OREM — Sometimes a long layover isn’t such a bad thing.
Eighteen years ago, Anne Swenson and her husband snagged cheap tickets to Europe. They threw some items in backpacks and headed on an adventure that included stops in France, Italy and Austria.
But the most profound experience of their holiday wasn’t the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Venice’s Grand Canal. It was the Anne Frank House, which they visited on a 10-hour layover in Amsterdam.
“It tells a beautiful story,” said Swenson, managing director/executive producer of Hale Center Theater Orem. “We didn’t realize how moved we were going to be.”
Swenson hopes the theater’s upcoming play, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” will convey the reverence she felt visiting the secret annex where 13-year-old Anne, her family and four other Jews hid from the Nazis for more than two years during World War II.
The show won a Tony Award for Best Play and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama after opening on Broadway in 1955, according to a news release.
Despite the difficult circumstances Anne and the others endured, Swenson said the play — which some may assume is a downer — is incredibly hopeful.
“The characters don’t know how it ends. They’re optimistic,” she said. “Anne’s voice comes through this piece so strongly, and she is inspiring.”
Amber Dodge Tinney, who plays Anne, said although parts of the show will tug at the audiences’ heartstrings, the play reflects the reality the people in the annex faced — both highs and lows.
“They laugh together, they cry together, they grow and learn and change together,” she said.
Tinney and the rest of the cast will perform on a slightly raised stage in the cozy theater.
“When we raised the stage for other productions, we wanted to make sure there was no echoing or squeaking,” Swenson said. “But for this show, we want it to make noise. We want there to be consequences of the actors walking around in their shoes or dropping something. We want the audience to experience that.”
Typically HCTO shows use a large cast with a wide variety of ages, but the cast of “The Diary of Anne Frank” is much smaller, which Swenson said “gives a completely different feeling.”
“Most of the characters are onstage all the time because they could never leave the annex,” she explained. “The close-knit nature of this cast is phenomenal, not just because they’re talented but because they’re united in telling this story realistically.”
Mark Pulham plays Otto Frank, Anne’s father and the catalyst for their hiding in the secret rooms above his business.
“He was a peacemaker — the calm in the storm that surrounded the family and the attic,” Pulham said of his character. “He was approachable and concerned for the well-being of others. I try to play him as a common man who did uncommon things.”
When searching for the perfect actress to portray Anne, Swenson said, she didn’t want someone who would play the part somberly.
“Anne was not a shy violet. She was headstrong and loud as a young teen. She ran everywhere,” she said. “Putting that vibrant personality in a contained space with a bunch of other people was like a pressure cooker.”
Tinney said she hopes people walk away from the show with a fresh perspective on Anne.
“She was only 13 when they went into hiding, and that’s reflected in the script and in her diary. She considered herself the victim and wrote about pretty superficial things at first,” Tinney said. “But as she grew, she blossomed into a thoughtful, clever, forgiving young woman.”
Pulham believes Anne is a beacon of hope.
“Each day she lived with joy and goodness, always seeing the best in people,” he said. “I'm sure she didn't realize the impact her diary would have on the world.”
If you go ...
What: “The Diary of Anne Frank”
Where: Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North, Orem
When: Aug. 21-Sept. 26 except Sundays, 7:30 p.m., and 3 p.m. Saturday matinees
How much: $16-$22; children’s tickets cost $4-$6 less
Phone: 801-226-8600
Website: haletheater.org
Note: In conjunction with Orem’s CARE program, two weekday matinees, Sept. 9 and 16, are available at minimal cost for students. Call the box office for more information.
Emily Edmonds is an online communications instructor for BYU-Idaho. She is the former editor of BYU's Marriott Alumni Magazine and has a bachelor's in journalism and a master's in mass communications from BYU.