RiverStage presents "The Diary of Anne Frank"!

Name: RiverStage presents "The Diary of Anne Frank"!
Start: 2026-04-10T19:30:00-04:00
End: 2026-04-10T21:30:00-04:00
Location: 815 Market St, Lewisburg, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 17837

Schedule

Fri Apr 10 2026 at 07:30 pm to 09:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

815 Market St, Lewisburg, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 17837 | Lewisburg, PA

RiverStage Community Theatre will bring to life the true story of a courageous young girl facing a rapidly changing world as it presents THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK in Lewisburg. Performances will be at Greenspace Center, 815 Market Street, Lewisburg on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm on April 10, 11, 17 and 18, and two Sunday matinees at 2:30pm on April 12 and 19. Tickets are just $15 for adults and $8 for students, with general admission seating, and they can be purchased at the door or at www.riverstagetheatre.org.
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman, is adapted from the real-life story of a young Jewish girl whose family spent two years hiding with neighbors during the Nazi occupation of her country. The story follows Anne, her sister Margot, their parents Otto and Edith, as they gave up their former life to stay hidden in sealed-off upper rooms of an office building in Amsterdam for years until they were eventually discovered and sent to a concentration camp, where Anne eventually died at age 15. Along the way, this brave young girl wrote with lyrical determination about her personal relationships, aspirations, and the constant mortal danger that permeated their lives. The book is well-known to students and teachers around the world, and serves as not only a shining insight into a difficult period of world history but also a story of family, love, and hope. The play has been performed around the world since its debut in 1955, received the Tony Award for Best Play, and its revival in 1997 with Natalie Portman and Linda Lavin received multiple Tony nominations as well.
“We believe that theatre has great power to tell stories,” said RiverStage president Jove Graham, “and the story of Anne Frank is an incredibly important one that we are excited to tell. There is a reason that her writing has resonated with people for the last 80 years, and even though the events seem like they took place far away and long ago, I think it’s so important for people—especially young people—to know this story and understand the real-world life of this remarkable girl. Whether you are already familiar with the book or not, we know it will be a real treat to see these characters and their story come to life on stage. We are excited to welcome Josh Wilkinson as our director, who is an alumnus of Lewisburg High and has worked with the students there for several years now directing their fall plays. We can’t wait to see this story unfold for audiences to see and enjoy.”
As a special event following the Sunday, April 12th matinee, RiverStage will host a “talkback” with the cast and crew following the performance, where audience members are welcomed to stay, ask questions, and hear from them about how the production was put together and discuss the impact and meaning of the show in modern times. The show is directed by Josh Wilkinson and produced by Virginia Zimmerman, with costumes by Cynthia Shaffer, lighting design by Alexa Lewis, sound design by Cole Casimir, set design by Jove Graham, and stage management by Jill Kerr.
This production also features a wonderful cast of local actors from across the Susquehanna Valley. Anne Frank is played by Lewisburg high school senior Clara Graham, who has been seen in other RiverStage productions such as The Sound of Music, Oliver! and Spamalot. Her parents, Otto and Edith, are played by Jacob Hockenbrocht (RiverStage’s Mousetrap, Wrinkle In Time) and Kayleigh Confair, and her sister Margot is played by Ceili Kisvarday, who was last seen as Mrs. Lovett in Lewisburg High School’s Sweeney Todd. The couple they share a hideout with, the Van Daans, are played by Faith Sullivan and Andrew Confair, both of whom starred in RiverStage’s The Haunting of Hill House this season, and their son, Peter, is played by Jude Wilkinson (RiverStage’s Sound of Music, Oliver!, Spamalot). The cast also features numerous other actors who have been seen many times on RiverStage's and other local stages, including Fred Hooper (Mr. Dussel), Mary Burnett (Miep Gies), Jason Cassidy (Mr. Kraler), Christian Rivera (First Man), Keara Rae (Second Man), Third Man (Aidan Mateos), and Ellie Kisvarday (Understudy for Anne).
RiverStage Community Theatre is a nonprofit group providing opportunities for artists to create great live theatre for audiences in the Greater Susquehanna Valley. Following the production of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, their season will conclude in June with the patriotic American musical 1776. For more information about the show, next season, or to purchase tickets, visit www.riverstagetheatre.org.