As far as directorial debuts go, The Diary of Anne Frank is something of an ambitious production, but first-time director with the Woodhouse Players Anna Heinink seems more than up to the job.
Coming to the story aged just 12, Anna, who has acted with the Woodhouse Players since 2005, knows the tragic tale well; performing in a version at Leytonstone School and more recently visiting the site of the annex in Amsterdam where Anne and her Jewish family hid from the Nazis during World War Two.
Still, the show has not been without its challenges: “Most definitely the toughest thing is the actors never really leave the stage,” the 28-year-old publisher tells me. ”In most plays you have three or four actors on stage at one time, but with this every actor is needed to create the sense of eight people living in a confined space. The challenge then is to choreograph all eight actors but to stop them from blocking each other and keep it visually clean and tidy for the audience.”
Taking on the lead role is local girl Sarah Fox, a pupil at Connaught School For Girls, who, at just 14, is one year older than Anne when she received her famous diary. “This is her first major role, and she is amazing,” Anna gushes.
The Diary of Anne Frank is presented as part of this year’s Leytonstone Fesitval.
Performances take place at the Welsh Church Hall, Leytonstone, on Friday, July 10 and 17, 8pm and Saturday, July 11 and 18, 3pm and 8pm. Tickets: 020 8504 3872, www.woodhouseplayers.co.uk
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