In early January, Kim Boone portrayed Anne Frank in front of her Nansemond River classmates, teachers and family. Later that month, she played the role at the Southeastern District Drama Competition at Indian River High School.

On Oct. 28, she’ll take the title role of one of the world’s most recognizable faces in front of a slightly larger crowd – the Virginia Theatre Association. Boone and the rest of her fellow Warrior thespians will be the first Suffolk squad to make the trip to Reston for the competition, where they’ll show &uot;The Diary of Anne Frank,&uot; the story of the young Dutch girl who spent two years hiding in a Holland attic during Nazi occupancy.

&uot;I think this will be a lot different,&uot; said Boone. &uot;We’ll be in front of the best of the best. The people will carry themselves better. I’ll probably be flipping out before the show, but I don’t really get nervous while I’m out there.&uot;

There will be 49 other schools at the Hyatt Regency hotel where the event will be performed – fellow Southeastern District school Great Bridge and Virginia Beach’s Ocean Lakes will be among them – as well as many colleges, such as the University of Virginia, James Madison University, and New York City’s National Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Before they get there, however, the Warriors will show their city a special preview of their performance – at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:15 p.m. Friday, they’ll be putting on the 35-minute show at the Java 149 coffee shop on Main Street. All proceeds from the event will go toward the team’s travel expenses.

&uot;We’ve been working with (director) Joleen (Miller) for about a year, having the kids come in and do one-act plays and improv,&uot; said Java co-owner Jeff Jones. &uot;We’re letting people know what we’re trying to do with culture in the area and giving kids a safe place to hang out. She just mentioned it, and we’re grateful for her to do anything over here. We saw it as a great opportunity to fill the place up and give them a chance to get ready for their competition.&uot;

Speaking of the improv – short for improvisation, the type of acting that’s made up as one goes along, like the television show &uot;Who’s Line is it Anyway?&uot; – River is one of 12 schools at the Reston competition that’s been chosen to compete in a separate part of the event. Boone, Josh Tarwater, Brittany Dye, Shannon Conroy, Jon Dalla Villa and Michelle Pruitt will be improvising for the judges.

&uot;We’re going to be surrounded by a lot of people who have been acting for a lot longer,&uot; said Tarwater. &uot;(When improvising) if you don’t know the other people, it’s really hard, but if you know how people are going to react, you can feed off each other’s energy.&uot;

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com