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Saturday, October 6, 2012

ANNE FRANK Q & A with Marisa Kilgallen Part Three


Guest Article

SS: What did you think of the portrayal of Otto Frank?
MK: Ben Kingsley did a really great job. He looked just like Otto Frank. I think he played a truthful portrayal of Otto Frank: A man with patience, strength, perseverance, a lot of optimism, and a caring nature.
SS: It’s up to the director to cast the right people.
MK: Yes, I thought the casting in that mini-series was terrific. The woman who played Mrs. Van Pels was a very good actress (Brenda Blethyn). Blethyn played the dramatic essence of that character, but also depicted Mrs. van Pels as a sincere person. In my opinion, putting those two traits together for that role requires a lot of work. The girl who played Margot (Jessica Manley) was not only a spitting image of her, but she played the role of Margot truthfully: a quiet, modest young woman. The boy who played Peter (Nicholas Audsley) was a very good actor. One thing that I enjoyed about Audsley’s performance was that he didn’t overplay the attraction. I’ve seen some actors, who have played Peter, get caught up in the romance aspect of the role. As a result, this character becomes this smooth kind of guy while he’s supposed to be a bit awkward. Yes, there’s supposed to be an essence of attraction associated with the character of Peter, but, mainly, he is a shy person who is learning who he is. Aside from casting, the mini-series was accurate. The movie showed Anne reciting lines from her diary. As a result, audiences could learn some of the admirable characteristics of Anne Frank. Therefore, the mini-series is my favorite movie version of Anne Frank’s diary.
SS: Is learning about Anne Frank and visiting this Center advisable for young children – say age 9?
MK: Yes. We’re trying to encourage people to learn about this event because it really should not be forgotten. The Holocaust not only teaches us about how we should never let the brutality of mankind get out of hand, but how to respect and accept other’s differences, whether those differences be religion, race, sex, etc.
SS: What age group is the center geared towards?
MK: I’d say from ages 9 to 99.
SS: When did the AF Center open its doors and what programs does it promote?
MK: The Anne Frank Center moved here in March of this year (44 Park Place, NYC). Before the center moved here, it was in Soho. Originally, The Anne Frank Center was mainly offices which provided an American base for the promotion of Anne Frank’s legacy. Just recently, The Anne Frank Center was turned into a museum. We have a lot of interesting programs. For example, the center hosts an educational program in which students come from schools and learn about Anne Frank’s life, her diary, and her diary’s significance in history through a movie, a tour of the exhibit, and presentations on the characters and content of her book. Sometimes, students get to meet a Holocaust survivor, or the children of survivors, and hear the stories of those Holocaust victims. I think students gain a more thorough idea of the Holocaust by not only hearing Anne’s story, but those of other people who have experienced the same event as well.
SS: How did you get your internship at the Anne Frank Center?
MK: I found out about it by my mom. My mom was watching television one day and she saw a newsreel that stated that the Anne Frank Center had moved to a new location near the World Trade Center. At that time, I was looking for work related to my studies as a Holocaust minor and I thought an internship here would be a great way for me to share my interest in Anne Frank’s story with others. So, I wrote a cover letter, sent in my resume, and I also sent in my personal statement on Anne Frank that I wrote for my application to Drew University. Two days after I had sent it in, Ms. Maureen McNeil, the center’s Director of Education and my boss, emailed me to invite me in for an interview. I actually went on Passover, believe it or not. There was also another strange sign because one of the street signs that I passed on the way to my interview was named Pfeiffer (dentist Mr. Friedrich “Fritz” Pfeiffer hid along with Anne Frank in the Secret Annex). So Mrs. McNeil and I had the interview and I got the internship on that day. So far, it’s been great. I love coming here and I love being here.
SS: What are your activities and duties at the AF Center?
MK: I’ve been able to help out with “Conversations with Anne”. This is a program in which an actress who plays Anne and a narrator present a short skit--based off material from Anne Frank’s diary. Afterwards, the audience can ask “Anne” questions. As a part of my job, I research the material within Anne’s diary that my boss can use in the skits. We also talk about what activities Anne can do in the show and where certain material should be put in the skit’s script. Even the actresses have their ideas as well. We have 3 actresses who play her. There’s Christina Rosse, Sabina Friedman-Seitz and Robyn Frank. My boss and I are actually talking about adding more characters to this skit, such as Peter and Margot. Right now, I’m researching information on both of them.
SS: What is the Mission statement or message of the AF Center?
MK: “The AF Center uses the diary and spirit of Anne Frank as unique tools to advance her legacy, to educate young people and communities about the consequences of intolerance, racism and discrimination, and to inspire the next generation to build a world based on mutual respect” (“About The Anne Frank Center”). Most of the center’s staff talk with students in the educational program. They help students to make a connection with Anne. They’ll read passages from the diary and say “Which one can you relate the most to?” The students really seem to like the program. One of the interns, who I work with, Myriam, has helped out with the educational programs. She told me how this one girl showed her a picture of Anne and this girl said “She’s beautiful and she’s human just like me and you.” It was one of those moments when I knew that I loved working here. In the video project (in the lobby of the AF Center) one girl was saying that Anne could have been her best friend. A lot of people say that they can relate to Anne and I know I can as well. Sometimes when I can’t handle a certain situation, I think: “Let’s try it her (Anne’s) way. Let’s play the role of Anne Frank. Let’s do what she’d do.”
SS: What will you do after your internship is over this summer?
MK: When I finish my studies at Drew, I want to do a lot of things that involve all of my areas of study (theater, writing and Holocaust studies). Some topics I’m going to explore in my theater activities, such as playwriting and directing, are issues relevant to the Holocaust. I would also like to continue helping out in places like The Anne Frank Center USA, such as the Jewish Heritage Museum in Manhattan.
SS: Though he died in 1980, did Otto Frank play any part in this Center or in other AF Centers?
MK: From what I know, he founded this place in 1977. He also set up a charitable organization in Dusseldorf, Switzerland in 1963. Additionally, he founded The Anne Frank Foundation in 1957 in Amsterdam.
SS: What kind of interactive games and exhibits does the AF Center have?
MK: Upstairs is a traveling timeline which is going to be on the wall eventually. There is also a media exhibit which has IPADS with information, such as personal interviews, about Anne Frank and her family’s life before and during their time in hiding. If you sit in the center of the media exhibit, you can hear quotes from Anne (read by an actress) and sounds she may have heard during her time in hiding. A replica of the hiding place which was created by prisoners who were inspired by the diary is located upstairs as well. The center also features a video on Anne’s life and, in the main exhibit; there are facsimiles of certain documents such as Anne’s diary and Margot’s baby book, to name a few. There is also a video exhibit in which people can be heard reciting their favorite quotes from the diary. Also, the center is going to be exhibiting 3 of the puppets from the play Compulsion. This play, which highlights Meyer Levin’s obsession with Anne Frank, used puppetry to symbolize his obsession. These puppets include: Anne, Peter and Otto. They will be on display sometime in the future. They are beautiful works of art. The marionette of Anne is created from copies of pages from a published version of her diary. She also has a necklace that has a piece of the bark from her tree in the Netherlands. They had a big ceremony when they put it on her. All and all, the marionettes are beautiful. They look very much like the people did.
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