holocaust Museum, Hitzeman’s Funeral home, and LATTE Theater. You will have the chance to interact with the cast, this director, and a second-generation holocaust survivor, Steve Koek. Steve’s family’s story of tragedy, survival, and triumph hold remarkable similarities to that of Anne Frank and her family.

Joe and his two sisters, Eva and Henny, were among the Hidden Children of Holland after the Nazi invasion in World War II. After giving their three children over to resistance fighters, their parents, were betrayed, captured, and taken away to Auschwitz. In hiding, Joe was separated from his sisters, all three of them escaping capture and death at every turn. Against the odds, all three siblings survived the war. Hear their incredible story.

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK - LATTE Theater
7 pm Friday, November 9th
2 pm & 7 pm Saturday, November 10th

Plymouth Place Auditorium
315 North La Grange Road, La Grange IL

$5 Students/Seniors
$15 Adults
708-655-0989

A DIVERSE COMMUNITY STANDS UNITED... THE VOICES OF TODAY.

In these times of crisis, ANNE FRANK is a reminder that we must ban together amidst adversity and hatred. These social justice groups and world religions have a similar hope. We hope that you will leave inspired to make a difference as well.

Together we can establish a climate of peace amidst adversity that is desperately needed. As a student once said to me, “Many hands make light work”. To quote Ghandi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And to quote Anne, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” Read on to hear the voices of today.

A MUSLIM HOPE OF PEACE

As a German American Muslim my Islamic faith has always given me hope for our shared humanity. As the Quran teaches to treat my fellow humans, no matter of what faith, with respect and kindness. My German roots have taught me that you cannot judge or discriminate against a whole community indiscriminately. Being American has made me thankful that we are free to follow the faith tradition of our choosing. Islam condemns all acts of hatred and violence against any faiths, and encourages open dialogue and discussion.

~ Michael Klaus Schmidt, Muslim American

A JEWISH WISH OF PEACE

Given what happened on Saturday Oct. 27th in Pittsburgh to the community of the Tree of Life Congregation, a youth production of The Diary of Anne Frank is more relevant and necessary than ever.

Anne Frank’s diary has been translated into 70 languages with more than 30 million copies sold, and its popularity is a testimony to the timelessness of its message. Although Anne perished as one of the 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, the message that comes through loud and clear in her diary is one of hope. Her diary inspires us to continue to teach future generations about the horrors of the past; to pass on the values of freedom – most importantly freedom from fear. When I taught at our Sunday school the day following the attack in Pittsburgh, one child said, “I am just so scared.”

With our students I shared the words of a Jewish teaching of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), who said, “The whole world is a very narrow bridge, but the essential thing is to have no fear at all.” Of course, fear is normal and natural, and yet, our goal is to face our fear and to continue to build a more just and more caring world. Anne Frank, despite the horrors that she experienced in her short life, embodied this message. She faced her fear, and she chose to act with kindness and love, even in the face of one of history’s most vile acts of hatred.

She writes in her diary, “The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” It lies in our hands now. May this production of Anne Frank inspire all who view it to act boldly for justice, to spread kindness, and to love more boldly in the face of hate.
~ Rabbi David Eber Assistant Rabbi for Education Jewish Reconstructionist, Congregation of Evanston

THE BAHAI PROMISE OF WORLD PEACE

Unthinkable human savagery takes place, such as what happened to Anne Frank and millions of other Jews during World War II and more recently with the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, it may be difficult to believe that peace is possible.

We learn, “There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an outburst of human savagery! I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content.

Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and happiness. Do not think the peace of the world an ideal impossible to attain!. If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men. Do not despair! Work steadily. Sincerity and love will conquer hate.”

~ Ellen Price, Bahá’í Faith Communications

A CATHOLIC CRY FOR PEACE

Sadly, we now often react to the news of a shooting or other act of violence with the words, “What now?” Perhaps the intensity of coverage by cable news and social media has dulled our reaction to what has become an all too frequent occurrence. Even the extreme language of our politics now demonizes opposing viewpoints, encouraging us to see anyone who disagrees with us as “the enemy.”

It is easy to condemn the actions of a mentally disturbed person who was stirred into violence by the harsh rhetoric in current discourse. But will we apply the same criticism to the rhetoric itself? Will we resist the temptation to be silent when we are confronted by harsh or violent language? Will we refuse to participate in the politics that call for doom and gloom if the “other party” is elected?

Or will we intervene to tone down divisive conversations and to encourage listening to one another in search of common ground? And when we encounter an unwillingness to listen or to engage in compassionate dialogue, will we nonetheless express our love through kind words, respect for differences, and an openness to the Spirit’s path to harmony and peace?

We are called to be voices of love that strive for peace in word and action. But this demands a willingness to love each person, especially the one whom we do not understand or strongly oppose. Are we willing to be the voice of love that seeks understanding in our homes, our places of work and study, and our daily interactions? ~ Peace, Fr. Bill Tkachuk , St. Frank Xavier, La Grange

A SOCIAL JUSTICE CALL FOR PEACE

I am compelled to work for nonviolent actions and respect for ALL LIFE. I am willing to enter actions that promote justice to those in need of having safe neighborhoods, an end to gang activity or calling on my representatives to pass laws that will promote an end to Gun Violence.

Restrictions on guns such as background checks, use of assault weapons and licensing of gun sellers are needed for our safety. I want to stand in solidarity with those who are victims of all types of violence, namely wars, persecutions, political unrest, trafficking, gangs and guns. I am called to take risks entailed in giving public witness when addressing systemic injustice. I know I am called to strengthen and expand my collaboration, partnering and networking with a diversity of persons and groups to bring about life-giving change in our neighborhoods and in our world. ~ Sr. Marlene Schemmel, Community of St. Joseph