As is usually the case during play season, our lives have been consumed with this fall's drama, Anne of Green Gables. Though it was SO much hard work and not without its stresses and tears, we all recognize what a gift it was to be able to perform during this weird time! This weekend's two outdoor shows were magnificent and we've spent the past few days basking in the ALL the feelings and good things: family visitors, praise from so many, the pride of a job well done, and even that freeing sense of relief! For the sake of memory preservation, here are a few pictures capturing a few favorite moments where our endearing, earnest, irresistible, hilarious Anne captured our hearts on stage...
"Oh please call me Cordelia. It's so much more romantic. If you must call me Anne, at least call me Anne spelled with an 'e'."
"I HATE YOU! How dare you call me skinny and ugly! How dare you call attention to my freckles! You are a rude, impolite, unfeeling woman!"
"That dreadful woman did terrible things to me. I'd just convinced myself, after months of imagining, that my freckles were beauty marks, and she spoiled it all. I'll never be happy again." (Funny backstory, Ella's best friend Ruth played Rachel, and hating and screaming at Ruth was Ella's hardest scene.)
"Not come over? Oh Diana, does your mother realize what it would mean to me to have my bosom friend torn asunder? My love for you is inextinguishable."
"Anne, you can't go on being bad friends with me forever. I promise never to mention your freckles again if you forgive me."
"What you ask is impossible! If I do decide to go on living, there are two paths in front of me. And I choose the one leading furthest away from YOU!"
"Appears that list of kindred spirits is growing mighty rapid, Anne..."
"Oh yes, Matthew, but of course you head the list, that goes without saying."
"That wasn't vanilla in the bottle! You've gone and flavored the layer cake with Chloroform Liniment!"
"You see yesterday, while Marilla was out, a peddler came to the back door, and he offered to sell me a box of freckle-remover for only ten cents. It was the last box of it he had and he said it was guaranteed to removed freckles from anybody. Guaranteed! I bought the freckle-remover and I thought I'd try it out on Dimples the pig because I love her so much and I know she must suffer with all those freckles on her, same as I do from mine. Yes, and now poor Dimples is all broken out and my heart is broken. I just felt it go dead inside me. Matthew, you'll have to punish me something dreadful for this!"
"Josie Pye said terrible things to Anne, just because she asked her not to mention that Gilbert Blythe's name to her. Oh Anne, I'm so sorry, I used his name. It just slipped out!"
"I forgive you freely, dear Diana. I know that you didn't intend to wound me and that your motive was pure."
"A white dress with puff sleeves! I will spend most of my time gazing at it with sheer joy. I have the most comfortable feeling that the very first time I'm seen in that dress somebody is going to call me Lady Cordelia!"
"Oh Anne, you blessed girl! You've saved us from ruin. Whatever should we have done without you? There, you see Matthew! And you were the one who wanted to adopt a boy! I've always known that I loved you, Anne dear, but I never could let myself go until today. I've just been an old fool."
"You know how I feel about you, Anne. You've always known."
(This version had a surprise twist ending!) A rich Uncle Ira Mills finds his long lost niece Anne Shirley in Green Gables...and what do you know?! She's living with his former fiancé, Marilla Cuthbert, with whom he rekindles a relationship! Tidy, happy endings all around! ;)
"I don't want to imagine anything more than I have right now because I'm so happy. For I am Anne of Green Gables, and that is all I ever hope or want to be."
Happy, proud, starstruck family!
Friday night's performance was great. Saturday's was so high energy, and perfect, the cast absolutely killed it! In fact, our director even posted this!
We're so thankful Uncle Kyle could fly out and represent our larger VM family in the audience!
After each performance, Ella was delighted to connect with the many people who love her and came out to support her. Above, two girls she babysits each week. Below, her boyfriend Evan.
Ella's special friend, and senior mentor from last year, Tina, even came home from college in Southern California to surprise and cheer for her former drama family!
Ella said the best part of this play was growing her friendship with Emma and Briley (Marilla and Diana). These gals bonded over their many shared scenes and hundreds of lines.
Had to get a picture of Anne with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.
All the girls on cast.
All the sophomores on cast.
And just a few fun stories to close. Above are two of my former students, the most adorable little redheads. When their mom found out about the play, she started introducing them to the story this fall. She'd message me about how excited they were to see it on stage. When it was over, these two cuties came running up to take a picture with Anne, their redheaded kindred spirit. ;) And they weren't the only ones! Ella said she took lots of pictures with little girls, some she didn't even know, who just wanted to give her a hug afterwards!
We realized that in this play Ella and Emma reprised a mother/daughter stage relationship they started in 5th grade!
My dear friend Donna's son Ben played Matthew. He is a senior and this was his first play! He was amazing, and watching Donna become a Drama Mama was a delight! An hour before Friday's performance, she called me to exclaim, "AM I SUPPOED TO FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO PUKE?!?!" We sat together and grabbed each other at all the touching parts that our kids were nailing.
All weekend my phone blew up with people telling me to tell Ella what a phenomenal job she did. We were blessed to have so much church family there! This was one of my favorite emails from our Chaplain Jack and his wife!
It's bittersweet. This one was harder than plays of the past. Ella carried a heavy burden of learning so many lines, covering for people who were struggling with the lines up to the day before the performance, and doing justice to such a beloved character. She's been dying for a lead and now that she's on this side of having had one, tells me, "I never want the lead again!" So she is happy it's done. But, she's more happy it ended on such a perfect, high note! Giving what she says was "her personal best performance ever." I need Anne Shirley to invent and tell me a word more dramatic, romantic and conducive than "proud" because that is just not cutting it for what we feel about Ella taking on this role and honoring it, her audience, and her Lord with the use of her gifts!
