The Diary of Anne Frank is a reminder we should never forget

History can teach us a lot about ourselves. Both the things we don’t want to forget, and the things we don’t want to remember. We live in a time when the things we hoped we would never forget have either been forgotten, or maliciously misremembered. The result being, as expected, a repeat of all the terrible things we had hoped would never happen again.

Actor/director Norman Lewis understands this all too human foible and cites it as one of the reasons he chose to bring “The Diary of Anne Frank” back to the Las Cruces Community Theatre stage.

“We are in a time where certain voices in the political landscape are espousing a whole array of negative stereotypes, including homophobia, anti-immigrant, and antisemitism,” he said. “These things are being given new life, and it seems to be getting worse. I’ve done this play twice in my theatrical career, and I know the effect it has on people, so I really wanted to do it.”

“The Diary of Anne Frank,” for those not familiar, is based on the posthumously published book, “The Diary of a Young Girl,” written by a Dutch teenager during the two years she was in hiding with her family from the Nazis who were occupying the Netherlands. Filled with passages of hope, and ruminations on the life she and her family hoped for after the World War II, the diary is one of the most well-known documents of life during the Holocaust. Though the book was published in 1947, three years after Anne’s death at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, it carried her cautionary tale to several generations of readers.

Then something happened. The message got lost amidst a rise of skepticism and the whitewashing of history. Bold new voices rose up decrying the Holocaust as a fabrication. Norman found that, in his own words, “despicable.”

“I do start the show with two minutes of slides, where I give a brief powerpoint of German history from 1932 to 1942, just because people have forgotten,” he said. “It surprises me how many people have never even heard of this play. So, I do a little recap, because I think it’s important to know the historical setting. World War II was 80 years ago. The play is just not as well-known as it once was.”

Mia Berkson plays the title character in The Diary of Anne Frank, at the Las Cruces Community Theatre. Photo by Laura Bever.

It's not the only reason he cites for staging it, however. The other is purely practical. “The second reason I wanted to do it was because I was aware of an extraordinary young lady – she’s 17 – who could play Anne Frank. You can’t do Hamlet unless you have a good Hamlet, and you can’t do Anne Frank unless you have a really good Anne Frank. Her name is Mia Berkson, and I really wanted the opportunity to mentor her. She’s terrific.”

A student at Organ Mountain High School, Mia should be a familiar face to regular theatergoers, having done several productions at LCCT including assaying the roles of Liesel in The Sound of Music, and the lead in Matilda. Norman points out that Mia has attended several summers at Stagedoor Manor, a performing arts camp in New York state that he says has, “generated a lot of actors that have gone on to fame and fortune.”

He has just as much praise for the rest of his experienced cast. “The parents are played by Dustin Wright and Nora Brown, both of whom have extensive local resumes,” he said. “The van Daans, who are the other family that lives in the attic with the Franks, are played by Eric and Shari DuMond, who are based in El Paso and have done a few shows here. So many wonderful actors.”

For those who pay attention to such things, Norman proudly announces that he was able to convince Jim Billings, the professor of design who retired from NMSU last year, to build the set for the production. Lighting design fell to Dan Robillard, a member of the LCCT board and another retired professional with years of experience. Ultimately, the director hopes audiences will appreciate the restaging, and that it will help prompt more discussion on the topic of bigotry and fascism.

“Our job is to serve the playwright, to serve the play, and to serve the subject of the play,” Norman said. “The cast gets very emotionally upset, and they should. The slide show really upset them, but it’s a reminder of how hate can destroy love, and it’s never far away. It’s always bubbling under the surface, and we must all be vigilant.”

The Diary of Anne Frank runs 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Oct. 4-20, at Las Cruces Community Theatre, 313 N. Main St., Las Cruces. Info: 575-523-1200 or LCCTNM.org