September 18, 1952
Levin’s radio play was adapted from his original stage play of the newly published Diary. Described by Billboard Magazine as “shattering to the emotions”, Levin’s original dramatization was a critical and popular success. It was broadcast a second time, for the last time, one month later in November 1952.
Soon after the broadcast, Levin’s script was rejected by Broadway producer Cheryl Crawford. And only weeks later, Levin signed his rights away under protest, and claimed that his play was rejected for being “too Jewish”, stirring a controversy unresolved to this day.
Levin’s original Radio Play drama was shelved in the face of a well-documented battle for the right to have his play produced.
September 14, 2009
Levin’s radio play was resurrected by Producer Jennifer Strome in 2009 and produced for the first time in 57 years for a private audience at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.
The Cast:
Jonathan Hogan, Lori Wilner, Jessica Dean, Sara Kapner, Mary Rasmussen, Cheryl Stern, Stuart Zagnit, Andy Prosky, Macleod Andrews.
Directed by:
Jennifer Strome
The radio play was followed by a discussion featuring author Cynthia Ozick and producer Jennifer Strome, moderated by author and cultural historian Neil Baldwin, Ph.D. A talk back with the audience examined the play’s historical context and its subsequent fall into obscurity.
Venue:
The Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Park Place
New York, New York 10280
www.mjhnyc.org
September 15 through 23, 2012
Jennifer Strome and AC Armstrong, M.D. with permission from the Anne Frank Fonds Basel, Switzerland presented:
Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl, a radio play by Meyer Levin
Featuring: Justine Huxley, Yuri Lowenthal, Bruce Nozick, Tracy Pattin, Tara Platt, Tasia Valenza, Rick Zieff, Katie Zieff
Composer/Musician: Bob Magnuson
Technical Director/Audio Engineer: Mark Holden
Video Photographer: Greg Wonder
General Manager: Peter Bogyo
Stage Manager: Lauren J. Klein
Talent Casting: Tracy Pattin & Rick Zieff
Publicity: Shirley Herz Associates, Bob Lasko
Web Design & Programming: Simma Park
Executive Assistant: Katie Fisk
Production Associate: Anna Chazelle, Bianca Bloomfield, Bryan Viper
Production Assistant: Allison Zieff
Directed by Jennifer Strome
Recorded at Invisible Studios, Los Angeles September 6th, 2012
Podcasted online during September 2012 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the radio play.