Auditions for The Diary of Anne Frank

AUDITIONS for The Diary of Anne Frank

July 28 and 29, 2025 at 7:00pm

The Roxbury Arts Alliance is preparing to bring one of the most poignant and powerful stories of the 20th century to life at Citizens Bank Theater, The Diary of Anne Frank. 

Actors are sought from all backgrounds to step into roles that honor courage, resilience, and the unshakable spirit of a young girl caught in the throes of history. All roles are open for casting.

Director, Darlene Yannetta, shares that this production aims to create an intimate and respectful portrayal of Anne’s world—her fears, her dreams, and her unwavering belief in human goodness. She seeks actors who can convey deep emotional honesty and bring layered characters to life with compassion and nuance. Ms. Yannetta adds, "This is a chance to help tell a story that continues to move audiences across generations." 

The Diary of Anne Frank isn’t just theater, it’s a call to remembrance.

Audition Dates: July 28 and 29, 2025 at 7:00pm. 

Interested performers should arrive 10–15 minutes early to fill out audition forms. Auditioners must arrive no later than 8:00 pm

Location: Citizens Bank Theater, 72 Eyland Avenue, Succasunna, NJ

What to Prepare:

• Scroll down to "Anne Frank Audition Information" for full audition details 

• Cold readings will be taken from the script.

• Headshots and résumés are encouraged but not mandatory.

Video submissions will be accepted and must be emailed to shows.raa@gmail.com by July 29, 2025.

Questions: send email to: shows.raa@gmail.com

If you know someone who would be interested in performing, please forward this email to them.

Roxbury Arts Alliance Website: https://www.roxburyartsalliance.org/

Link for map to the RAA: Location and Map Info

Anne Frank Audition Information

Rehearsals: Dates TBD after casting, expect 3 - 4 days per week. 

First cast meeting/read through: August 11, 2025, 6:30pm

No conflicts from September 2 to opening.

Performances: September 20 & 27 at 7:30pm, September 21 & 28 at 2:00pm

Production Team:

Director - Darlene Yannetta

Stage Manager / Cultural Consultant - Lisa Klein

Scenic Design & Construction – Aaron Struble

Lighting & Sound Design - James Hitchings

Props & Set Dressing - Terri Vollmuth

Costumes - MaryAnne Breslin Hannon

ALL ROLES OPEN - Character Descriptions

Mr. Otto Frank (35+): Father of Anne and Margot and head of the group living in his Annex. A wise man, fair, loyal, attentive, patient, intelligent, soft, level-headed, optimistic, genuinely liked people, decision-maker, teacher, beloved by his workers who protected him and his family as well as the other tenants of the Annex throughout the war. 

Anne Frank (12-15): Warm, witty, intelligent, charming, self-aware, sensitive, often impatient, sometimes a know-it-all, open, determined, easily hurt, spirited, hopeful, fun-loving, desperate, with all the longings, expectations and attitudes that adolescence brings. Though hiding and living in constant fear and isolation, she never gave up. 

Mrs. Edith Frank (35+): A lovely woman, wife and mother, reticent, loving, moral, concerned, gracious, cultured, devoted to tradition, devastated by her relationship with Anne, barely able to cope with the demands of everyday life in hiding and isolation.

Margot Frank (16 - 18): Older sister of Anne, quiet, obedient, very intelligent, overwhelmed by the trials of hiding, very close to her mother and father. Like Anne, she longed for a friend with whom she could confide. She played the role of peacemaker when Anne overstepped. 

Mrs. Petronella Van Daan (35+): Flirtatious, talkative, and sometimes self-absorbed nature, juxtaposed with deep-seated fears and a strong attachment to material comforts and her past life.

Mr. Hermann Van Daan (35+): Intelligent, opinionated, pragmatic, and somewhat egotistical. He's known for his frequent arguments with his wife and a tendency to be selfish and argumentative. 

Peter Van Daan (15-17): Withdrawn, unsure, shy, sometimes amusing. Peter gradually evolves, becoming more open, helpful, and emotionally mature. He develops a close friendship and later a romantic interest with Anne. 

Mr. Albert Dussel (35+): Dentist, stodgy, old-fashioned, disciplined, hypercritical. Greatly bothered by Anne’s behavior, genuinely does not like people, picky, unhappy with everything, a man who has not come to terms with his situation.

Miep Gies (20+): Austrian refugee living in the Netherlands, employed by Mr. Frank, entrusted with provisioning the occupants of the Annex and hiding them from the outside world. She was courageous, empathetic, compassionate, and friendly.

Mr. Krahler (30+): Dutch, helps Miep with the responsibilities of feeding and hiding the occupants of the Annex, is an employee of Mr. Frank’s company, a trusted colleague and friend. He is sympathetic to their plight, does what he can for them, and runs the company in Mr. Frank’s name, an honest and good man.

Extras: Although these three men do not come in until the end of the show, they are exceedingly important. Those who play these parts will be given a very flexible rehearsal schedule.

First Man: 30+ year old male. German Nazi in uniform.

Second Man: 20+ year old male. Dutchman sympathetic to the Nazi cause.

Third Man: 20+ year old male. Dutchman sympathetic to the Nazi cause.

Prepare one of the monologues below for your audition.

There will also be cold readings from the script.

OTTO FRANK - “We’re all having nightmares, Anne. Only you let them out. Your mother has them too. Terrible nightmares. She’s having a very hard time. I understand - we’ve always understood each other, you and I. You know, Anneke, you taught me something the day we came here. Remember when we arrived - your mother and Margot were numb. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. I was a wreck with worry, but you...you skipped around the room calling it “an adventure”. You showed me you could escape. Now, when I read my Dickens, it takes me to another world. In that world I feel safe. You have something too. A diary. You’re lucky. You can write. You can put all your thoughts, all your feelings, down on paper…” 

EDITH FRANK / MARGOT - “Oh Miep, I remember when a New Year was something to look forward to. But now there’s no hope to be had. I know that. I knew it the night Hitler came to power, when that voice came screaming out of the radio. I sat there paralyzed. And now in London, what is the Dutch Queen doing? What are they all doing? They’re not even mentioning the word Jews. The trains are still leaving. Why don’t they bomb the tracks? I can’t talk about this with the others, Miep. I know they’re making plans, counting the days till the war is over, but I have to tell you...I feel the end will never come. Sometimes...sometimes I want to give myself up. I’m ashamed to feel this way. I know you and Mr. Kraler have it just as hard. Thank you. For listening to me.” 

ANNE FRANK (prepare both below)

“It’s the silence that frightens me most. Every time I hear a creak in the house, a step on the street, I’m sure they’re coming for us. I wander from room to room, feeling like a songbird whose wings have been ripped off and keeps hurling itself against the bars of its cage...Let me out, where there’s fresh air and laughter! But then I remember the Jews who are not in hiding, and I know we live in a paradise. We’re as quiet as baby mice. Who would have dreamed a quicksilver Anne would have to sit still for hours and what’s more, could? 

...And as far as I’m concerned Mother can go jump in a lake! I don’t know why I’ve taken such a terrible dislike to her, but I can imagine her dying someday, while Papa’s death seems inconceivable to me. It’s very mean of me I know, but that’s how I feel. I hope Mother will never read this or anything else I’ve written. She’s not a mother to me - I have to mother myself. Who can I turn to? Only my diary. I have to become a good person on my own, but I know it will make me stronger in the end.” 

MRS. VAN DAAN “Putti? You know what I was just thinking? You won’t believe this, but I was thinking about that first day we met, when you were buzzing around with the rest of the boys in Bremerhaven. I picked you right away, you know. You were the one who made me laugh, and laugh!... That afternoon you took me out on the ferry, first you made me laugh and then you started to kiss me, and kiss me… And the kisses were even better than the laughter - remember? You gave me so many, the ferryman kept watching us and the ferry went off course, and then you made me laugh even more! When we got back, you had such a ravenous appetite you made that little restaurant open its’ doors and you ordered almost everything on the menu. “What an appetite!” the waiter kept saying. “The man can really eat!” We’ll go back on that ferry one day, Putti. I promise. It won’t be long now. And soon I’ll be cooking all your old favorites - sauerbraten with red cabbage, latkes with your cherished applesauce. We’ll even go to Berkhof’s for cream cakes! But in the meantime, Putti, if you’re hungry, hold onto me. Oh Putti, please. Just hold onto me.” 

MR. KRALER / MEIP - “I’m sorry to come at this hour. But something’s happened. I must ask you all to be more careful. More quiet. A man in the storeroom - a few days ago he asked me, “What do you hear from Mr. Frank?” I said I’d heard a rumor you were in Switzerland. He said he’d heard that too, but thought I might know something more. And then today, signing some invoices, I looked up and saw him staring at the bookcase. He said he thought he remembered a door there. Then he said he wanted more money. Ten more guilders a month. I said I had to think about it. Should I pay him the money? Take a chance on firing him? Maybe he knows nothing. But it’s more dangerous out there every day. No one can be trusted. You must be quiet. Quiet! ...I’ll offer him half - we’ll hope for the best.” 

MR. VAN DAAN “The coat was seventeen years old, for God’s sake! Those skins had definitely seen their day. We need the money - we have no money. Can’t you get that through your head? ...Oh God - here we go again. That coat was not the last thing. You’ve still got us haven’t you? ...Do we have to hear about your father again? If you hadn’t been so attached to your father, your coat, the apartment with all our goddamned possessions, we’d be in America by now! I only stayed because of you! Believe me, I knew which way the wind was blowing. You never listen.”