When Ella Thomas undertook directing Anne for the South Canterbury Drama League’s repertory section and put out the call for people to audition, she was inundated with talented young actors.
In response, the cast swelled in size to 39 and includes younger and older versions of the main characters.
"This much-loved book has been a favourite of mine for years," Ms Thomas said.
"I have wanted to bring Anne’s story to the stage for a long time.
"This version of the play is fast-paced and a big cast aged 9 to 69 brings to life all the tragedies and triumphs that mark Anne’s growth from adolescence to early adulthood — her friendship with Diana, her feuds with Gilbert, the mistaken wine bottle, the cake disaster, and the saving of Green Gables."
Anne of Green Gables tells the poignant and often funny story of a freckle-faced, red-haired orphan named Anne Shirley who arrives at the Bright River Railway Station full of hope for a new life.
Her destination is the home of brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island.
When she arrives at the Cuthbert’s home, Green Gables, Anne is devastated to discover that Marilla is expecting a boy, and then ecstatic when she decides to keep him.
With her fiery temper, love of melodrama and romance, and penchant for misadventure, she brings laughter, love, and more than a little consternation to the Cuthberts’ quiet lives.
In return, Anne finds the happiness and the home she has longed for all her life.
Anne is played by two actors who carry her from the freckle-faced, skinny 11-year-old Anne (Emma Armstrong) to the more assured and confident 16-year-old Anne (Sophie Hogg).
Anita Dawson and Eric Bindewald play brother and sister Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, with Stefanie Crawford taking on the role of their nosy but good-hearted neighbour, Rachel Lynde.
Tickets are available online at iticket.co.nz or in person from Newmans MusicWorks or the Timaru Information Centre.
