THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS THE HEARTWARMING FAMILY CLASSIC ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
Keynote Final Production of the Youth theatre Season is Adapted by R.N. Sandberg from the Novel by L.M. Montgomery
MARCH 7, 2007 - LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA – The Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre is pleased to present the stage version of the wonderful family classic Anne of Green Gables, written by R. N. Sandberg from the novel by L. M. Montgomery, Friday, May 11 through Sunday, May 20, 2007. The Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre production is directed by Kelly Herman.
First published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables tells the poignant and funny story of a freckle-faced, red-haired orphan named Anne Shirley, who is adopted by brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, Canada. When Anne arrives at Green Gables (the name of the farm owned by the Cuthberts), she is devastated to learn that the elderly couple had been expecting a boy, and then elated when they decide to keep her. With her fiery temper, love of melodrama and romance, and penchant for misadventures, Anne brings laughter and happiness to the home she has longed for all of her life.
L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery was known as Maud to her family and friends but L. M. Montgomery to her readers. Born in 1874 on Prince Edward Island, Montgomery was only 21 months old when her mother died and her father left the province. Montgomery was raised in a strict household by her maternal grandparents. After grade school, she attended college and obtained a teaching degree, and then studied literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Montgomery held various teaching positions and then worked for several Halifax newspapers. In 1908, she published her first book, Anne of Green Gables. Three years later she married a minister and moved to Ontario, where the couple’s two sons were born. She went on to write several sequels to Anne of Green Gables, as well as other books including collections of short stories and poems. She died in Toronto in 1942.
R. N. Sandberg is a playwright, director, screenwriter, and teacher. More than two dozen of his plays have been presented by theaters such as The Laguna Playhouse, Dallas Children's Theatre, The Empty Space, Fulton Opera House, Houston's Stages Rep, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Intiman Theatre Company, Louisville's Stage One, Nashville Academy Theatre, New City Theatre, Pennsylvania Stage Company, Provincetown Playhouse, Seattle Children's Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Yale Cabaret.
His most recent plays are In Between for George Street Playhouse, Frankenstein's Children for Metro Theater Company, Can't Believe It! for the McCarter Theater, The Odyssey for Tales and Scales, and Done. Other plays include A Woman of Means, Convivienca, Jarpteetza/The Firebird, Frankenstein, The Moonstone, Robinswood, Sara Crewe, This Land, and Evenings In, Evenings Out. He has been a Lecturer in the Program in Theater and Dance at Princeton University since 1995. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Philadelphia Dramatists Center.
Kelly Herman (Director) is Associate Director of Youth Theatre, Education and Outreach for Laguna Playhouse. An accomplished actress, educator and director, Kelly has a Master of Fine Arts from the highly competitive Actor’s Training Program at Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from California State University, Long Beach. She has acquired a multitude of tools that have allowed her to perform, direct and educate extensively on the east and west coasts. Kelly has been deeply involved with Laguna Playhouse’s Theatre Reach for the last eight years, and has been teaching in the Conservatory and Repertory program in the Youth Theatre for six years.
The Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre was formed in the 1980’s, although since its early days The Playhouse has recognized the value of offering plays for young audiences. The current program offers a two-play subscription series primarily aimed at children of elementary and middle school age. These are usually existing plays or musicals based upon well-known books or stories, but occasionally new stage adaptations of such source material is commissioned by the Playhouse. Single ticket programs include evenings of improvisation and an annual issue-oriented play for teens and parents entitled Theatre for A New Generation.
The Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre productions are directed and designed by theatre professionals and are fully-mounted with the Playhouse’s technical resources. The staff for each production is drawn principally from the Playhouse’s Youth Conservatory Program, giving children of all ages an opportunity to learn various aspects of stagecraft. Open casting is “age-appropriate,” which means that young people play young people in the plays. The content of the plays is similar to that of G-rated or PG-rated films.
Anne of Green Gables - Performance & Ticket Information:
Ticket Prices:
Adults $20
Children $16
Performances
May 11 – 20, 2007
Friday, May 11: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 12: 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 13: 1:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
Friday, May 18: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19: 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 20: 1:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
(Stage Talks follow the May 11, May 18 and May 19 evening performances)
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES CALL 949.460.8676
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
For more information, press comps, photos or to set up press interviews, please contact Christopher Trela at 949-497-2787 ext. 220 or ctrela@lagunaplayhouse.com.
