UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 12-1-2020 The Impact and Influence of The Diary Of Anne Frank on Middle and High School Students Norma Jane Zuckerman Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Repository Citation Zuckerman, Norma Jane, "The Impact and Influence of The Diary Of Anne Frank on Middle and High School Students" (2020). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 4095. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/4095 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE IMPACT AND INFLUENCE OF THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK ON MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS By Norma J. Zuckerman Bachelor of Arts – Drama University of Southern California 1971 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts – Theatre Department of Theatre College of Fine Arts The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2020 Thesis Approval The Graduate College The University of Nevada, Las Vegas November 24, 2020 This thesis prepared by Norma J. Zuckerman entitled The Impact and Influence of The Diary Of Anne Frank on Middle and High School Students is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts - Theatre Department of Theatre Jeffrey Koep, Ph.D. Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D. Examination Committee Chair Graduate College Dean Brackley Frayer, MFA. Examination Committee Member Judy Ryerson, MFA. Examination Committee Member Francisco Menendez, MFA. Graduate College Faculty Representative ii Abstract This thesis investigates the play and book The Diary of Anne Frank as an effective educational tool for students in the grades 7–9, when they might read the book in Clark County School District (CCSD), Southern Nevada, to study about bullying, prejudice, discrimination, and intolerance. These works have changed the lives of the students for the better, and it should be taught as a separate class included in the core curriculum. This class would also incorporate teaching historical information about WWII, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and examining the life of Anne Frank and her family. My research includes theatre programs for middle- and high-school-age young people from well-known theatre companies, educational programs from the Anne Frank Trust in the United Kingdom, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect USA, the USC Shoah Foundation, a visit to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and pre-show and post-show surveys/ questionnaires from 180 CCSD students who attended a May 23, 2016, performance of The Diary of Anne Frank with 1,500 of their peers at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada. Research has proven that students who take this class with several different topical workshops to choose from learn about the consequences of their actions, teaches to be tolerant of others, enhances self-esteem, and teaches critical thinking. This class also includes the arts, as the class will study the play as a theatre piece to perform and see on the stage. Evidence shows The Diary of Anne Frank does impact and influence the lives of middle and high school students. iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Jeffrey Koep for his continuous support of my graduate study and to thank him for all his patience and guidance in seeing that my master’s degree is achieved. Also, to my committee members Brackley Frayer, Judy Reyerson, and Francisco Menendez, many thanks for their time and effort in joining me on my educational journey. I thank Norma Saldivar, Chair of UNLV Department of Theatre, for her encouragement in this project of a lifetime. iv Dedication To my mother and father, Jean and Fred Schwartz, who would be so proud. My mom, who was a beautiful opera singer, gave me the inspiration and encouragement to have a career in the arts and drove me to every lesson and workshop no matter the time or location, and my dad, who made my artistic endeavors possible. To my grandchildren, Colt, Kennedy, and Bronx, know that no matter what age you are, you can make your dreams come true. To my children, Todd and Kirk Seigel, Katie Seigel, and Sharise Neil, you were my motivation in seeing this achievement to fruition. To my husband, Gene Zuckerman, for giving me the strength, confidence, and unconditional support to reaching this accomplishment. v Figure 1: The Diary vi Figure 2: JRTN Playbill for The Diary of Anne Frank vii Figure 3: Portraits of the Frank Family viii Table of Contents Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………. iii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………. iv Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………….. v Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………………… ix List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………………. xi Chapter 1: A Look at History A. Introduction ………………………….…………………………………………… 1 B. Historical Information …………………………………………………………… 3 C. Anne Frank and the Frank Family ……………………………………………… 8 Chapter 2: The Book/The Diary and the Play A. The Book/The Diary ...…………………………………………………………… 18 B. The Play ………………………………………………………………………… 22 Chapter 3: The Class and The Play A. JRTN and The Diary of Anne Frank ……………………………………………… 24 B. The Diary of Anne Frank in Las Vegas for CCSD ………………………………. 26 C. Surveys/Questionnaires ………………………………………………………….. 34 D. Examples and Comparisons …………………………………………………….. 46 E. The Diary of Anne Frank: 75-Minute Version …………………………………… 49 F. Anne Frank Youth Network and Ambassadors Program ………………………... 53 ix G. The Legacy of Anne Frank ……………………………………………………… 59 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………. 62 Endnotes ………………………………………………………………………………… 65 Appendix ………………………………………………………………………………… 68 Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………………… 230 Curriculum Vitae ………………………………………………………………………… 232 x List of Figures I. Figure 1: The Diary …………………………………………………… vi II. Figure 2: JRTN Playbill for The Diary of Anne Frank …………………… vii III. Figure 3: Portraits of the Frank Family …………………………………… viii IV. Figure 4: Anne with Friends …………………………………………… 14 V. Figure 5: Life Magazine Cover of Anne …………………………………… 14 VI. Figure 6: Anne in Summer Clothes …………………………………… 15 VII. Figure 7: Portrait of Anne (1939) …………………………………… 15 VIII. Figure 8: Margot Frank Brushing Teeth ………………………………… 16 IX. Figure 9: Otto Frank with Young Margot & Anne …………………… 16 X. Figure 10: Edith Frank with Daughters (1933) …………………………… 17 XI. Figure 11: Portrait of Young Anne …………………………………… 17 XII. Figure 12: JRTN’s The Diary of Anne Frank Cast Photo …………… 40 XIII. Figure 13: JRTN’s The Diary of Anne Frank Set …………………… 40 XIV. Figure 14: The Diary of Anne Frank Production Still (1 of 4) …………… 41 XV. Figure 15: The Diary of Anne Frank Production Still (2 of 4) …………… 41 XVI. Figure 16: The Diary of Anne Frank Production Still (3 of 4) …………… 42 XVII. Figure 17: The Diary of Anne Frank Production Still (4 of 4) …………… 42 XVIII. Figure 18: CCSD Students Attending The Diary of Anne Frank ………… 43 XIX. Figure 19: Mayoral Proclamation of No Tolerance for Intolerance Day .… 43 XX. Figure 20: Hyde Park Middle School Students ………………………… 44 XXI. Figure 21: CCSD Bus …………………………………………………… 45 XXII. Figure 22: CCSD Students Traveling to JRTN Performance …………… 45 xi XXIII. Figure 23: Proposal and 8th Grade Common Core Standards …………… 68 XXIV. Figure 24: Letter from a Young Boy …………………………………… 70 XXV. Figure 25: School Transportation Cost Breakdown …………………… 71 XXVI. Figure 26: School Accountability Report – Laughlin Jr./Sr. High ……. 72 XXVII. Figure 27: School Accountability Report – Sig Rogich Middle School … 74 XXVIII. Figure 28: School Accountability Report – Tarkanian Middle School …… 78 XXIX. Figure 29: School Accountability Report – Monsaco Middle School ……. 84 XXX. Figure 30: School Accountability Report – Greenspun Jr. High School … 90 XXXI. Figure 31: Sampling of JRTN Surveys/Questionnaires ……………………. 94 XXXII. Figure 32: Uzma Hadid Testimony – The Anne Frank Trust UK …………. 110 XXXIII. Figure 33: JRTN Surveys/Questionnaires ……………………………… 111 xii Chapter 1: A Look at History A. Introduction The year 2020 is a unique year to be writing this thesis, “The Positive Influence and Impact of The Diary of Anne Frank on Middle and High School Students,” due to the globe’s turmoil and the USA’s current violent situations that mirror the climate when Anne Frank wrote in her famous and widely read diary. Apropos to today’s current events, I listened to the NPR news network, on January 9, 2015, to the esteemed and noted French intellectual and philosopher Bernard Henri Levi speak on the massacre in Paris, at the Hypercacher kosher supermarket. He said, “The only way for young people to understand that there is no tolerance for intolerance is education, education, education.”1 This thesis purports there is no better educational tool to learn from today than The Diary