I encourage you to use "non-traditional casting" and have seen it done with great success in dozens of productions of a similar play about the Holocaust, my own script,
Letters to Sala.
At the College of Charleston, in the last workshop production of
Letters to Sala before publication by Dramatists Play Service, we cast an African-American as an historic figure, Ala Gertner, not only because the director and I believe in colorblind casting but because the actress clearly gave the best audition for the role. I've seen a very fine community college production with a cast of African-American, Pacific Islander, Asian, Latino and European-American students. And from the photos sent to me and from Skyping in with teachers and students I know that directors at many colleges, high schools and middle schools, in addition to casting colorblind, also cast a range of body types for the scenes in the work camps, some of which occur very late in the war.
Letters to Sala goes back and forth between the years in the camps and the near present; I've even seen the NYC family unit -- Sala and her daughter and granddaughters -- also cast with a range of ethnic types. If the actors are truthful to the text and the characters' objectives, the story holds up regardless of actors' ability, skin color or eye color or hair color or weight... or age.
I assume you are not using age-appropriate actors and that they are not speaking German. So why worry about actor ethnicity? In addition to sending a very important message to your students and community, you will have the pleasure of working with an actress you are excited about.
Ann Kirschner, who is Sala's daughter, and I discussed this early on and she embraces colorblind casting as well. The DPS printed script says:
"The playwright encourages the use of nontraditional casting. There were some 60,000 Africans living in Germany at the time of the Holocaust, in addition to Roma and other ethnic groups; many of them ended up in the camps."
Wishing you all the best with your production!
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Arlene Hutton, playwright
Letters to Sala
I Dream Before I Take the Stand
Kissed the Girls & Made Them Cry
As It Is In Heaven
Susie Sits Shiva (EdTA commission)
faculty, The Barrow Group, NYC
arlene@barrowgroup.org------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2019 21:15
From: Andrew Simon
Subject: Non-traditional casting in Anne Frank
I am directing The Diary of Anne Frank this winter, and I am struggling with whether to do colorblind casting. With a historical piece like this one, the usual answer is to cast it with caucasian actors since the characters would have been. But I have an African-American actress that might be really good in one of the roles. Has anyone done the play with actors of color? BTW, I am Jewish, so I understand the religious implications, though there are Jews of color. Thanks for your help.
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Andy Simon
Theater Teacher
Naperville North High School
Naperville, IL
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