Florida Atlantic Hosts Performance Exploring MLK and Anne Frank’s Legacies Through Their Letters

In 1929, two individuals were born into incredibly different worlds: one in Germany and the other in the United States. Facing vastly different circumstances, both left behind words that would continue to inspire the fight for justice. 

Florida Atlantic University hosted a presentation of “Letters from Anne and Martin,” a stage play developed, produced, and performed by the Anne Frank Center USA, which is based in New York.

Staged at Florida Atlantic’s Gutterman Family Center, the production explores the legacies of Anne Frank and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through their writings, drawing parallels between their messages of equality and resilience.

The play was “the brainchild of a previous Anne Frank Center staff member, Hannah Bond, who was an actor and teacher for the Anne Frank Center USA,” said Alexandra Gellner, Associate Director of Education at the center. “She was creating multiple performances with Anne Frank’s diary.” 

Gellner explained that Otto Frank, Anne’s father, founded the Anne Frank Center in 1977 to preserve his daughter’s voice and help young people find their own.

The performance featured two actors embodying Frank and King, transporting audiences into the moments when they wrote their iconic works: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Through these performances, their words were brought vividly to life.

King’s now famous letter was written in response to being imprisoned for eight days for leading nonviolent anti-segregation protests in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963.

“I didn't learn about a ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ until high school,” said Marcel Daly, who played Dr. King in the Florida Atlantic performance. 

Daly expressed that growing up, he received a limited education of Black history only during the preferred month. Portraying Dr. King now has given him an experience where he gets to fully honor and be inspired by his legacy.

“Being able to honor his legacy and honor what he stood for, putting it in a setting where I am able to showcase it with his writing, what he fought for, it’s such a blessing,” said Daly.

Anne Frank, a 16 year-old girl who once dreamed of becoming a writer before she was murdered in the Holocaust, became a lasting symbol of strength and hope in history. After the war in 1945, her diary was found by her father, who edited and published the first version of it in 1947. The book preserved her voice and ensured that the events of the Holocaust would never be forgotten.

Olivia Konteatis, an actress and singer with the Anne Frank Center USA, has portrayed Anne Frank for five years, beginning in March 2020.

“I think one of the things that inspires me the most about Anne or even playing her is that…this was a girl that was split in half…she felt she was living a double life,” said Konteatis. “The thing that almost pains me the most about her life inspires me the most. Staying true to who you are and not being quiet about what you think.”

The performance highlighted the shared themes of hope and justice in Frank’s and King’s writings. Though they faced immense adversity, both used their words to advocate for a better future.

The Anne Frank Center reported that in the first two months of 2025 alone, the play had reached over 2,000 students, with a total audience of 10,000 in 2024.

At the end of the performance, there is an open mic portion for audience members to discuss and process what came up for them. Many of last Thursday's audience members openly shared their gratitude and appreciation for the performance.

“With the March on Washington, many people think that it was only ‘I have a dream’ and that was it. Many don’t realize they were marching and there for jobs, they were marching for better pay, some of the same things that we’re still trying to fight for today [why this is important],” said Candace Blake, an FAU alum and English teacher at Coral Springs High School.

Linda Medvin, FAU’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education Director, witnessed this performance several years prior before bringing it to Boca Raton to educate students on the event that left her inspired herself.

“We want people to understand that what happened in the past with these two different kinds of people have touched all of us and should give them something to think about,” Medvin said. “This wasn't so long ago; these were two different people…Look at the difference they made for us now.”