В Канморе стартовали летние спектакли «Аня из Зелёных крыш» и «Маленькие женщины»

CANMORE – The curtain’s pulling back on two well-loved stories at Canmore’s Centennial Park this summer. Marking nearly a decade of the Canmore Summer Theatre Festival, Pine Tree Players returns this year with Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, which run until July 18 and 19 on the Stan Rogers Memorial Stage. Drawing from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel, the classic Canadian tale of orphaned Anne and her adventures in Avonlea are told in a fresh way by the community theatre’s cast and crew. “The story of Anne of Green Gables is told all from older Anne’s students. They take on the characters within the story, and it all takes place within the schoolhouse,” says Chelsea Howell-Fellows, the show’s director. Impressed by the young cast’s talent, Howell-Fellows knew she wanted to showcase everyone throughout the show. “That’s why all the kids are on stage the whole time. The story is very much told from all 14 cast members from the community,” she said. “The heart of Anne of Green Gables is community and it’s such a classic Canadian tale, and I think it really applies to Canmore.” Playing spirited, red-haired young Anne, 14-year-old Cedar Thomas says she would’ve been happy playing any role in the classic. “I love this story so much. My mom read it to me as a kid,” said Thomas. “The show is basically her imagination and her telling coming to life. When the people are acting it out, they’re acting out her vision and what she sees in the world.” Some of the script is taken right from the book dialogue, says Jane Oliphant who plays older Anne and Marilla Cuthbert. “It kind of takes you to a slower pace back in that time as well … and to the joys of imagination and childhood,” she said. Meanwhile, another story that will tug at the heartstrings unfolds on the outdoor stage as the set turns into the March family home during Civil war-era Massachusetts. “Little Women ... it’s a little bit of a forward-thinking story because it centres very much around Jo, who is a forward thinker,” said Jeremy White, set carpenter and actor playing Mr. March. “She’s kind of a liberated woman before her time.” Directed by Shelby Reinitz, the show follows sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy and a story of love, family and ambition as they come of age. “Given that we have a bit of a book theme going on this year … it made sense to pair it with Little Women where you get this wonderful story of sisterhood and how they can uplift femininity in different ways,” said Christian Daly, the show’s assistant director. “It feels very relevant now.” Entering its ninth year, White says summer theatre has been increasing in popularity. “Last year was our most popular year,” he said. Watching last year’s productions of Treasure Island and Wizard of Oz, audience members have even become cast members through the years, says White, noting young Anne of Green Gables actress Eleanor Bennett was moved to join Pine Tree Players after seeing the shows. “She came up to Jen and said, ‘I wanna do theatre.’ And now she is a year later, so it’s inspiring people.” For tickets and showtimes visit: pinetreeplayers.com The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. This position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.