The curtain rises on an empty stage. it is late afternoon november, 1945. the rooms are dusty, the curtains in rags. chairs and tables are overturned. the door at the foot of the small stairwell swings open. mr. frank comes up the steps into view. he is a gentle, cultured european in his middle years. there is still a trace of a german accent in his speech. what do these stage directions reveal about when the opening scene takes place? it takes place after the franks have been captured. it takes place while the franks are in hiding. it takes place just as the franks are going into hiding. it takes place years before the franks are captured.