Two weeks ago, we were all in our Friday Night Chill mode. The girls had been back to "Camp" for a week and were readjusting to the rigors of school work after a lazy 6 months. A scream suddenly broke through our daze: our sophomore hollering "I GOT ANNE!!!!!" as the cast list for Anne of Green Gables was emailed.
This is super special. We are big fans of Anne Shirley, having watched her movie multiple times as a family and at friend gatherings. We've read her book. And her graphic novel. We quote her each Almond Blossom season as we enjoy our own "White Way of Delight". Getting to play such a familiar and beloved character is a real honor for Ella. I think Anne and Ella share a whimsical, imaginative, earnest, endearing quality too. Maybe that's why she was cast? :)
Or maybe she was cast because, for her audition, she nailed a 3 page monologue...that she memorized the day of during her asynchronous learning time! A fact that blew her director away. We were delighted (to borrow another of Anne's words) to find Dave's Anne of Green Gables script in an old tub of school stuff. He played the station master in 7th grade and still remembers his ONE line. Ella counted, she has 235 lines!! And they are all small monologues.
We're praying the plan for an outdoor performance at the end of October can be a reality. Though, much of drama is about the process and right now it is just a gift for Ella to attend regular play practices, using her gifts, working hard, and laughing with her actor kindred spirits again.
