Central High School students to perform 'The Diary of Anne Frank'

It will be lights, camera, action on April 11 to 13 in the new Richard D. Kinder Performance Hall at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

A 10-member cast will present "The Diary of Anne Frank" as the first play to be performed in the high school's new auditorium.

Faculty members and students are enthusiastic about the auditorium, which features state of the art sound and lighting equipment.

"The stage has a fly and batten system, which allows us to lower scenery and the curtains in different ways," said director Ed Cole. "There also is much more flexibility with the lighting, and we now have lighting directly above the stage, which is great for the actors."

In past years, members of Central High School's Red Dagger club, an extracurricular thespian organization, has held all their performances in the junior high school auditorium.

Sophomore Maya Kelch, who plays Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who kept a diary while she and her family were hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, shares Cole's excitement for the new auditorium.

"The auditorium is bigger and holds a lot more people," Kelch said. "We also have a bigger stage and actual dressing rooms with mirrors surrounded by lights."

Another bonus of the auditorium is a scene shop where the backdrops for the various scenes can be created and assembled.

"It's great to be able to build the scenes in a separate space and not have to clutter up the stage," Cole said.

This is Cole's second time to direct a show at the high school. A communication arts, drama and speech teacher, he also directed "The Curious Savage" in the fall.

Faculty member Joe Bradshaw has directed more than 30 shows for Central High School. He serves as technical director of the play this year.

Central High School performed "The Diary of Anne Frank" in the early 2000s, Bradshaw said.

"It was a wonderful show. It has a tremendous script and is a very emotional challenge for the actors," he said.

This will be Bradshaw's final production with Central High School. The social studies teacher will retire at the end of the school year after 30 years of teaching.

"I'm very grateful for the time I've had, and I'm excited about the first performance in the new auditorium," Bradshaw said.

Senior Kaylen Martin, who plays Mrs. Van Daan in the play, is happy to be doing her last high school performance in the new facility.

"I really like the new lighting," Martin said. "It gives you more of a personal feeling on stage. I also love that there's a balcony. It all feels more professional."

Cole is ready to showcase the hard work of the cast and crew in the performance hall.

"It's great to see the beginning of a new era at Central," Cole said.

He added that the auditorium was the final major piece of the high school's construction.

All three productions will be held at 7 p.m. Tickets will be on sale at the door for $7 for adults and $5 for students. For more information, call Central High School at 335-8228.