This year marks the 70^th anniversary of the publication of The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank’s intimate record of the years she and her family spent hiding from the Nazis in occupied Holland during the latter part of World War II.

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In this anniversary year of the book’s publication, Perth audiences will get the opportunity to see this extraordinary story brought to life on stage in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play based on Anne’s writings.

In May, The Diary of Anne Frank will be performed by the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts’ 3^rd Year Acting students under the direction of visiting guest director Dr Peggy Shannon.

A post-show discussion with the cast will be held on Tuesday 9 May, providing an opportunity for audience members to ask questions about the production.

Dr Peggy Shannon is Chair of the School of Performance at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Her visit to WAAPA has been facilitated by the generosity of the Minderoo Foundation, WAAPA’s main supporting sponsor of its Visiting Artists Program.

Over the past twenty years, Peggy Shannon has served as a professor and administrator at the University of Southern California, the University of Washington, and the University of California.

Dr Shannon brings a wealth of directorial experience to WAAPA, having directed plays and musicals for professional theatres across America, and served as Artistic Director at Seattle’s A Contemporary Theatre and Northern California’s Sacramento Theatre Company. She has also worked at the Old Vic National Youth Theatre in London and at Hydrama Theatre in Greece.

WAAPA is honoured to have Peggy Shannon in Perth to direct this moving play that is both a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

The Diary of Anne Frank, Roundhouse Theatre, ECU, 2 Bradford St, Mount Lawley,  5-11 May. Book tickets at WAAPA.

Media Release from WAAPA, image of Sky Beker and Roy Joseph by Kathy Wheatley.