Siblings David B. and Noa Friedman headline James Still’s poignant play | Diversions

ST. PETERSBURG — “And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank” will run April 10 through May 17 at freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

Tickets are $55. Call 727-498-5205 or visit freefalltheatre.com.

Eric Davis, freeFall’s artistic director, directs “And Then They Came for Me” by James Still, a unique multimedia play that combines videotaped interviews of Holocaust survivors Ed Silverberg and Eva Schloss and live actors recreating scenes from their lives during World War II. Ed was Anne Frank’s first boyfriend, and she wrote about him in the beginning of her now-famous diary. Eva Schloss was the same age as Anne Frank and lived in the same apartment building in Amsterdam. Her family went into hiding the same day as the Frank family. And like the Frank family, they were betrayed. Part oral history, part dramatic action, part direct address, part remembrance; the ensemble-driven “And Then They Came for Me” breaks new ground and has been acclaimed by audiences and critics in world-wide productions.

The freeFall production of “And Then They Came for Me” stars David B. Friedman and Noa Friedman with Elizabeth Meckler, Arielle Beth Klein, Evan Fineout and Cameron Kubly. David, Noa, Arielle, and Evan are all making their freeFall debuts. David and Noa are real-life brother and sister and part of a prominent theatre family in Tampa Bay.

Davis is also the production and video designer. Award-winning lighting designer Mike Wood returns to freeFall for this production. The sound is engineered by Nathan Doyle.

“And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank” was originally co-commissioned and produced in 1996 by the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Young Audiences of New Jersey. The production was a collaboration between playwright James Still and director Susan Kerner, who conducted the original filmed interviews with survivors Eva Schloss and Ed Silverberg in 1995 and 1996. Notable long-running productions include an annual performance at the Georgia Ensemble Theatre, which has staged the show every year since 1997.