CLARKSVILLE, TN – More than 80 years after a young girl wrote of her experiences while hiding from Nazi persecution in a concealed annex in Amsterdam, her timely and enduring story is taking on new life at Clarksville’s oldest professional theatre. “The Diary of Anne Frank” opens at the Roxy Regional Theatre’s temporary home at 114 Public Square on Friday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m.

Sponsored by Liberty Oral & Facial Surgery, Wendy Kesselman’s transcendently powerful adaptation of the original Pulitzer Prize award-winning script by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett draws from previously unpublished diary entries to create a more complex, authentic realization of Anne’s story. Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination.

This impassioned drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence—their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief. Each day of these two dark years, Anne’s voice shines through: “When I write, I shake off all my cares. But I want to achieve more than that. I want to be useful and bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!”

Sharing the role of Anne Frank in the Roxy Regional Theatre’s production are local youth Malin Barnhill and Emory Duranceau. Directed by Emily Ruck, the cast also features Howard Snyder and Ellen Schumann as Otto and Edith Frank; Kirra Martinez and Mallorie Puckett sharing the role of Margot Frank; Andrew Bower and Jessica Henninger as Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan, with Ashton Bickham and Zoë Fewox sharing the role of their son, Peter Van Daan; RJ Comer as Mr. Dussel; Ashley Birnbaum as Miep Gies and Bill Colclough as Mr. Kraler. Elisabeth Groves and Cooper Maurer understudy the roles of Anne and Peter, respectively.

Performances run February 13 through February 22 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm, with 2:00pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. (Please note, there is no 7:00pm performance on Saturday, February 14.) In keeping with the theatre’s opening night tradition, all tickets not pre-sold at the regular price will go on sale at 6:30pm on Friday, February 13, for a $5 Opening Night Rush.

Tickets are $35 (adults) and $15 (ages 10 and under) and may be reserved online at roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at (931) 645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to performances). Performances will be held at the Roxy Regional Theatre’s temporary location at 114 Public Square. Seating for this production will begin 30 minutes prior to the performance. Late arrivals will not be admitted, due to the configuration of the venue.

| DON’T MISS AN EVENT: For more Clarksville things to do, check out the Winter fun guide or the Clarksville Events calendar.