Middlebury actress stars in ‘Anne Frank’

Lexi White of Middlebury stars as Anne Frank in “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the Thomaston Opera House. (Lisa Cherie Photography)

#MIDDLEBURY

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Lexi White of Middlebury said she got serious about acting two years ago. She was 10 at the time. Now, at the age of 12, she is starring as Anne Frank in the Landmark Community Theatre production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” at The Thomaston Opera House. It opened Saturday, March 18. Remaining performances are a school performance open to the public Thursday, March 23, at 10 a.m.; evening performances March 24, 25, and 31 and April 1 at 8 p.m.; and afternoon performances March 26 and April 2 at 2 p.m.

White may have inherited her love of acting; her mother is an actress and her father is a producer and director. “I really want to pursue an acting career,” White said. Asked how she fit time for acting in with time for school homework, White said, “It’s really useful I can memorize lines so fast.” She said that means she also can memorize course content for tests really quickly.

White, whose acting credits include playing Geraldine in the Lifetime film “Wishin’ and Hopin’” starring Molly Ringwald and Brother Simeon in a stage production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” said this is her first dramatic play. “I really like this show because it’s so emotional,” she said. It’s like a roller coaster – really happy one minute and then everything crashes down and everyone’s sad.”

White said she felt very honored to be playing the part of Anne Frank. “She is so inspiring, especially because she always looks at the best side of everything, tries to make everyone happy and wants what’s best for everyone,” White said.

White is not the only Middlebury resident in the production; Jenny Dressel plays the role of Anne’s older sister, Margot; Lucia Dressel directs the play, and Benjamin Dressel works on the stage crew and with props.

These three Middleburians, left to right, Jenny Dressel, Lucia Dressel and Lexi White, bring “The Diary of Anne Frank” to life at The Thomaston Opera House. Not shown is Benjamin Dressel, who is on the stage crew and also handles props. (Marjorie Needham photo)

Lucia, an actress who took on directing in 2009, said the play is a series of vignettes. As the director, she chose to have everyone on stage the entire time – two-plus hours. And to maintain the perspective of the play offering a window into the lives of those portrayed in it, Lucia chose to keep the stage curtains open throughout – even during the intermission.

Jenny has just completed her master’s degree and is a high school social studies teacher. This is her first community theater experience. She said the part of Margot is a very difficult part to play because Margot’s personality is very different from hers. “I was really nervous,” she said, “but this cast is wonderful.”

Lucia agreed the cast was exceptional. She said they were off script (knew their lines) earlier than any cast she had before. She said one of the advantages of working with younger cast members is they memorize not just their own lines but everyone else’s too.

“The Diary of Anne Frank,” originally published as a book, traces the day-to-day reflections of the young Anne Frank during the two years she, her parents, her sister and some family friends in The Netherlands lived in hiding from the Nazis in the 1940s. It was during World War II, and the Nazis, who had invaded The Netherlands, were rounding up Jewish residents and sending them to concentration camps. The genocide of millions of people during that time came to be known as The Holocaust.

The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect exhibition, “Anne Frank: A History for Today,” is on display at the theatre. The Center, founded in 1959 by Anne Frank’s father, Otto, is a non-sectarian 501c3 organization based in New York City. It advances Anne Frank’s legacy and educates people about the dangers of intolerance, anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination and strives to inspire people to build a world based on equal rights and mutual respect. See www.annefrank.com for more information.

Tickets for performances are Adults: premium $25, value $23 and Senior and Student: premium $22, value $20. For information on tickets and group sales, call the box office at 860-283-6250 or drop by the box office at 158 Main St. in Thomaston, Conn., Monday to Friday from 1 to 6 pm or Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. You also may purchase tickets online at www.landmarkcommunitytheatre.org.