It is Friday, and all one can think of is winding down from the week and hanging out with friends. The options are always the same: movie, play, a park or perhaps even an ice cream run. The only rule is that you don’t ever do the same thing two Fridays in a row. So what to choose this time? Well on Friday the 2nd it was an ice cream run with the guys. Therefore on the 9th we all wanted to try something new and exciting. I received a phone call asking if I wanted to accompany Joe to The Diary of Anne Frank at The Empty Space. Of course, I said ‘yes’ after-all, what could possibly go wrong at a play?
The Empty Space, ever heard of it before? That is ok, me either. As it turns out, The Empty Space’s mission “is to provide professional quality live theatre to the community of Bakersfield and to create an opportunity for local actors, directors and technicians to work in a creative environment that allows them to express themselves and their artistic ideas while encouraging them to continue to study and improve their craft” They offer free theatre to the community of Bakersfield, asking simply for donations after the show. They ask that students donate $10 and adults donate $15. This is extremely reasonable for such an amazing performance. The Empty Space is located at 706 Oak Street, right by Pizzaville. Once inside, the room is a unique and open space; seating roughly 100 people (maybe a little more).
At exactly 8p.m on Friday night, inside the theatre, the lights flashed once and then the place went totally dark. Seeing as how the walls inside the theatre are black, without windows, it was extremely dark. Slowly a dim light comes on, but stays very dim. Just then, with the place still dimly lit, a woman shrieks and everyone in my group jumps. “THERE IS A RAT!” is the next thing you hear as the lights get brighter, revealing Edith Frank and the rest of her family. Quite a way to start a play, and the ending was even better.
The entire play was about Anne Frank’s life while she lived in the attic above her father’s office. The cast of characters steadily came onto the scene and one by one, the audience created an opinion of each character. Mr. Frank’s was for sure his wife, Edith’s only support. Then there was Margot Frank, Anne’s older sister, whom Edith believes is the “ideal” daughter. Just as we get to know all of the Frank’s, the Van Daan’s arrive to hide with the Frank’s in the already too small attic. Peter, Petronella and Hermann Van Daan make up an interesting and small family. Over time, we see these two families grow together to be one, bonded by a great war and shared space. After more than a year in the attic, Peter Van Daan starts to fall for Anne and she falls right back. At the climax of the play, the Green Police come into the attic and separates everyone. The lights go dim again, and everyone sits wondering if the play has ended without telling us if Anne survives.
Just as it seems there is a cliff-hanger, the light above the door to the attic comes on and Mr. Frank enters. He holds his hat in his hands and looks somber. He then begins to tell the audience what happened to his family after the Green Police came. The family was separated, boys to one part of the camp and girls to another. Through a series of explanations, we learn with great sadness that Mr. Frank’s is the only one to have survived.
The Diary of Anne Frank by The Empty Space was by far the best play I have ever attended. Clothing, books, furniture all accurately portrayed the time and the characters lived up to their roles. By the end of the play I had tears in my eyes; Anne Frank was a great young lady and had a bright future ahead of her. My only hope for anybody who saw this play, is that they never forget what happened during Hitler‘s reign. “If all of us forgot, the same thing might happen again, in 20 or 50 or 100 years.” -Simon Wiesenthal, author.
