The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play

In the early morning darkness, Anne, Margot, and their parents Edith and Otto Frank, enter the Annex. Wet with rain, the Franks embrace for a moment and then start to remove their multiple layers of clothes. Each item of clothing bears the yellow star that marks them as Jewish in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Edith and Margot lie down and rest, staring, but Anne is excited as she helps her father to unpack. Anne reads from her diary in a voiceover, explaining that it’s July 6, 1942, and her father had only begun to talk about the family going into hiding a few days before. She is 13 and has been living under Nazi oppression since Hitler invaded right before her 11th birthday. Jewish people were tightly restricted with an enforced curfew, and Mr. Frank had been forced to give up his business. Their bikes were taken, and they were forced to wear yellow stars on all their clothing. The day before, Margot received an order to “report for work detail” (9), which meant being sent to a camp. Although they hadn’t planned to go into hiding for 10 more days, they left their home. Anne had to leave her cat behind. They set out, and Anne was surprised when the walk was only a couple of miles to her father’s office building, where they’re hiding in a Secret Annex upstairs in the back of the building, aided by Mr. Kraler and Miep. A rat runs across the floor, and Mrs. Frank yelps.

Miep enters, relieved that they’ve arrived safely. Peter van Daan, a timid 16-year-old boy enters, waiting awkwardly in front of the stairs. Like the Franks, he wears layers of clothes, all bearing the yellow star. He also carries a basket containing a cat, Mouschi. They greet him warmly. With excitement, Anne notices the cat, chattering about her own cat and about how much fun it will be to share a home with another family. Peter worries about his parents, who were following behind him, but Mrs. Frank reassures him. Anne asks Peter questions and learns that he recognizes her from school. Mr. Kraler enters hurriedly, leading Hermann and Petronella van Daan, who is wearing a fur coat. They are shaken, having just barely evaded the Green Police and with only 30 minutes until the workers show up in the building. Mr. Frank acknowledges that they are making his life difficult by coming 10 days early, but Mr. Kraler replies firmly, “You couldn’t let your daughter be taken away, Mr. Frank” (11). Miep explains that they’ll bring them food using ration books with someone else’s name on them, and she tells them to make lists of things they need. She can also bring library books, which thrills Anne. Mr. Kraler and Miep will buzz the Annex to warn the families when they’re coming, and a bookcase will be placed to hide the door. The Westertoren clock chimes, playing a melody to announce that it is 7:45. Mrs. Frank wonders how she’ll get used to the noise, but Anne is pleased by it.

The adults are surprised that Mr. Kraler has procured a radio for them since theirs had been confiscated. Mr. Kraler must go, leaving Mr. Frank to finish explaining the rules. The van Daans express their relief at having avoided being caught, especially since Mrs. van Daan looked so out of place carrying a hatbox in summer. She reveals that the hatbox doesn’t contain a hat, stating, “I just don’t feel at home without my chamber pot” (12). Mr. Frank explains that they must be silent each day from eight in the morning until six at night because that’s when the workers are in the building. That means sitting as still as possible, and not running water or flushing the toilet. Outside of working hours, they can laugh and make noise. They can’t produce any trash, so refuse must be burnt in the stove, and they can never go to the window or outside. They also must try to avoid coughing or getting sick at all since they won’t be able to see a doctor. The main floor will be where the van Daans will live, and the Franks will live in the Annex’s downstairs. Mr. Frank comments that the cat will hopefully be useful, since there seems to be rats. Mr. Frank suggests that Mrs. Frank and Margot rest after their sleepless night, but Anne, who “can sleep through anything” (14) is wide awake.

Anne watches with shock as Peter starts to use a penknife to remove the star from his coat. Since he won’t be going out, he can’t get in trouble for it. Anne agrees and starts to rip hers off too. Peter asserts, “The day they made us wear the star was the worst day of my life” (14). Anne muses that there is still a mark on the fabric where the star was sewn. Energetic, Anne asks Peter questions until Mr. Frank steps in and tells her not to bother him. While Anne shifts her attention to the cat, Mr. Frank gives Peter a fatherly pat on the shoulder before Peter goes off to his room. Anne notes that Peter is shy, and Mr. Frank promises that she’ll grow to like him. Anne exclaims, “I better! He’s the only boy I’m going to see for—” (15) but cuts herself off when her father produces Anne’s folder of movie star pictures from a box. Ecstatic, Anne thanks her father and hugs him. Then she looks for her diary, finds it, and realizes that she forgot pencils. Unperturbed, Anne starts toward the stairs. Horrified, Mr. Frank stops her, warning her firmly that she can’t leave for any reason or she’ll be putting their lives at risk. Mr. Kraler and Miep could be deported for helping them, but they’ll bring any supplies they need or forgot. Affectionately, Mr. Frank gives Anne his fountain pen, a surprising gift, which Anne accepts gratefully, hugging her father. Anne heads to her room with the diary and movie stars in tow.

Emerging from the kitchen, Mrs. van Daan laments that their food supply is mostly potatoes and beans, but Mr. van Daan insists that she is such a great cook that they’ll all eat well. They plan to meet back in the kitchen at six o’clock when the workers are gone. Mr. Frank goes to his room, where Mrs. Frank worries that they shouldn’t have hidden the family together because if they’re caught, they’ll all be caught together. Mr. Frank insists that the children wouldn’t have accepted separation, and neither would they. The Westertoren chimes eight o’clock, and Mr. Frank reminds her that it’s time to be silent. The sisters sit on Margot’s bed, and Anne notices that Margot is still shaking. She reassures her. Together, they start hanging Anne’s movie star pictures on the wall while a blaring recording of Hitler addressing a frenzied crowd plays loudly. Anne addresses the audience, explaining that what scares her is the constant quiet, when she imagines that every noise is someone coming to take them. When she feels restless, Anne remembers that the Jews who are not hiding are enduring much worse, recognizing that in comparison, they “live in a paradise” (17).

Two months later, everyone is sitting quietly. Mr. and Mrs. Frank are reading, and Margot and Peter are studying. Anne writes in her diary, and Mrs. van Daan sews a button on her fur coat, shushing Anne when she starts to laugh uncontrollably at what she has written. Mr. van Daan is in the attic, whittling a menorah. There is a bustle of workers from downstairs. With bated breath, they watch the clock and listen until the noise goes silent and the last person leaves. Relieved, Anne exclaims, “At last!” (17), as they all get up and put their shoes on, lining up for the bathroom. Mrs. van Daan wants to know why Anne was laughing and whether she was writing about her, but Anne refuses to let her look. Playfully, Anne takes Peter’s shoes and hides them. Realizing this, Peter plays back, chasing Anne and trying to wrestle them from her as she giggles and teases him. Mrs. Frank says their names sternly, and Peter is immediately shy and embarrassed. Anne tries to convince Peter to dance with her or let her watch him feed the cat, but he is self-conscious now and pushes her away. Mrs. Frank comments that the way Anne plays with Peter is undignified, and Anne complains that she’s just trying to have a little fun. Anne convinces Margot to dance with her, which she does beautifully. Mr. Frank joins in and dances with Margot.

Mrs. van Daan enters, notes the dancing, and asks Anne to fetch Peter from his room since Mr. van Daan has been scolding him for spending so much time alone with his cat. Hesitant, Anne does as she says, and Mrs. van Daan convinces an uncomfortable Mr. Frank to dance with her. Peter reluctantly comes out, and Anne offers to feed Mouschi. Peter begrudgingly agrees and tells her to do it and come right out. Mrs. van Daan teases Peter for being rude to his “little girlfriend” (19), commenting that 16 isn’t so much older than 13. Peter is indignant. Mrs. van Daan flirts with Mr. Frank. Suddenly, a siren sounds nearby. Everyone stops, frozen. It fades, but the mood is shaken. Anne emerges from Peter’s room, dressed in his coat and hat. Pretending to be Peter, she jokes about how she’s too shy to speak. Peter, incensed, exclaims that he knew of Anne before because her teacher had nicknamed her Miss Quack for constantly talking in class, complaining that Anne does nothing but joke. Anne, frustrated, calls Peter “the most infuriating boy [she’s] ever met!” (20). Peter storms back to his room, and Anne trips him with her foot. She laughs, but Peter is furious. Mrs. Frank says Anne’s name, warning her. Mr. Frank changes the subject to Anne’s and Margot’s schoolwork, at which Margot especially excels. Mr. van Daan enters, annoyed that Peter is in his room again, but Mrs. van Daan replies that he was in the living room all afternoon.

Anne turns to Mrs. van Daan and asks if she can try on her fur coat. Mrs. van Daan agrees, explaining that it had been a gift from her father. Anne asks her if she had many boyfriends when she was unmarried, and Mr. van Daan rolls his eyes as she describes her scores of suitors, advising Anne how to respond to future suitors who are too pushy. Anne lies on the floor to write in her diary, and Mr. van Daan, irked, questions what she could possibly have to write about all the time. Then he turns his annoyance to Peter for not finishing his French schoolwork, and Mrs. van Daan suggests flirtatiously that maybe Mr. Frank could tutor Peter, fawning over him when he agrees. She accuses her husband of being irritable because he smokes, and Mr. van Daan complains that Miep only brought him one pack. They argue, and Margot and Mrs. Frank look away, but Anne watches. Mr. van Daan snaps at her, and Mrs. Frank intervenes and distracts Anne, mentioning Miep. Anne talks about Miep, who has a fiancé named Jan, who Miep worries will be sent to Germany by the Nazis. Mr. van Daan gets angry with Anne for talking so much. While defending herself, Anne accidentally spills milk on Mrs. van Daan’s fur coat, and she is immediately distraught and angry. Mrs. Frank chides Anne for getting into arguments with the van Daans, telling her to be more like Margot. Anne, upset, leaves the room in tears. Mrs. Frank wonders how long they can continue to live in close quarters with no privacy.

Then the buzzer sounds, and the mood changes as everyone greets Miep and Mr. Kraler ecstatically. Anne inhales her scent, smelling the outside world. Miep hands out the things she has brought for them, including cigarettes for Mr. van Daan. Miep and Mr. Kraler explain that they have a serious, time-sensitive question. They know of a man, a Jewish dentist named Alfred Dussel, who has been living with his Christian girlfriend but needs a place to go into hiding. Mr. Frank agrees immediately, but Mr. and Mrs. van Daan point out that they don’t have much space or food to share. Mr. Frank replies, “If we can save even one person we must” (26), and the others can only agree. Anne suggests that she sleep in her parents’ room and Mr. Dussel take her bed, but Mrs. Frank quickly insists that Margot move in with them, since it would be improper for a young woman her age to share a room with a man. Anne takes this as a rejection, and her feelings are hurt. She storms into her room and starts to write. In a voiceover, Anne reads from her diary, describing the animosity she feels toward her mother and that she feels as if she has no one to talk to about it. The scene shifts, and Anne explains how excited they all are to have a new addition to the Annex. All seven residents wait anxiously for Mr. Dussel’s arrival, and Anne notes, “Those last few hours on the way to safety are the most dangerous for a Jew going into hiding” (27).

Mr. Dussel enters, following Miep up the stairs, surprised at the grinning faces that wait to greet him. He’s shocked that their hiding place is in the middle of the city and that the Franks, who according to rumor had gone to Zurich, were right there. In celebration, the adults share the little bit of cognac they had saved. Mr. Frank asks if Mr. Dussel knows of a friend of his, but Mr. Dussel blanches when he hears the name, stating that his friend had been taken along with his entire block. Gravely, Mr. Dussel explains that Jews have been vanishing without warning, sometimes dragged away in the middle of the night, and sometimes children would return from school to discover that their parents were taken. They’re given five minutes to pack a bag and then taken to a holding space. They end up on a train that goes to the vague location of “the East” (29). Anne asks about her friend Hanneli’s family and is horrified to learn that they’ve been taken. Mrs. Frank interrupts and stops them from asking about more people. They realize that Mr. Kraler has been softening his accounts of the outside world. Anne shows Mr. Dussel to their room, commenting that he must miss his girlfriend. Mr. Dussel talks about Charlotte and how sorry he was to leave without saying anything. Anne points out a crack in the window masking through which a chestnut tree is visible, wanting to see it bloom but hoping that the war will end before it does. They decide who gets the room at what times, and Mr. Dussel is disturbed to learn that Peter has a cat, since he finds them frightening and claims that he is allergic. Anne leaves Mr. Dussel to rest.

Months later, it’s nighttime, and a BBC radio broadcast states that German forces have breached the previously unoccupied part of France. Anne tells the audience that she can’t sleep, wracked with guilt for being safe while her friends are taken away and, as she learned from the radio, gassed to death. Anne is disgusted with Germans and that she is one of them but corrects herself: “No, that’s not true, Hitler took our nationality away long ago” (32). Anne goes to sleep, and the radio continues to describe the occupation of France. There is the sound of a loud train whistle, and Anne wakes up screaming. Everyone wakes up and comes to their room. Mr. Dussel gripes that she has been doing this every night and keeping him from sleeping, adding that she’s going to give away their hiding place. Mrs. Frank sends everyone back to bed and tries to comfort Anne, but Anne only wants her father. Mrs. Frank’s feelings are hurt, but she sends her husband in. Anne dreamed that the Nazis had come for them. She’s frustrated because she knows that the others resent her for her screaming nightmares, but she doesn’t know how to stop them or to be a better person in general. Mr. Frank consoles her.

The scene shifts and air raids begin. The Annex residents huddle and pray in Hebrew at the sound of bombs and machine guns. Mr. Frank asserts that the bombs and planes will make the war hurry up and end. Time passes again, and Anne writes in her diary. She describes their conversation earlier about what they all want to do when the war ends. Then it’s December 1942 and the first night of Hanukah. They gather around Mr. van Daan’s wooden menorah and sing in Hebrew. Then Anne surprises them all with homemade gifts. Everyone is touched at her efforts. She gives Peter a cat toy for Mouschi and a razor that Miep found for her in a second-hand shop, and Mr. Dussel mocks his lack of facial hair. Indignant, Peter stresses that he likes it and goes to his room. Mr. Frank surprises his wife with one more gift—her music box, a family heirloom that he saved when they left their home. Mrs. Frank is moved, and Mrs. van Daan questions why Mr. van Daan didn’t do the same for her. Mr. van Daan replies, “I saved you, didn’t I?” (38). Peter returns with a bundle in his arms, dangling the cat toy and exclaiming that Mouschi likes his gift. Mr. Dussel leaps up, irate and wheezing at Peter to take the cat back. Peter reveals that he’s only carrying a towel. All but Mr. Dussel laugh. Mr. van Daan insists that they’re going to get rid of Mouschi anyways, but not for Mr. Dussel’s sake.

They argue, and Mrs. van Daan interrupts and reminds them that it’s Hanukah. Anne and Margot start to sing in Hebrew, but there is a sudden loud crash from downstairs. Everyone is frozen, terrified. They take their shoes off and turn off the lights. In the silence, Peter accidentally knocks over a chair. There’s a barking dog, the sound of feet on the stairs, and someone shaking the bookcase that hides their door. Then the sounds fade as if they’ve left. Whispering, they wonder if it was a burglar, debating about what to do. Finally, Mr. Frank decides to risk it and go downstairs to check. After a tense moment, he returns and confirms that someone came and stole the cash box. Bitterly, Mr. Dussel blames Peter for alerting the thieves to their presence, as if they’re caught stealing they might use the knowledge as a bargaining chip or even to collect the standing reward offer for turning in hidden Jews. They all panic and argue about whether they can stay there. Mr. Frank reminds them that they’ve been safe for six months and need to stay calm. At his urging, Anne and Margot sing again until Margot starts sobbing. In a voiceover, Anne describes the eight Annex residents as a piece of blue sky that is being threatened by dark clouds that are closing in.