BEMIDJI — The story of Anne of Green Gables holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts.
Maybe it’s something they grew up with, through the books, movies or TV specials. There is no shortage of ways to experience it.
The Bemidji Community Theater will perform the musical version of the tale. It’s the story of an 11-year-old girl named Anne Shirley, who believes she’s being adopted by the Cuthberts in Avonlea. She discovers they wanted a boy to help with farm work, and that they plan to send her back. However, they are convinced to give her a trial period to decide whether to keep her.
When discussing ideas for Bemidji Community Theater productions, younger members pushed the idea of doing Anne of Green Gables the Musical.
Director Mary Knox-Johnson told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show, “Three of the leads are young people. ... It isn't often that you get a full-length musical that has that kind of power for younger actresses. ... So we have a very strong, vibrant, young community of young actors who've been involved now for a number of years.”
Stage manager Kristine Cannon added, “Many of these books are very beloved by this whole crew of kids and it's not just the girls.”
Since this show was pushed by the younger actors, one may wonder if there was a conversation with them about their responsibility to give 100%. Knox-Johnson said that was not the case.
“We always expect that of our young people. I think that they come to know that,” Knox-Johnson said.
They consider this show a main stage production, and the crew doesn’t plan to cut the actors any slack just because they’re younger. They are expected to work just as hard as the adult actors, especially the leads.
“I think our new people, both adults and young people, are a little bit surprised at the rigor of the rehearsal schedule," Cannon said. "We tell their parents ahead of time, this is not easy. This is not just, ‘Let's put on some fun clothes and play.’
"They have to learn their blocking. They have to sing. They have to deal with their props.”
The music
Cannon described the music of the show as fast, crisp, funny and poignant at times. Knox-Johnson added the style is comparable to The Music Man. However, unlike other musicals, the characters don’t just break into song and dance. Every song has a purpose.
“Every piece of music advances the story as if there were some additional dialogues set to music," Cannon said.
Knox-Johnson and Cannon assure viewers the musical still captures the message of the importance of friendship that the books had. It also is about learning to grow up and being with a family that nurtures you.
Team effort
A big part of putting this show together was the set design. Recreating a town on stage is no easy task. There is a two-story house that revolves, a working buggy and each building is filled with lots of detail.
“You'll notice that the kitchen appears to have flowered wallpaper on it. That isn't wallpaper," Cannon said. "That was hand-painted meticulously by Becca Lash, who is our scenic painter.”
Knox-Johnson credits the meticulous detail to the musicals team. They’ve worked together enough times that they’re not afraid to bounce ideas off each other.
“Sometimes we shoot for the moon, and we reach the stars and not quite the moon or the other way around," Knox-Johnson said. "I can't remember. But we have a very fun experience and a very creative experience.”
They had to get creative with blocking for 35 people. It takes a lot of planning, and Knox-Johnson said at a certain point, it’s the actor's responsibility to not only remember where they need to be, but roll with any changes in rehearsal.
“[Actors] say, ‘Well you keep changing our blocking, Mary. What should we do?’" Cannon said. "And I say, ‘We're changing the blocking to make you look better to the audience.’"
The schedule for Anne of Green Gables the Musical performances is a little different from previous Bemidji Community Theater productions. There will be shows Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14-15, and Nov. 21-23. On Nov. 15, there will also be a matinee performance at 2 p.m. in addition to a 7 p.m. performance.
“I call it the great experiment, because we often don't do a Saturday matinee, but people have been asking us to do one," Knox-Johnson said. "So, we're going to do a Saturday matinee on the 15th.”
The rest of the performances will be at 7 p.m., except for Nov. 23, which is at 2 p.m. Tickets are available on the Bemidji Community Theater website or at Ken K. Thompson Jewelry and McKenzie Place.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
