For Immediate Release: December 20, 2006
Media Contact: Christine Barbush, People’s Light & Theatre Company, 610.647.1900 x103

People’s Light & Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of a new adaptation of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, based on the novel by L.M. Montgomery, from January 19 – February 11, 2007, as part of the TARGET Family Discovery Series. Peter DeLaurier adapts this beloved classic to the stage, Shannon O’Donnell directs. People’s Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. For tickets call 610-644-3500. Target is the title sponsor for the Family Discovery Series, PECO Energy is the show’s corporate sponsor.

Enter the world of skinny, red-headed Anne Shirley, an orphan who is sent to help Matthew Cuthbert and his no-nonsense sister Marilla with their farm at Green Gables. Little did she know they wanted a sturdy boy! This imaginative young heroine works her way into the hearts of her reluctant new parents, and with her natural flair for drama, manages to transform stodgy, old-fashioned Prince Edward Island and the folks who live there into a host of “kindred spirits.”

Artistic Director Abigail Adams says, “People’s Light has been cultivating a family audience for 10 years now with our Target Family Discovery Series. We are discovering that young audiences feel a strong connection to the work on stage when they see stories that they know told in a new way. Many people that I’ve talked to have a love of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, and we are excited to present our own adaptation of it.”

Peter DeLaurier began working on the adaptation for ANNE OF GREEN GABLES in 2002, after he appeared in the PLTC production of The Secret Garden. DeLaurier says, “I never read The Secret Garden because I always felt that it was a ‘girls’ story. But I loved working on it. I realized then that there must be other books out there that I had missed out on as a youngster. When I read ANNE OF GREEN GABLES I fell in love with Anne and many of the other characters in the story. I began working on an adaptation then and there. I thought it was a perfect show for People’s Light.”

As an adoptive and foster parent himself, DeLaurier empathizes with the hopes and struggles of Matthew, Marilla and Anne, “They are learning to love one another and find their own way to make a family.” Anne herself is dealing with all the joy and turmoil of growing up, a process made all the more challenging due to her hot temper, active imagination and comical genius for making mistakes. Peter adds, “I think everyone, boys and girls alike, can relate to Anne’s need to belong and be loved for her own particular spirit.”

Director Shannon O’Donnell is thrilled to be working with a terrific cast of young professionals and long-time People’s Light veterans. “Not only did L.M. Montgomery carve out such a captivating and internationally beloved heroine as Anne,” says O’Donnell, “but she surrounded her with a population of equally quirky and delightful characters, all created with such comical truth and compassion, they could each star in their own sequel to the story.”

Anne of Green Gables previews on Thursday, January 18, 2007. Opening night is at 7pm Friday, January 19, 2007. The show runs through February 11, 2007. Tickets are now on sale and are $20 for children and $26 for adults, with discounts available for groups of 10 or more. Subscriptions to the remaining productions in the TARGET Family Discovery Series are available at a significant savings! Children 18 years of age and younger will see Anne of Green Gables and The Giver (April 26 – May 20, 2007) for $28, Adults for $49. Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling the box office at 610-644-3500 or visiting www.peopleslight.org.

KEY BIOS

Lucy Maud Montgomery (Author) was born in 1874 in Clifton (now New London). She lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her maternal grandparents. Montgomery retreated into a world of literary fantasy and started to write while still in school. She had her first poem published locally when she was 15. In 1895-96 Montgomery studied literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax. In 1905, she wrote the first book of the Anne series, drawing on her girlhood experiences. Montgomery initially resisted pressure from her publisher to produce a sequel to the immensely popular Anne of Green Gables, but ultimately relented. Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside were published between 1909 an 1939.

Peter DeLaurier (Adaptor) Peter’s stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol was written to open the first full season of the Delaware Theatre Company (which he co-founded) and has since been performed around the country at regional professional, community and college theatres. PLTC presented that adaptation for the holiday season of 1991 and 1992. His translation of Molière’s The Misanthrope has had two college productions. Peter is a member of The Dramatists Guild.

Shannon O’Donnell (Director) has directed many productions at PLTC, including A Higher Place in Heaven, Jason and the Golden Fleece, The Forgiving Harvest, The Thoughts and Travels of Nicki, The Little Prince and The Secret Garden. She also directed 4.48 Psychosis at Theatre Catalyst. In 2000, Shannon was awarded the esteemed Princess Grace Theatre Apprenticeship Award for Directing. Shannon is currently researching creative work for Harvard Business School and is a Consultant with Cutter Innovation practice.

Kimberly Carson (Diana Barry) made her People’s Light debut in last season’s The Crucible. A graduate of DeSales University, her previous roles include Helen White in Winesburg, Ohio at the Arden Theatre Company, Angelique in The Imaginary Invalid and Auoda/Ensemble in Around the World in 80 Days—both at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.

Peter DeLaurier (Matthew Cuthbert), who was recently seen in The Imaginary Invalid, The Man From Nebraska (for which he received a Barrymore nomination) and The Crucible, is an Artistic Associate at PLTC and has been with the Theatre since 1981. Other PLTC productions include Jason and the Golden Fleece, 30FEST, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Around the World in 80 Days, The Forgiving Harvest, Holes, Camping With Henry & Tom, A Delicate Balance, In the Blood, Once in a Lifetime and The Secret Garden.

Erin Clare Hurley (Anne Shirley) was last seen at PLTC as Billie Augusta in A Higher Place in Heaven. Other performance credits include Measure for Measure, Cyrano, Jocasta, The Real Inspector Hound and The Seagull – all at The Cleveland Playhouse. In New York she appeared in The Innocent Mistress (Blue Heron Theatre) and Exit the King (Columbia University.) Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival performances include Charley’s Aunt, Merry Wives of Windsor, Blithe Spirit, All’s Well that Ends Well, Comedy of Errors and Twelfth Night. She will become PSF’s Education Director this May.

Daniel Joyce (Gilbert Blythe) recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Regional credits include 8-track: The Sound of the Seventies, Grand Hotel and Forever Plaid.

Kathryn Petersen (Mrs. Barry/Mrs. Spencer/Voice of Miss Stacy), a member of the acting company since 1986, is an Artistic Associate at People’s Light. She has appeared in over fifty productions here and taught extensively in the Theatre School. Some of her performances here include The Imaginary Invalid, The Man From Nebraska, 30 FEST, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar and String of Pearls. Kathryn is also a playwright, and PLTC has presented several of her plays, including this year’s Robin Hood.

Ceal Phelan (Marilla Cuthbert) has appeared in many productions at People's Light since 1980. As a PLTC company member, she has directed shows and is active in the Education and Audience Development departments. This season, she directed Bad Dates for Act II Playhouse and The Laramie Project, a production of the People's Light Theatre School adult students. In the spring, she will direct The Taming of the Shrew at the Lantern Theatre.

Marcia Saunders (Mrs. Rachel Lynde) has been a member of the PLTC acting company for 30 years, and was seen here recently in The Man From Nebraska, The Crucible, The O’Conner Girls and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other PLTC credits include Born Yesterday, A Delicate Balance, The Memory of Water, Macbeth and Once in a Lifetime. A Barrymore nominee for her roles in The Man From Nebraska, A View from the Bridge, A Flea in Her Ear, Hard Times, Molly’s Delicious and My Mother Said I Never Should, Marcia was the recipient of two Emmy Awards for her narration of Teacher TV on the Discovery Channel. Marcia has worked with The Wilma, The Arden, The Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Lantern Theatre Company, The Walnut Street Theatre and the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.

TICKET INFORMATION

For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.peopleslight.org. Or contact the Box Office, open daily from noon until 6pm, at 610-644-3500.

Select performances are available to school groups. Discounts, supplemental materials and a Talk Back with the artists for 10am weekday student performances may be purchased. Group discounts for parties of 10 or more are also available. For more information on student performances or group tickets, call 610.647.1900, ext. 191 or group@peopleslight.org.

Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after each performance to discuss the production.

The remaining People’s Light & Theatre Company 2006/2007 Season includes Tuesdays with Morrie, February 7 – March 4, 2006; Twelfth Night, February 28 – April 7, 2007; The Giver, April 26 – May 20, 2007; Splittin’ the Raft, May 9 – June 10, 2007; Humble Boy, June 20 – July 15, 2007. Subscription tickets are available for the remaining shows at a significant discount. Call 610.644.3500 for tickets or information.

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