Netflix is televising a new series of Anne of Green Gables which begins on May 12. This is super news!
Anne of Green Gables is a perfect play for your company. How do I know? I have directed it (not surprised, are you?) and produced it as well. In fact, I know that many companies have produced the play.
There are certain shows that are guaranteed winners for a company. Anne of Green Gables ranks up there with The Diary of Anne Frank, The Miracle Worker, Alice in Wonderland, The Best Christmas Pageant to name a few.
If you want to attract people to your theatre, Anne of Green Gables is one of those plays of which you can’t go wrong.
There are many reasons to include it in your season, but suffice to say you will make happy a lot of your potential audience members and your regulars. In particular, I recommend Sylvia Ashby’s adaptation. It is published by Samuel French at http://www.samuelfrench.com/p/8856/anne-of-green-gables-ashby-non-musical
The strengths:
1.The cast is comprised of both males and females, BUT two of main characters are females. Hallelujah!
2.There are roles for adults and children of many ages. Nine females and seven males.
3.The costumes can be as easy or complicated as your costume budget allows.
4.You’ll have to figure out how to make Anne’s hair turn green at one point, but that’s not too difficult.
5.There are several scenes with many characters on stage at once which means more time for everyone to have fun.
6. It’s a good length, about 120 minutes.
7.The set can be as elaborate are you require (I’ve seen it produced on a revolving stage.) or simple. I have directed it with the house up center and the other various locales down stage of it.
8.There is a need for a boat. One time a father went crazy on me and built an entire boat (yes, you read that right), but really, that’s not needed.
9.In a school setting I directed it with two Marillas and three Annes (one for each age we see as she grows up). This plan was terrific for a number of obvious reasons. It gave more females the opportunity to perform leads and lessened the number of lines they had to memorize.
10. The themes of family and friendship radiate through the plot. It is suitable for all audiences.
There are no cons against producing the play, in my opinion.
So, the next time you are looking for a play that will become a guaranteed winner for your audience, select Anne of Green Gables. You’ll be glad you did!
Purchase my book, Bumbling Bea at https://www.amazon.com/Bumbling-Bea-Deborah-Baldwin/dp/1500390356