A little drama (especially in the theater department) never hurt anyone. The world of theater exposes audiences and actors to powerful stories from a variety of genres.This December, the BC Upper school will be staging a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. The drama is about the young Anne Frank and her life as a Jewish adolescent during the World War II era. Mr. Justin Indovina, Chair of the BC theater department, discussed his feelings about the show: “ I am very excited about creating this beautiful portrayal of history on our stage here at BC. The cast’s ultimate goal is to make the audience feel something.  That could be sadness or it could be anger, but good theater makes us feel.” He also explained how the play was different from any other BC theater production: “The Diary of Anne Frank will be a great challenge for our upper school actors.  Not only is it the first dramatic play that the school has done in a few years, but the students have to portray real people in a real situation which requires a certain amount of focus, finesse, and respect.” A variety of Upper school students will be involved in the play, and you can view the cast list at the end of this article.

Along with the production of The Diary of Anne Frank for the Upper school, the Middle school is staging a production of Annie Jr. The musical, which is set in New York during the 1930s, is about a young orphan named Annie and her quest to find her biological parents. Mr. Indovina is just as eager for the production of this musical, as he is for The Diary of Anne Frank: “It is going to be a very exciting production with lots of singing and dancing.  The cast includes 30 middle school students from grades 6-8.  The actors have to blend their acting, singing, and dancing skills to produce an exciting show.” He chose to stage this musical because of “its fun music and relatable story for the Middle School students,” and because he feels “it is also a great way to begin the theater production season.” With all of the hard work from the BC students and faculty already being put into the production of these plays, this winter is sure to be yet another season of success for the Berkeley Carroll Theater Department.

Cast List for The Diary of Anne Frank:

Anne Frank…Lucie Allouche

Otto Frank…Cooper Lippert

Edith Frank…Julia Lisi

Margo Frank…Emma Newbery

Hermann van Daan…Andrew Keenan

Petronella van Daan…Tristan Gillia

Peter van Daan…Will Pigott

Albert Dussel…Myles Zavelo

Miep Gies…Julia Pike

Victor Kraler…Henry Pearson

Karl Silberbauer/Rauter…Caleb Gordon

Officer 1/Broadcast Reporter…Callie Goodin

Officer 2/Broadcast Reporter…Sarah Holsberg

Officer 3/Bolkenstein/”All I Know” Monologue…Rocco Blum

“Glass Like Jewels” Monologue…Julia Longo

“Old Traditions, New Dreams” Monologue…Avery Smith

“In Hiding” Monologue…Eleanor Pearson

“Trains” Monologue…Jake Simpson

“Crust of Bread” Monologue…Anja Boltz