'The Diary of Anne Frank' opens Friday at Ashtabula Arts Center

Sep. 13—ASHTABULA — The 13th Street Theatre opens its 2023-24 season at the Ashtabula Arts Center on Friday with "The Diary of Anne Frank," directed by Bob Kilpatrick.

Created from the real historical writings of Anne Frank, the play provides a window into the years Anne (played by Rylee Schor) and her Jewish family spent in hiding from Nazi persecution during World War II.

Anne's diary was published by her father Otto Frank in 1947, two years after she died of typhus at the age of 15 while imprisoned with her sister, Margot, in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Anne wrote her final diary entry on Aug. 1, 1944, three days before the Nazis arrested and imprisoned her family.

"The Diary of Anne Frank" runs Sept. 15-17 & 22-24, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. A school performance is available for Thursday, Sept. 21 at 10:30 a.m. School performance tickets are $10 each for both students and chaperones. Call (440) 964-3396 to make reservations.

Advance Sale Tickets: Adult $17, Senior/Student/Military $15, Child 2-12 $13. For tickets at the door, add $2. School performance tickets are $10 each for both students and chaperones. Call 440-964-3396 or go to ashtabulaartscenter.org to order.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, special guest speaker Erika Gold, a Holocaust survivor, will give a talk in 13th Street Theatre at 6 p.m. There is no cost to attend the talk. This event will also be streamed; the link will be provided at ashtabulaartscenter.org.

The Arts Center would like to thank Ms. Gold for sharing her experience, and would like to thank the Maltz Museum of Beachwood for partnering to bring her story to our community, as well as for providing the cast and crew of "The Diary of Anne Frank" a museum tour. The Maltz Museum is proud to be a community partner of the Ashtabula Arts Center presenting "The Diary of Anne Frank." To learn more about the museum, its programs, and special exhibition "The Girl in the Diary: Searching for Rywka from the Lodz Ghetto" (October 25, 2023 — April 28, 2024), please visit www.maltzmuseum.org.

"The Diary of Anne Frank"by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.Newly Adapted by Wendy Kesselman.Presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.

13th Street Theatre 2023-24 is sponsored by Huffman-Mayer Wealth Management Group.

Ohio Arts Council helped fund the arts center with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.