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Theatre Diaries 1: The cast of ‘Anne of Green Gables: The Musical’ gets started

A first read-through unites old friends, introduces newcomers, and sees a bittersweet goodbye.
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Esther Darlington (centre) presents a cheque for $2,000 to WRAPS directors Martina Duncan and Jim Duncan, to assist with the production of Anne of Green Gables: The Musical . Darlington said that she has long been an admirer of the work of Anne creator L. M. Montgomery, and that it is amazing to think the Anne books are so popular all over the world. “I’m also a member of WRAPS, and am passionate about the arts,” she added. It is Darlington’s second donation to the group, and Martina Duncan said that WRAPS is very grateful for her generous support. Barbara Roden

Those who have followed my “Theatre Diaries” for the last couple of Winding Rivers Arts & Performance Society (WRAPS) productions might be surprised to see an installment at this time of year. Rehearsals for the WRAPS fall production usually start in September; but for this year’s production—Anne of Green Gable: The Musical—casting was done in June, and director Mavourneen Varcoe-Ryan and musical director Theresa Tackacs wanted to get a head start on another ambitious project.

Thus it was that a read-through of the play was held on June 22, so that actors could get familiar with each other and their parts and get a feel for the musical, which has been continuously running in Canada as part of the Charlottetown Festival since 1965. In March 2014 the production was officially acknowledged by The Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running annual musical theatre production in the world.

The read-through is held in a room at the Ashcroft HUB; my son’s former grade 4 classroom, I realize, as I sink into a seat. This is my sixth play (as an actor) with WRAPS, and it’s good to see so many familiar faces: what I think of as the WRAPS repertory company. But there are new faces as well, and it’s good to see that they immediately seem to fit right in.

It’s interesting to hear so many of the female cast members reminisce about how they read, and re-read, the Anne novels as girls. I certainly did; my parents bought me the complete set of Anne books when we visited Green Gables House in PEI in 1975, when I was 11, and those battered volumes—which I still possess—show how many times they were read.

As the read-through progresses, however, I am reminded that at least some of the sub-plots of the book must have sailed completely over my head when I first read them. In the play (as in the book) the town’s teacher, Mr. Phillips, takes a special interest in one of the students, Prissy Andrews, and is spending extra hours “coaching her for a scholarship”. As Rachel Lynde, the town busybody and gossip, I have a splendid scene where I meet the new Mrs. Phillips and realize with shock that she is very visibly pregnant; but my 11-year-old self obviously didn’t understand all the implications of why Mr. Phillips a) had to resign as teacher and b) marry Prissy.

Daniel Nicholls, who plays Mr. Phillips, apparently hadn’t quite realized all the implications either, until the read-through. Daniel—who played Mortimer Brewster in last year’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace—starts reading out his verse in a song in which various characters try to take credit for Anne’s success. As Daniel reads out his lyrics—“It was destiny that chose me / To cultivate this pearl / By devoting my attention / To the needs of every girl / For in the field of knowledge / When you plant a tiny seed / The results can be tremendous / Tremendous, yes, indeed”—he collapses into unrestrained hilarity as the subtext of the words sinks in, with the rest of us following suit.

Halfway through the read-through Cecelia McLean comes into the room, carrying a container full of fresh-baked cookies. Cecelia has been acting in WRAPS productions for a decade, and I’ve worked with her in five plays since 2012. Cecelia—who is a keen baker—frequently brought fresh-baked treats to rehearsals, and it’s a bittersweet moment; for as the cookies are passed around I realize with a pang that this will be her last rehearsal.

Cecelia—who was awarded the WRAPS bursary at this year’s commencement ceremony at Desert Sands Community School—is off to UNBC in September, to study political science. It’s a reminder that our little company is not immune to change, and I know how much I will miss her warm and sunny presence (and her wonderful baking) come September.

The read-through comes to an end. There is applause and laughter, the closing of scripts and good-natured banter. Over the summer, those with major singing parts will meet with Theresa to go over the songs, so that when rehearsals start in September the singing will—we hope—be nailed down, allowing the actors to get on with their speaking roles.

I walk down the hallway of the HUB, realizing that starting in September this will be my home away from home, for the rehearsals and the production. It seems a very long way off; but I know that I can’t wait for it to start. On with the show!

Anne of Green Gables: The Musical will be at the Ashcroft HUB for five performances from November 2 to 5.