The Reviews of The Diary of Anne Frank from the CA Educational Theatre Association.

REVIEW #1
ACTING:
The actors had clearly studied and worked hard. For the most part diction was good and everyone could be heard. The actors seemed to work well together and understand their characters and their relationships with one another. The show had a good pace. There were moments where the dialogue seemed a little rushed. The actors should make sure they don't get too caught up with getting the lines out that they rush through them. Also, they should watch moments of emotional escalation as there were some moments that came across abrupt and over the top. As the majority of the actors are on the stage throughout the entire show, they did a great job in staying in character and invested in the scene. In these moments, however, they need to also make sure not to pull focus when the action is on other cast members. These cautionary moments rarely happened and the majority of the show was filled with great moments and engaged actors.

DIRECTION:
I thought the direction was really good. You could tell the director worked with them on being in the time period. I thought the interpretation of the piece was well done. The blocking made great use of the stage. There were some moments where the actors seemed to move just for the sake of moving, but overall had purpose in their movement. I thought the cast had a good grasp on the material and the director's vision.

TECHNICAL ELEMENTS:
The set was fantastic! I felt like it would've been something I would see in a professional production. It instantly made me feel like I was in an attic space. The props were well done and fit the time period. Many of the props looked vintage. The costumes were well designed to fit the era. There was, however, a character with a skirt several inches above the knee, but that's a very picky note for a well costumed show. Makeup could've been used a little more effectively to age older characters. Lighting and sound were very effective, though some cues were a little off. Overall both sound and lighting added to the effectiveness of the production. I was impressed with the speed in which the scene changes were made. Kudos to the stage crew. All these elements combined helped elevate the level of the production.

EFFECTIVENESS OF PRODUCTION:
Overall, execution of all the production elements were great. You can tell everyone worked really hard to make a wonderful production. The actors really worked well together to bring the characters to life. Sets, costumes, props made it all very believable. The director should be proud of the kids and the hard work they clearly put into the production.

REVIEW #2
ACTING:
The characterization was obviously thought out and well looked at by each member of the production. All cast members knew what they were doing and stayed in character throughout the entire performance. Everyone was easily understood and it was evident that the cast worked as a team. Timing was great, there was no dead space and the show was fluid.


DIRECTING:
Staging and stage pictures were well put together and interesting to watch. The stage was used to its full potential and blocking was very natural and effective. The actors seemed to fully understand what the director wanted and brought out the believability on stage.


TECHNICAL ELEMENTS:
The set, costumes, make up, sound and lighting were phenomenal! The set was incredible to look at and really brought excitement to the production. The color palette was thought out and looked great. Lighting, costumes and sound were on the money. The show came together very nicely.


OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SHOW:
The over all production brought a great sense of realism to the audience. The cast did a wonderful job with bringing justice to the story of Anne Frank by playing the characters with honesty. At some points of the production the energy became flat and you would lose attention. Keeping constant energy and commitment to your characters would brought them back, in end result, leaving the audience happy to have seen such a show.