Hyde Park, NY – When she was 13 years old, Anne
Frank, like many young girls, received a diary for her birthday. More than 70
years later, the diary she kept is read in classrooms around the world,
produced as movies, plays, and musicals. This spring, Half Moon Theatre proudly
presents a play based on Anne’s diary called Yours, Anne. The play has a limited run of two weekends at The
Culinary Institute of America’s Marriott Pavilion.
Yours, Anne by Enid Futterman is an 80-minute musical adaptation of “Diary
of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank and “The Diary of Anne Frank” by Frances Goodrich
and Albert Hackett. The show features music by Michael Cohen and is directed by
Michael Schiralli. Yours, Anne premiered off-Broadway in 1996 and has been performed
around the world, including venues in the Netherlands, South Africa, Japan, and
Lincoln Center.
This critically-acclaimed musical brings to life Anne’s
diary about her experiences as a young girl living in hiding with her family
for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WWII. “More
than seven decades later, the contradiction between the tragedy of Anne Frank’s
circumstances, and the triumph of her spiritual survival, is even more
striking. Anne transcended the oppression of the Holocaust by inspiring
generations throughout the world with her writing,” Futterman said. Yours, Anne is a beautiful and
timely coming-of-age story that lifts up important themes for audiences of all
ages, including the need for tolerance, and the power of love, friendship, and
the human spirit to sustain us in troubled times.
Half Moon Theatre, a professional theatre company based in
Poughkeepsie, NY sought to bring Yours,
Anne to the Hudson Valley as part of its 10th anniversary
season. “One of
the main focuses of Half Moon Theatre is to present professional
theatre
productions which tell an authentic story as it relates to the human
spirit,”
Molly Katz, executive director of Half Moon Theatre, said. “Several
months ago
local theatre enthusiasts and community leaders such as Rabbi Leah
Berkawitz from Vassar Temple expressed an interest in producing
this show, and our team at Half Moon agreed. Yours, Anne embodies everything we want to bring to Hudson Valley,
and more. We felt that it was definitely a story that needed to be told and it
fit perfectly within our 10th anniversary season.”
Yours, Anne will
be performed at the CIA’s Marriott Pavilion from March 25 through April 2 and
weekday matinee performances for schools and community groups will be held on Friday,
March 31 and Tuesday, April 4 at 10 a.m. Tickets range from $18–$35 and
discounts are available for groups of eight or more. Opening night audiences will
enjoy a complimentary reception immediately following the show, and on March 26
a “talk-back” with the cast will follow the performance.
Preceding the opening of Yours,
Anne, Half Moon Theatre, in collaboration with the FDR Presidential Library
and Museum in Hyde Park, NY, will present “Anne Frank: Contemporary
Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities,” a panel discussion. This free, public
event will take place on Sunday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Library’s Henry
A. Wallace Center. The discussion will be moderated by Paul Sparrow, director
of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, and will include: Leon Botstein, president
of Bard College and Leon Levy professor in the arts and humanities; Edna Nahshon, professor of Jewish theater and drama at the
Jewish Theological Seminary in New York; and Enid Futterman,
lyricist and librettist of Yours, Anne. Cast members of Yours, Anne will
perform musical excerpts from the show to effectively connect the theatrical
production with the themes of the panel. A reception will immediately follow
the discussion. Light refreshments will be served. For reservations visit FDRLibary.org.
What:Yours, Anne
Where: Marriott Pavilion at the CIA
When: March 25–April 2
Student and Community Group Matinees: Friday, March 31 at 10 a.m. and Tuesday, April 4 at 10 a.m.
Tickets: $18-$35. Group, student and
senior discounts available.
More Info: Visit www.halfmoontheatre.org or call 845-235-9885
Photo Caption:
Yours, Anne, a musical adaptation of Anne Frank’s
world-famous Diary of a Young Girl, will be presented by Half Moon
Theatre at The Culinary Institute of America from March 25 to April 2,
2017. The play addresses important themes for audiences of all ages.
Media Contact:
Sara Capozzoli
Public Relations Director
914-456-6832
sara@halfmoontheatre.org
About Half Moon Theatre:
Founded in 2006, Half Moon Theatre (HMT) is the Hudson
Valley’s only
year-round professional theater company. HMT brings plays and musicals
from
Broadway and Off-Broadway to the Mid-Hudson region and supports the
development
of new work by American playwrights, composers and lyricists. The
mainstage season is presented at the Marriott Pavilion on
The Culinary Institute of America campus in Hyde Park, NY. HMT also
operates a School
of the Arts and a Studio Theatre in Poughkeepsie, NY. HMT Education
cultivates a
new generation of theater artists and fans through in-school
residencies,
theater classes, and professional training programs. The HMT Junior
Company
creates and performs free shows at hospitals, senior centers and
community
events. Performances, education and outreach programs serve over
15,000 youth
and adults annually, enhancing the quality of life for local residents
while
also promoting tourism in the Hudson Valley. HMT is the recipient of
the 2015 Dutchess County Tourism Arts Award of Distinction and 2014
Dutchess County Executive’s Arts Organization of the Year
by Arts Mid-Hudson. Visit www.halfmoontheatre.org.
About The Culinary Institute of America:
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and
hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degree
majors in management, culinary science, and applied food studies; associate
degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts; and executive education
through its Food Business School. The college also offers certificate programs
and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences and consulting
services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its
worldwide network of 49,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the
food business. The CIA has campuses in New York, California, Texas, and
Singapore.
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