News for An L. M. Montgomery Resource Page

Here are some links to news articles on L. M. Montgomery and related info (external links will open in new windows):

May 4, 2008 - On novel's 100th anniversary, it's 'Anne' more than ever on PEI by Judy F. Kugel, The Boston Globe

April 30, 2008 - Carrot-top storms theatre, Victoria News

April 29, 2008 - Going back to Green Gables: New movie, DVD collection celebrate life of P.E.I.’s pig-tailed orphan Anne by Tim Arsenault, Nova Scotia News and The Chronicle Herald

Book club brings ‘Anne of Green Gables’ to life by Elizabeth Davies, Rockford Register Star

Frye interview re-ignites passion for writing by Aloma Jardine, Times and Transcript

April 27, 2008 - Scholar finds essence of Anne in Montgomery’s life by Mary Jo Anderson, Nova Scotia News

April 24, 2008 - Discovering Anne - Anne of Green Gables Turns 100 by Jamieson Villeneuve, American Chronicle

Info on O'Keeffe Middle School Drama Club's "Anne of Green Gables" playing in Madison, Wisconsin

April 23, 2008 - P.E.I. prepares for summer of celebration as Anne of Green Gables turns 100 by Chris Morris, The Canadian Press

'Anne' captivates Durham students: Children tour home of famous author in Uxbridge by Jeff Hayward, NewsDurhamRegion.com

April 21, 2008 - In Anne's footsteps by Sally Cole, The Guardian
A nice article on painter Ben F. Stahl, whose artwork is used on the 100th anniversary Anne stamp and coin, as well as the Bantam and Easton Press Anne and L.M. Montgomery book covers.

April 19, 2008 - Seeing Green by Jim Day, The Guardian

Genesis of Anne of Green Gables by Peter Goddard, The Toronto Star

Anne at 100 by Carolyn Wilker, Guelph Mercury

April 16, 2008 - Anne of Green Gables lives forever on Prince Edward Island by Randall Shirley, Dallas Morning News

100th ANNEversary noted at Bayport Library by Anita Buck, Lake Elmo Leader
There is a special Anne of Green Gables anniversary exhibit at the Bayport Library by Betty Heath of Lake Elmo, Minnesota through the end of April.

The Lucy Maud Montgomery Literary Society of Minnesota will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of the classic “Anne of Green Gables” Saturday, April 19. The free event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rum River Library in Anoka.

Colourful Anne of Green Gables coin highlights Royal Canadian Mint's second launch of 2008 products, CNW Group
The numismatics 25¢ Anne of Green Gables coin is now on sale for latest series for $19.95. Shouldn't it cost 25¢?

April 13, 2008 - 'Not a great book at all' still dazzling kids today: L.M. Montgomery almost threw Anne manuscript away in an old hat box by Lucy Kraemer, Toronto Star

Tribute to famous fictional heroine opens in Toronto: Visual history behind captivating tale of orphan girl will be shown across Canada by Pippa Wysong, Toronto Star
The exhibit runs April 19 to Sept. 20 at Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd. 416-392-6910. Entrance is included with admission to museum. toronto.ca/culture/spadina.htm

Try trivia quiz about Anne, Toronto Star

April 11, 2008 - Anne takes over Uxbridge this year: Famous author's first book celebrated a century after publication by Jeff Hayward, NewsDurhamRegion.com

April 06, 2008 - Prequel author can't see Atwood's take on Anne as Victorian strumpet by Randy Boswell , Canwest News Service
Wilson responds to Atwood

April 4, 2008 - Atwood goes to town with all-Canadian Anne: An essay predicts a dismal future for Anne Shirley by Randy Boswell, The Ottawa Citizen

Green Gables: Anne Of Green Gables is not just a favourite childhood read, but a cultural phenomenon and a thriving industry. For her 100th birthday, Anne Shirley celebrates with controversial new books and an upcoming mini-series by Hillary Titley, The Coast.ca, Halifax, NS, Canada
This article repeats in tandem, and no editor will fix it (I emailed three people!). If you read it, just read it once.

March 29, 2008 - 'Nobody ever did want me:' The story of an orphaned, talkative, red-headed 11-year-old sent to a remote farm by mistake, Anne of Green Gables was an instant success in 1908 and, a century later, is still loved by girls from Canada to Japan. Margaret Atwood salutes a childhood classic, The Guardian
Great review of Anne of Green Gables by Margaret Atwood

March 23, 2008 - Colourful Past: Green Gables Heroine's Early Days Come to Life by Nancy
Shieffer, Edmonton Sun

March 22, 2008 -Eternally Anne by Benjamin Lefebvre, The Globe and Mail

Springtime in fantasy land by Kathryn Ross, Scotsman.com
I thought this quote is perfect for describing Before Green Gables: "This Anne is rather two-dimensional compared with Montgomery's classic creation, but Wilson has written a cracking misery memoir."

March 21, 2008 - Imagining Anne's Life Before Green Gables by Jean Westmoore, The Buffalo News

March 19, 2008 - Website looks to be bosom friend of Anne Authority, CBC News

New Anne of Green Gables book stirs debate by Julie Mollins, Reuters

Now casting: musical about Anne author, The Guardian
News on how to audition for The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery
Video submissions can be made through YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/group/9livesauditions

March 14, 2008 - It's easy being green: A look at how this versatile hue colored pop culture by Mary Erskine, The Sun News - "a salute to green’s place in pop culture, history, literature and beyond."

Orphan Anne story: 'Before Green Gables' does not disappoint by Macmillan, The Republican-American

March 12, 2008 - Be sure to check out The Nine Lives of Lucy Maud Montgomery Blog for news on the musical

"Anne of Green Gables" ....A One Hundred Year Musical Tribute by LowCountryJoe, The Island Packet Online

Tickets on sale for 'Anne of Green Gables,' The Star Press - Production of Anne of Green Gables in Muncie, Indiana

March 11, 2008 - Here are images of the 2008 Canadian Anne of Green Gables Stamps

Nine Lives of Lucy Maud Montgomery will premiere at Kings Playhouse by Steve Sharatt, The Guardian

March 10, 2008 - Ann of Green Gables 100 years old: Poland joins worldwide celebrations of the birth centenary of Anne Shirley, the heroine of a series of books by the Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, theNews.pl

Island students invited to join Anne 100 celebrations, CBC News

They're singing and dancing in Georgetown by Steve Sharratt, The Guardian

March 9, 2008 - Original gables greener by Jennifer Kay, Detroit Free Press

March 8, 2008 - Anne's Anniversary by David May, The Sunday Mail/CourierMail

Anne will be everywhere on the Island this summer by Andy Walker, Nova Scotia News

March 7, 2008 - The prequel a century after Anne of Green Gables by Sarah Maslin Nir, The Times

P.E.I. betting Anne centenary will win over Maritimers, CBC News

March 6, 2008 - Anne no kindred spirit for Maritimers, CBC.ca

Anne rules for tourism season by Mike Carson, The Guardian

March 2, 2008 - 'Anne" stories teach us to like ourselves by Annamaria Longo, El Paso Times

February 28, 2008 - Anne turns 100: Uxbridge celebrates a century of Lucy Maud Montgomery by Jeff Hayward, newsdurhamregion.com

February 25, 2008 - Girl Guides mark Anne centenary with badge, CBC News
Here's the Girl Guides of Canada Challenge for the Anne of Green Gables Badge

February 22, 2008 - Anne Shirley's Story Before Green Gables, AP, AOL Entertainment, Canada

February 21, 2008 - Avonlea star takes chilly road to Calgary: Patricia Hamilton hits city stage by Stephen Hunt, Calgary Herald
An article on Patricia Hamilton's current performance in Theatre Calgary's Enchanted April by Matthew Barber. The article mentions that both Patricia Hamilton and her son Ben will appear in the new film.

""We've just finished a new movie, you know," she says, referring to A New Beginning, the prequel to Anne of Green Gables, which concerns itself with Anne's life before her parents died. Hamilton -- part of the ensemble in Enchanted April, now playing at Theatre Calgary -- plays a brief role. That's far from the end of the family's involvement with the show, however.

"I'm in it for a day in a wheelchair, looking like I'm 110," Hamilton says, good-naturedly. "But my son (Ben), who's a wonderful actor who's at the Stratford Festival this summer -- he's playing Hamlet -- plays Anne's original father."

Which is only fitting, considering that Hamilton's ex-husband (Ben's father) was also an actor who appeared in the original Anne of Green Gables."

February 20, 2008 - Coin, stamps to mark 100 years of Anne, CBC News
Some more news on the commemerative Anne of Green Gables stamp and coin

She keeps drawing them back to P.E.I.: Study: 169,000 visitors to Island last year took in Anne of Green Gables attraction by Andy Walker, The Chronicle Herald

February 18, 2008 - Grand voice of Marilla falls silent at age 81: Elizabeth Mawson played role for almost 30 years by Doug Gallant, The Guardian
"One of the finest voices ever to grace the stage of the Charlottetown Festival has been silenced.
Elizabeth Mawson, who became synonymous with the role of Marilla Cuthbert in the festival’s production of Anne of Green Gables, died Saturday in Toronto at the age of 81."

February 17, 2008 - Time Before Green Gables: That irrepresible Island girl gets her own postage stamp, quarter coin – and an authorized prequel that shows Lucy Maud Montgomery can be imitated but never equalled by Deirdre Baker, The Toronto Star
A quote from Baker's book review: "Wilson doesn't attempt to emulate Montgomery's dry humour or stylish, rhythmic prose. Before Green Gables is by and large plain speaking, laying things out as if for an audience who will not understand understatement or irony, who are used to short sentences and such words as "boring" and "stomp.""

February 16, 2008 - The little redhead who could: 100 years on, Anne is still melting hearts at the ROM by Rebecca Tucker, National Post

February 12, 2008 - Before Green Gables: Exclusive Excerpts, CanWest News Service

February 11, 2008 - Wilson tackles 'daunting' prequel to Anne of Green Gables, CBC News
Interesting article with thoughts from Budge Wilson on the prequel: ""I was very concerned that L.M. Montgomery might not want this done," the Nova Scotian author told CBC News in an interview Monday.

Though the Montgomery family is pleased with her final product, Wilson admitted that she would not want someone "to do something like this" with one of her own characters or books."

Before Green Gables, an Exclusive Excerpt, The StarPhoenix - read a section of the new Anneof Green Gables prequel.

Prince Edward Island Celebrates “Anne’s” 100th Birthday, TravelVideo.tv

February 10, 2008 - Where did Anne of Green Gables come from? The Province

Return of Anne Shirley by Deborah Wiles, Nova Scotia News

February 9, 2008 - Happy 100th Birthday, Anne: At an age when most red-headed girls really should have slowed down, Anne's got a big birthday party in the works and even a new novel coming out by James Adams, Globe and Mail

Contest wants Canadians to write to Anne of Green Gables, CBC News

February 8, 2008 - 100 Years of Anne Anniversary Collection Now Available Across Canada, Authors Budge Wilson and Dr. Elizabeth Epperly in Toronto to Launch Official Celebration of 100 Years of Anne, CNW Group

February 5, 2009 - While Lucy Spins, January Magazine

February 4, 2008 - Anne's evergreen gables: Lucy Maud Montgomery's irrepressible creation remains her fascination a century on by Sarah Weinman, The Guardian Unlimited
A great article on L.M. Montgomery's books, and it mentions this website three times!

Anne's success says a lot about the human spirit, The Province

February 3, 2008 - Survival of the fittest: Credible prequel paints grim picture of Anne's life before Canada's famous orphan found Green Gables by Paul Gessell, Calgary Herald, Canwest News Service

February 2, 2008 -100 Years of Anne Website - it was updated in the last day to add new activities and details of the National Letter Writing Competition.

Imagining a feisty orphan's past by Maria Kubacki, Canwest News Service, Canada.com
Read some details on the Anne prequel book written by Nova Scotia author Budge Wilson, which will be released next week. The article also mentions the possibility of a movie based on the this prequel.

January 29, 2008 - Letter-writing contest marks 100 years of Anne, Star News Services

Adrienne Clarkson, Roy MacGregor, Carolyn Weaver to judge national letter writing contest; CanWest Raise-A-Reader, Canada Post, Tourism PEI to sponsor, CNW Group

January 26, 2008 - Special edition of the Toronto Star with all sorts of great articles on Anne of Green Gables and L.M. Montgomery.

Anne of Green Gables Turns 100 by Daphne Gordon, The Toronto Star
Very cool article on the Anne of Green Gables 100th anniversary events

Anne of Green Gables Gentle Island: P.E.I. is getting ready to welcome pilgrims looking to trace the roots of Canada's 100-year-old child by Kelly Toughill, Special to the Toronto Star
Great article on the yearly and special 100th anniversary PEI events

The once and future Anne Shirley: Hannah Endicott- Douglas picks up mantle of red-headed orphan from Megan Follows by Bruce DeMara, The Toronto Star

Spirited heroines' timeless appeal: On the 100th birthday of Green Gables, a mother relates how she got her boys to love Anne – and other literary characters – as much as she did by Andrea Gordon, The Toronto Star

A brief biography of L.M. Montgomery by Daphne Gordon, The Toronto Star

Coming soon: A Green Gables prequel by Rebecca Wigod, Vancouver Sun
Some news on the Budge Wilson Anne of Green Gables prequel.

January 21, 2008 - Who's Your Dada? Anne of Green Gables + the music of Yoko Ono
"Who's Your Dada? is at Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St., Jan. 23-Feb. 9
"Starting with a number called Fountainhead – Duchamp's ready-made is recalled for a nude "surreal pee-dream" – Who's Your Dada? involves Anne of Green Gables (to the music of Yoko Ono), salutes the original bisexual diva of Dada, Baroness Else von Freytag-Loringhoven, and investigates motherhood and the joys of Botox while offering some genuine "gibberish" along the way."
Read the full article: Dada's girls by Peter Goddard, The Toronto Star

January 11, 2008 - 100 year-old Royal Canadian Mint introduces landmark themes in first collector coins of 2008, CNW Telbec

One week after turning 100 years old, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) today released the first new collector coins and gift products of 2008. True to its tradition of minting collector coins which speak to Canada's rich heritage and culture, the RCM will issue a special colourized 25-cent collector coin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Anne of Green Gables, the famous tale by author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The RCM's coin will be available in mid-April 2008.

January 2008 - More articles on Annesdiary.com - articles on safety, security, and the continued regulations and restrictions on the imagery of a 100-year-old, fictional character by "The Anne Authority."

Anne of Green Gables wants to fingerprint your daughter, The Guardian, January 8, 2008

Logica's Annesdiary.com Begins New Year With Successful Launch Phase; Company is Confident Site Will Reach Initial Target of Subscribers, Fox Business, January 9, 2008

Website uses Anne likeness to market secure chat room for girls print this article, Nigel Armstrong, The Guardian, January 10, 2008

Website not a kindred spirit, says Anne authority, CBC News, January 11, 2008
("The Anne Authority"? How can anyone own Anne?)

New website says it's a safe haven for young girls by Charles Enman, Canwest News Service, Monday, January 14, 2008

Logica Holdings Says It is the Only Company With Unique Biometric Technology to Thwart Online Predators, Primenewswire (press release), January 16, 2008

December 26, 2007 - Gala Opening of 44th Season of Anne of Green Gables - the Musical will take place June 14, 2008
"The gala opening for 'Anne of Green Gables - the Musical' in June will have exciting added attractions," said Anne Allan, artistic director of the Charlottetown Festival. "Plus we are promising some very special touches to each show." The musical returns for its 44th season on the festival's mainstage, opening June 14.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jrVaMxIXqbkDZ_wtUh6xZzqkE_lg

December 12, 2007 - 100 Years of Anne at the Royal Ontario Museum to take place February 12, 2008
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908. This special evening features Budge Wilson, award-winning author of Before Green Gables, and Dr. Elizabeth Epperly, one of the world’s foremost scholars of L.M. Montgomery and editor of Imagining Anne: The Island Scrapbooks of L.M. Montgomery. Kate Macdonald, Montgomery’s granddaughter will be in attendance. The evening will be introduced by the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson. Book signing follows.
Tuesday, February 12, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Royal Ontario Museum, Level 1B
Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre
Public $23.00, Member $20.00

December 11, 2007 -Kevin Sullivan's holiday special, 6pm EST. Watch the video at www.sullivanmovies.com/

October 23, 2007 - Shirley MacLaine joins Green Gables movie by the Canadian Press at thestar.com - Shirley MacLaine will play Louisa Thomas. For more details see the Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning page.

Octobert 19, 2007 - Anne's Diary accepting pre-launch registrations - I don't quite understand how Anne's Diary will be more secure than others on the internet.

From a press release:
"Anne's Diary is the first secure social networking site for girls. Inspired by the "Anne of Green Gables" novels, the Web site offers girls in grades 1 to 8 a secure environment in which to keep a private online diary and chat with their peers around the world. Participants can also enter contests, play games, join book clubs, and receive homework help. Incorporating the latest in fingerprint authentication annesdiary.com achieves a level of security unparalleled on the internet today."

Anne's Diary Website

October 16, 2007 - Hannah Endicott-Douglas to Play Anne in Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (TV Movie) New 'Anne of Green Gables' coming to CTV, CTV.ca
The internet rumors are finally verified.

October 16, 2007 - CTV signs on for a whole lot of Anne by Jesse Kohl, Media in Canada
Along with the prequel announcement, CTV announced that it has picked up about 128 hours of content from Sullivan Entertainment, including the original three Anne of Green Gables mini-series; the Emmy Award-winning series Road to Avonlea and The Magic Flute Diaries.

The full CTV acquisition includes:
-Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (TV Movie, three hours)
-Anne of Green Gables; Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel
-Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing Story (Mini-Series; 13 hours)
-Road to Avonlea (TV Series; 91 hours)
-Road to Avonlea Christmas (TV Movie; two hours)
-Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series (TV Series; 13 hours)
-Anne, Journey to Green Gables (Animated Feature, two hours)
-The Magic Flute Diaries (Feature, two hours)
-Mozart Decoded - The Magic Flute Diaries Documentary (Documentary, 1 hour)
-Anne Trilogy Documentary (Documentary, 1 hour)

September 28, 2007 - Contrary to internet rumors, Sullivan Entertainment has stated that they have not finalized who will be playing Anne in the Anne of Green Gables Prequel.

September 25, 2007 - Take the Train with Anne, newsdurhamregion.com
To celebrate Uxbridge's Lucy Maud Montgomery Heritage, the York-Durham Heritage Railway is planning a special trip from Uxbridge to Unionville on Saturday, Oct. 13. The train departs Uxbridge at 10:30 a.m. and the Goodwood station at 11 a.m., returning to Uxbridge at 5:30 p.m. The day includes a boxed lunch and entertainment on board, and tours of Unionville courtesy of the Unionville BIA. Those dressed in period costume can get their photo taken on board. Tickets for 'Anne Takes the Train' are $45 for adults and $35 for children ages two to 12. Infants under two not occupying a seat ride free. Tickets are at the Tin Mill Restaurant, the Hobby Horse Arms or from railway ticket sellers on regular trains. Visit www.ydhr.on.ca or call 905-852-3696.

September 14, 2007 - Great Canadian literature at Westfield, Ancaster News (one of my hometowns!)
Area residents are invited to step into the pages of great Canadian literature (including L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables) and enjoy a variety of entertaining activities for the whole family next weekend at Westfield Heritage Village in Rockton.

This year's Pages of Literature event, which takes place Sunday, Sept.16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature actual locations used in the Anne of Green Gables movie and the Road to Avonlea television series, an Anne look-a-like contest and contemporary and historical children's authors and illustrators from publishing houses such as Groundwood Books, Scholastic Canada and Tundra Books.

September 5, 2007 - Kindred spirits: Louie Rossetti and Alison Smyth, as Gilbert Blythe and Diana Barry, are fitting right in with the cast and the story in their first year with Anne of Green Gables - The Musical at the Charlottetown Festival, P.E.I. Article at The Guardian by Sally Cole.

August 29, 2007 - Keep track of all the 100 Years of Anne events on the Prince Edward Island Visitor's Guide webpage.

August 29, 2007 - The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to present Canada Collects, featuring LMM's original Anne of Green Gables manuscript. Treasures from Across the Nation, an integral component of the Museum’s Fall 2007 A Season of Canada. This original ROM exhibition is on display in the ROM'’s Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall on Level B2 in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal from Saturday, October 6, 2007 until Sunday, January 6, 2008.

Canada Collects celebrates the art of collecting in Canada as well as the inaugural year of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. Approximately 70 vital objects on loan from some 50 different Canadian institutional and private collections are featured in this eclectic exhibition, from contemporary paintings to original historical manuscripts, illustrating the depth and strength of collections across Canada. One of the notable Canadian items featured is Lucy Maud Montgomery's original manuscript for Anne of Green Gables (1905).

August 27, 2007 - The North American Tour Dates for Drowsy Chaperone
Check out the acclaimed musical featuring Jonathan Crombie as it goes on tour.

August 20, 2007 - Hot Seat: Crombie Will Be Back in Broadway's Drowsy Aug. 21; Glover Exits Aug. 19 by Kenneth Jones, Playbill News, August 17, 2007.
"Jonathan Crombie, the charming Canadian actor who filled the easy chair of The Drowsy Chaperone when Bob Martin exited the show in the spring, will return to the Marquis Theatre Aug. 21. Crombie assumes the role from Tony Award winner John Glover, who will play his final performance as Man in Chair Aug. 19 before returning to shoot the seventh season of the hit CW series "Smallville. Crombie — widely known for playing Gilbert Blythe in the popular Canadian mini-series "Anne of Green Gables" — initially made his Broadway debut as Man in Chair March 13-April 22. His Canadian credits include Oxford Roof Climber's Rebellion, Dishwashers (Tarragon); This Could Be Love (Artword); Ouch My Toe (Fringe); The Drowsy Chaperone as Gangster #2 (Fringe, TPM, Winter Garden); Romeo & Juliet, Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, Comedy of Errors (Stratford Festival); Arcadia, Last Romantics, What the Butler Saw (CanStage); and more."

August 13, 2007 - Elaine Campbell, a co-creator of the longest running musical in Canadian history, Anne of Green Gables, died Saturday in Charlottetown. CBC News
Elaine Campbell, a co-creator of the longest running musical in Canadian history, Anne of Green Gables, died Saturday in Charlottetown. Campbell was one of the lyricists for the musical and part of the team — consisting of her husband, Norman Campbell, Don Harron, Mavor Moore and Alan Lund — that brought the internationally famous L.M. Montgomery book to Charlottetown's Confederation Centre of the Arts in the 1960s. The show is now in its 43rd year.

August 7, 2007 - Will the Real Anne Please Stand Up? In celebration of the 100th anniversary of 'Anne of Green Gables': duelling prequels by Katie Engelhart, August 6, 2007
Strange slant to the article. Though negative towards liberties by Sullivan Entertainment, the is author is neutral towards Budge Wilson's book, which will take equal liberties in re-writing Anne's story in words that are not L.M. Montgomery's. The article also mentions AvCon2007 in the future tense, while AvCon took place over a week ago.

July 31, 2007 - Fans still follow Road to Avonlea: Convention-goers praise Canadian series' gentle, old-time feeling and sense of innocence by Philip Marchand, Toronto Star
An article on AvCon2007

July 27, 2007 - Talent hunt looking for a touch of temper: Local hopefuls put on their best Anne of Green Gables airs, by Elizabeth Withey, Edmonton Journal

Some quotes from the article with new info:

"Filmmaker Kevin Sullivan, creator of the original Canadian mini-series, wrote an original story about Anne's childhood life before she went to live with the Cuthberts at Green Gables.

The turn-of-the-century film is bookended by scenes of Anne as a woman in her 60s. In the story, her husband Gilbert died at the end of the Second World War and her three children are far away, pre-occupied with families of their own. Anne has almost completely lost touch with her adopted son, Dominic, who is living in France. Anne's mysterious past begins to unfold when she finds a secret letter in the floorboards at Green Gables more than 50 years after she went to live there.

The original Anne of Green Gables miniseries won an Emmy and starred Megan Follows and Colleen Dewhurst. After the mini-series aired on TV, tourism on Prince Edward Island rose by 30 per cent.

Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning is set for release in theatres in spring 2008, though Sullivan Entertainment is in negotiations with TV broadcasters. The film's budget was not released."

Anne of the silver sceen print this article
BY Amber Shea, Journal Pioneer

Some quotes from the article with new info:

"P.E.I.’s famous red-haired girl will be in the spotlight again, this time on the big screen. A new Anne of Green Gables film will be released in theatres spring 2008 in time for the 100th anniversary of Lucy Maud’s famous series.

"I think it’s a great idea," said Maureen Campbell, part owner of the Anne of Green Gables Museum at Silver Bush in Park Corner. "I think it will give the whole Anne thing another interest or boost on P.E.I. and I think that is needed especially with the way tourism is on P.E.I."

The film"Anne of Gables: A New Beginning" is a prequel to the TV series released in 1985. The story will cover the tale of Anne’s birth parents and how she ended up in an orphanage. Michelle Daides, media relations for the production, said they will be filming on P.E.I. and they’ll be scouting out locations soon.

So far auditions for a young Anne have been held in Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Young wannabe Annes are also auditioning on YouTube or by mailing in a video audition.

Kevin Sullivan, creator of the original TV series, is behind the movie. Sullivan decided to undertake the film last summer, after getting mass e-mails from Anne fans asking him if he could do something to honour the centennial year of the Anne series. "He’s done a great job in the past so there is no reason why he won’t this time," Campbell noted of Sullivan.

The story behind the new film begins with a 60-year-old Anne of Green Gables trying to find life after losing her husband Gilbert near the end of the Second World War. Anne’s children are adults and living away, leaving Anne feeling alone. Suddenly she is faced with her past when she finds a secret letter in the floorboards at Green Gables.

Campbell feels the new movie will compliment their plans to promote the 100th anniversary of the Anne of Green Gables series next summer."

July 24, 2007 - Anne of Green Gables Audition Call Extended to July 27, 2007.
I'm enjoying watching the auditions.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
Elizabeth's audition
Emma's audition

July 6, 2007 - Annes aren't answering online audition, Toronto Star
A week after announcing open auditions via YouTube to play an iconic Canadian character, Anne of Green Gables producer Kevin Sullivan is still waiting to see his first clip of the next Anne Shirley. "We have a lot of chat on our forum (at sullivanmovies.com)," said Sullivan, who penned and will direct the fourth movie, a prequel, about the renowned redhead.

Online discussion at the Anne3.com forum.

June 28, 2007- SULLIVAN ENTERTAINMENT IS SEARCHING FOR A NEW ANNE SHIRLEY FOR THE PREQUEL TO THE EMMY AWARD WINNING FRANCHISE ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

Open Casting Call on YouTube – Submission Deadline July 20/07

(Toronto, Ontario) – June 28, 2007: After completing the first Anne of Green Gables, award-winning filmmaker, Kevin Sullivan never dreamed of making a sequel much less a third film to complete his movie trilogy of the Canadian classic. Now, over 20 years later, love of the red-headed orphan Anne Shirley is still strong and spans the globe. In fact, Anne of Green Gables has a cult following in Japan, while tourists flood Prince Edward Island every year to pay homage to Lucy Maud Montgomery and her unforgettable heroine. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the publication of Montgomery’s original novel Sullivan has penned a prequel titled Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning.

What was life like for Anne before she arrived at Green Gables? According to Kevin Sullivan in his quest to bring Anne Shirley to life in the original mini-series, “The only starting point that I could find in interpreting Anne’s character was to figure out where she came from before she was at Green Gables. In the book, she just shows up at the train station. But I needed to who she was before she was brought to Prince Edward Island. I could only imagine that a child who had that kind of flamboyant imagination had to have already created her own world out of a need to escape an unusual past.”

Sullivan is now conducting an extensive casting call on YouTube as well as performing a cross-Canada talent search in seven cities across the country with Casting Director John Buchan (“Away From Her”, “Where the Truth Lies”, “Being Julia”). Sullivan and Buchan will also be collecting audition submissions by mail in search of a new “kindred spirit” to play the role of the infamous Anne Shirley. “We're looking for a young Anne who looks 10-12. Full of life, full of spark and able to give us those timeless and imaginative qualities.” states Buchan.

Sullivan Entertainment is looking for charming young actresses between the ages of ten and twelve who are ready to capture the essence of Anne’s life prior to her arrival at Green Gables. Candidates are asked to submit their auditions, no more than two minutes in length via the following group - http://www.youtube.com/group/screentest on the popular web site YouTube (www.YouTube.com) or by mailing their DVD / VHS submission to Sullivan Entertainment, Attention: The Next Anne Shirley, 110 Davenport Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5R 3R3. Relying on passages from the film or book, Anne of Green Gables, candidates must portray their best interpretation of Anne Shirley.

1. The name of the actor in the audition must be included on tape or online as well as full contact information. Submissions, due no later than July 20, 2007 are the property of Sullivan Entertainment and will not be returned. Furthermore, only candidates selected will be contacted for a live audition.

SULLIVAN ENTERTAINMENT IS SEARCHING FOR A NEW ANNE SHIRLEY FOR THE PREQUEL TO THE EMMY AWARD WINNING FRANCHISE ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

Open Casting Call on YouTube –
Submission Deadline July 20/07

The original trilogy of movies, Anne of Green Gables, The Sequel and The Continuing Story, have received hundreds of awards and worldwide critical acclaim, including Emmys, a Prix Jeunesse and the Peabody Award for outstanding contribution to television. “It was the largest audience ever for a Canadian drama. The miniseries was so successful that its sequel two years later commanded a record commercial rate for a Canadian production. In US film schools, Anne of Green Gables was studied as a model of TV drama…”, explains Tony Atherton, The Ottawa Citizen (1999). Aspiring Anne Shirleys will now have the daunting task of creating a new character for a new audience that lives up to the dynamics Sullivan has previously brought to the screen. While successfully convincing existing fans that they are ready for a new Anne with an “E”.

Please visit www.sullivanmovies.com for updates about Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning as well as for other exciting film and television projects from Sullivan Entertainment.

Kevin Sullivan is writing, producing and directing the Prequel. He has just completed writing and directing the feature film “Magic Flute Diaries” starring Warren Christie and Rutger Hauer.

ABOUT SULLIVAN ENTERTAINMENT
Now in its 29th year, Sullivan Entertainment continues to be an internationally recognized and award-winning producer of television series, feature films and mini-series. Established in 1979 by Kevin Sullivan and Trudy Grant, Sullivan Entertainment quickly became the producer of Canada’s most watched television, with the Green Gables-Avonlea franchise. Great successes for Sullivan Entertainment have included the critically-acclaimed television series A Wind at My Back, Butterbox Babies – the highest-rated Canadian television movie of all time and the Piano Man’s Daughter – a feature film starring Stockard Channing and Christian Campbell based on the novel by Timothy Findley. Sullivan Entertainment productions have been praised for their visual beauty, their strong storytelling and the fine acting through which they weave their unique spell. Sullivan Entertainment has expanded into several additional successful business ventures including the Sullivan Boutique, Sullivan Entertainment International, Sullivan Home Entertainment and Sullivan Animation.

Media Contact:
Michelle Daides
MD Media Inc.
michelle@mdmediainc.com
416-573-396

May 25, 2007 - Canada Post Announcement of 100th Anniversary Anne of Gables Stamps
Canada.com and Canadapost.ca
"Canada Post will be including stamps next year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of the popular Prince Edward Island-set novel and more recent TV series."

May 11, 2007 - Warning sent to New York's Anne musical, CBC News
In spite of Anne of Green Gables being in the public domain, "the heirs of Lucy Maud Montgomery have sent a warning to the producers of an off Broadway musical based on Anne of Green Gables."

Good grief...How can you copyright hats and braids?

May 2, 2007 - L.M. Montgomery Institute struggling, CBC News
Financial troubles at the L.M. Montgomery Institute.

March 16, 2007 - Grové Replaces Walla in Anne of Green Gables Musical
By Andrew Gans, Playbill (15 Mar 2007)
News on the Theatreworks off Broadway production of Anne of Green Gables.
Tickets, priced $25, are available by calling (212) 279-4200 or by visiting www.ticketcentral.com. The performance schedule is Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 7 PM and Sundays at 1 and 4 PM. The Lucille Lortel Theatre is located in Manhattan at 121 Christopher Street.

March 13, 2007 - Jonathan Crombie on Broadway in "The Drowsy Chaperone"
While Tony Award-winner John Glover was previously announced as The Drowsy Chaperone's new Man in Chair, Canadian actor Jonathan Crombie will first fill the seat recently vacated by Bob Martin. Crombie previously played the role of Gangster #2 in the Canadian premieres of the show.
Articles:
Crombie is 'Drowsy' Man in Chair, March 20-April 15 - BroadwayWorld.com
From boy of Avonlea to Man in Chair - The Toronto Star
Jonathan Crombie to join The Drowsy Chaperone - Monsters and Critics

February 12, 2007 - Town keen to share secrets TheStar.com - News - Town keen to share secrets: Long-time home of Green Gables author finally emerging from years of disrepair
by Carola Vyhnak, Toronto Star
Letter written to L. M. Montgomery on the restoration on the Leaskdale manse by the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society to look just as they did during the 15 years she lived there, writing 11 novels, including some of the sequels to Anne of Green Gables.

January, 28, 2007 - Lucy Maud lives on
Weddings, workshops space offered at newly-acquired historic site

UXBRIDGE -- An Uxbridge heritage group was officially handed a key unlocking the door to a piece of history Monday morning. Members of the Lucy Maud Montgomery (LMM) Society, along with trustees of the Presbyterian congregation, gathered in front of the original Leaskdale Presbyterian Church which was sold to the society by the congregation for $200,000. The church, more than 100 years old and once ministered by the husband of the famous author Lucy Maud Montgomery, is just a pebble's throw from the Lucy Maud Manse where they resided from 1911 to 1926. For more information about the LMM, or to make a donation toward the church, call Kathy Wasylenky at 905-852-5284 or visit www.lucymaudmontgomery.ca.

January 21, 2007 - "Anne of Windy Poplars" (1940) Screening on Saturday, February 10, 2007, 3:45 p.m. at the MOMA, New York City.

The MOMA is showcasing a film exhibition called "A View from the Vaults: Warner Bros., RKO Pictures, and First National Pictures, Inc." from February 9–24, 2007. The series includes a selection of ten enduring films produced by Warner Bros., RKO Pictures, and First National Pictures, Inc., from 1938 through 1949. These films were all recently acquired by the Museum. "A View from the Valuts" is organized by Anne Morra, Assistant Curator, Department of Film.

Anne of Windy Poplars. 1940. USA. Directed by Jack Hively. Screenplay by Michael Kanin, Jerry Cady, based on the novel by L. M. Montgomery. With Anne Shirley, Patric Knowles. A follow-up to Anne of Green Gables (1934), this film follows a grown-up Anne as she moves to the remote Canadian town of Pringleton and builds a new life as a teacher at a small provincial school. 86 min.
Saturday, February 10, 3:45. T1

Please visit the MOMA website for further details.

Thanks to Julia Crimmins for sending along this news!

January 9, 2007
Anne of Green Gables - The Musical is back for it's 43rd Season on the main stage at Charlottetown

Charmion King, Canadian Stage Actress, Dies at 81
By Robert Simonson, Playbill
"On television, she was perhaps best known for playing Aunt Josephine in two "Anne of Green Gables" movies in the 1980s."

Read more about Charmion King at Shellysavonlea.net

December 20, 2006 - Mavor Moore dies at 87
by Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist
"Mavor Moore, one of Canada's pioneering cultural figures, has died in Victoria after a long illness. He was 87."

"Moore wrote more than 100 plays, musicals and operas -- including Erewhon, debuted by Pacific Opera Victoria in 2000 to national notice. He contributed lyrics to Anne of Green Gables, the most popular musical in Canadian history."

Don Harron" recalled Moore as a driving force in getting Anne of Green Gables made into a stage musical. In 1964, the Queen heard a song from an early TV adaptation of Anne of Green Gables while visiting Confederation Centre in Charlottetown. The Queen, a fan of the Lucy Maud Montgomery novel, asked about it.

"She said, 'That's a pretty tune, where's the rest of the show?'" Moore immediately relayed this news to Harron, then living in Hollywood.

"He said, 'That's a royal command,'" said Harron. Moore promptly obtained the rights, and the resulting musical -- created by Harron, Moore, Norman Campbell and Elaine Campbell, premiered at the Charlottetown Festival in July 1965."

December 14, 2006 - Canada's Emily, of New Moon, Sings Again in Revised Musical Revival By Kenneth Jones, Playbill. For info on seeing the musical in Richmond, B.C. over the holidays, check the Gateway Theatre webpage on Emily.

December 13, 2006 - Like it or not, Anne is here to stay: Montgomery’s orphan probably P.E.I.’s best tourism asset By Editorial Staff, The Guardian
Bizarre editorial that thinks Oprah Winfrey is an Anne Shirley. I disagree.

December 11, 2006 - A new anime series, "Kaze no Shoujo Emily" or "EMILY, GIRL OF THE WIND," based on L.M. Montgomery's Emily Starr series will premiere on NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) education TV in April 2007. The official site is now online.

The new 26-episode TV anime "Emily, Girl of the Wind" will be the anime version of the "Emily" (Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, Emily's Quest) books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of the masterpiece "Anne of Green Gables." Set in Canada's Prince Edward Island, it follows the growth of the young girl Emily as she overcomes numerous hardships.

In 1979, NHK aired an anime television series adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables novels, Akage No An.

OFFICIAL SITE: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/emily/
Information from activeanime.com.

Please see my Emily, Girl of the Wind page for more details.

December 3, 2006 - The Nine Lives of Lucy Maud Montgomery Musical
Adam-Michael James and Leo Marchildon are collaborating on "The Nine Lives of Lucy Maud Montgomery," a "musical biography" about L.M. Montgomery. Read more at AMJ Online and his blog.

October 27, 2006 - Press Release from Penguin Books via the LMM Institute

October 26, 2006 – Toronto – Penguin Group (Canada) to become the official book publisher of LM Montgomery 100th Anniversary Editions

Penguin Group (Canada) announced today it will undertake a major Canadian publishing program in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Anne of Green Gables, including publication of an official prequel, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the book’s original publication in 1908.

To further celebrate this significant anniversary, Penguin will publish a special collectible 100th anniversary edition of Anne of Green Gables, featuring the original cover art of M.A. Claus and W.A.J. Claus. A third project, Imagining Anne: The Scrapbooks of L.M. Montgomery will bring to life Montgomery’s own thoughts and interests using selected pages from her own scrapbooks from the years 1893 to 1908, covering her time as a college student, teacher and writer, and the years in which she created the character of Anne Shirley, leading to the publication of Anne of Green Gables in 1908. The significance of the souvenirs and clippings Montgomery collected will be explained by Elizabeth Epperly, Ph.D., Professor of English at the University of Prince Edward Island and the Founder of the L.M. Montgomery Institute. Imagining Anne will be a full-colour giftbook, releasing in March 2008. Penguin holds world rights in all languages to both the prequel and the scrapbook.

The prequel, Before Green Gables, which tells the story of Anne’s early life in foster homes and an orphanage in Nova Scotia, will be written by Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Budge Wilson. Budge Wilson has published twenty-nine books in more than 10 countries and her stories have been included in over 90 anthologies, including the first Journey Prize Anthology. Her many awards include nineteen Canadian Children’s Book Centre “Our Choice” awards, the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Award, the Marianna Dempster Award, the Ann Connor Brimer Award, the Lilla Stirling Award and the City of Dartmouth Book Award. Her latest book, Friendships, is a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award.

Wilson offered the following comments: “When Penguin asked me to write this prequel, I was faced with an enormous challenge. But it was this challenge that made me want to write the book.

Given the appalling deprivation and emotional starvation of Anne's years in the Thomas and Hammond households and during her four agonized months in the orphanage, one is mystified as to how she became the person she was when she made her first journey to Green Gables with Matthew Cuthbert. How could she have become so vibrant a person, so talkative, so articulate, so optimistic, so full of extravagant dreams? This was the enticing puzzle that drew me into the project.”

Wilson will spend several chapters getting to know Anne's parents and will bring other people into the story who will introduce Anne to the magic of words and literature, the possibilities for solace and joy in an active imagination, and the experience of giving and receiving love.

“I will, of course, try to be true to the astonishing character that Lucy Maud Montgomery created” said Wilson. “For this, I am grateful to her. But I would not- in fact, could not- presume to tell my part of Anne's history in Montgomery's voice. I will do this in my own voice, hoping that she would approve of the project if she were alive today.”
Penguin is delighted to have the full support of the heirs of L.M. Montgomery and will work in co-operation with the family to create an exciting national marketing plan to make 2008 especially memorable as the year of Anne and of L.M. Montgomery.

L. M. Montgomery’s grandson David Macdonald, speaking for the family, said, “We are delighted that Penguin have undertaken to publish a prequel to Anne of Green Gables for 2008 and have selected respected author Budge Wilson to write Before Green Gables. We think she is a terrific choice.” He continued, “It’s an added bonus that Budge Wilson like Anne, comes from Nova Scotia. I think my grandmother would have thought it appropriate for an author who grew up in Nova Scotia to write about Anne’s life before she came to Prince Edward Island and Green Gables.”

Commissioning editor Helen Reeves commented on the tremendous opportunity presented by the 100th Anniversary, saying, “The character of Anne Shirley continues to be loved around the world. Growing up in the UK, I read all the Anne books and it’s tremendously exciting to see a different part of Anne’s story brought to life by one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary writers. We look forward to 2008 with great anticipation.”

Founded in 1974 as a distribution company for Penguin books from all over the world, Penguin Group(Canada) began publishing Canadian and international titles in 1977, and quickly became known as one of Canada's pre-eminent publishers of literary, thought-provoking fiction, and non-fiction. Penguin is internationally recognized as the world’s predominant publisher of classic literature; in Canada publishing both Modern Classics and Black Classics, including works by Susanna Moodie, Stephen Leacock and L.M. Montgomery.

For further information: Yvonne Hunter, Director, Publicity and
Marketing, (416) 928-2409, yvonne.hunter@ca.penguingroup.com

October 27, 2006 - Penguin Canada commissions Green Gables Prequel

"Penguin Canada issued a press release late last night that they will undertake a major Canadian and international publishing program in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery's debut novel ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, including publication of an official prequel, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the book's original publication in 1908. As an unabashed fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery's work, much of the news is welcome - though I'll still have to get used to the idea of a prequel.

Budge Wilson, a Governor General's Literary Award finalist with twenty-nine novels to her name, has been commissioned to write the prequel, titled BEFORE GREEN GABLES. "When Penguin asked me to write this prequel, I was faced with an enormous challenge. But it was this challenge that made me want to write the book. "Given the appalling deprivation and emotional starvation of Anne's years in the Thomas and Hammond households and during her four agonized months in the orphanage, one is mystified as to how she became the person she was when she made her first journey to Green Gables with Matthew Cuthbert. How could she have become so vibrant a person, so talkative, so articulate, so optimistic, so full of extravagant dreams? This was the enticing puzzle that drew me into the project."

For those leery of a prequel, Penguin has lots of other plans in store for the anniversary, including a special collectible 100th anniversary edition of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES featuring the original cover art of M.A. Claus and W.A.J. Claus. A third project, IMAGINING ANNE: THE SCRAPBOOKS OF L.M. MONTGOMERY will bring to life Montgomery's own thoughts and interests using selected pages from her own scrapbooks from the years 1893 to 1908."

October 27, 2006 - Happy 100th birthday, Anne Shirley!
By Mr. Ed, SooToday.com

October 21, 2006 - Megan Follows plays wise mom to spunky 1930s teen in new CBC movie
Macleans.ca, October 18, 2006.
JOHN MCKAY TORONTO (CP)

The article on Megan's work in an adaptation of "Booky Makes Her Mark" by Bernice Thurman Hunter,includes several mentions of Megan's performance as Anne in "Anne of Green Gables":

"Although she will likely forever be linked in the public's mind to TV's "Anne of Green Gables," Megan Follows is stubbornly reluctant to be defined by her performance as the plucky, iconic Anne Shirley. She has slid comfortably into diverse adult roles in recent years - in both Canada and Hollywood. And yet there are inescapable echoes of the Anne experience in much of her new work"

"Follows says it hasn't been difficult for her to make the transition from playing young heroines to playing their mothers, partly because she has a teenage daughter of her own. Surprisingly, though, 14-year-old Lyla is not especially enamoured with Anne Shirley. Her mother isn't sure Lyla has read the books and didn't show her the videos. Instead it was friends from school that first played them for her. "It wasn't one that I was pulling out," explains Follows. "I'd certainly been saturated with it.""

"And she says it was purely coincidental that "Anne of Green Gables" author Lucy Maud Montgomery makes an appearance in the middle of "Booky Makes Her Mark" in a scene in which the author is seen offering some advice to would-be author Booky. "It's in the book," Follows says defensively. "Trust me, do you think I would have put that in there?""

"And then there's the fact that both "Anne of Green Gables" and "Booky Makes Her Mark" had the same screenwriter, Joe Wiesenfeld."

August 11, 2006 - New L.M. Montgomery National Historic Sites.

Green Gables sites protected
The London Free Press, Thursday, August 10, 2006
CHARLOTTETOWN -- Lands that inspired Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery are to be declared national historic sites. Senator Don Oliver will be in P.E.I. tomorrow to announce the sites, including Montgomery's Cavendish home, the lands that surround it including Lovers Lane and the Haunted Woods, and the fictional home of Anne of Green Gables.

Historic recognition for old Montgomery home
CBC, Friday, August 11, 2006
The national historic site at Cavendish was expanded Friday to include the MacNeill homestead where Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables.

July 29, 2006 - New Articles and reviews concerning Anne

Anne II needs to travel
by Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star, July 28, 2006. 01:00 AM
- a review of "Anne and Gilbert"

What's green and read all over?
by Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll, Cape Cod Times
- an article about Anne and PEI

June 7, 2006 - Release Date for L.M. Montgomery: The Norval Years, 1926-1935 by Deborah Quaile (2006) is June 15, 2006. Organized in the style of a scrapbook, this book follows L.M. Montgomery's life in Norval, Ontario, Canada from 1926-1935. Visit Wordbird Press for details.

June 6, 1006 - Release Date for the BBC 1 Sunday Serial Anne of Avonlea (1975) is August 8, 2006. The long-awaited release date of the BBC 1 Sunday Serial Anne of Avonlea (1975) will be August 8, 2006. After years of receiving questions on the BBC miniseries and kindreds sending emails to the BBC, fans of the miniseries have good news! While the 1972 "Anne of Green Gables" is one of the few BBC 1 Sunday Serials which is missing and no longer exists in the BBC archives. The good news is that "Anne of Avonlea" is intact, and will be released by KOCH Vision. You can preorder the DVD from amazon.com. The region status of the DVD is currently unknown, but if you preorder and your DVD does not play on your system, you can return it for a full refund. Follow the link below to preorder and support this website.

May 21, 2006 - Emily Goes Mainland (simcoe.com, May 9th, 2006) - an article on Emily: The Musical, based on L.M. Montgomery's Emily trilogy.

April 4, 2006 - Avonlea Reunion, Sunday, May 7, 2006, 2 - 3:30 pm
Be part of Avonlea’s first official cast reunion! Enjoy an entertaining afternoon of quips, ribaldry and video clips hosted by series creator Kevin Sullivan. Cast members scheduled to join in the fun (unless they are shooting a movie in Borneo) are Jackie Burroughs (Hetty King), Sarah Polley (Sara Stanley), R.H. Thomson (Jasper Dale) and Mag Ruffman (Olivia Dale). Tickets are now available for purchase through the Royal Ontario Museum website ($20 public, $16 members).

April 4, 2006 - 'Anne of Green Gables' book report competition launched By Suria Rina PHA, Burneo Bulletin
"The High Commission of Canada in Brunei Darussalam yesterday morning officially launched a book report writing competition by presenting books and DVDs on "Anne of Green Gables" to participating schools...According to the acting high commissioner, "Anne of Green Gables" was chosen for its positive values and outlook on life and universal appeal. It is also one of the most popular and read work of Canadian literature in Asia. It is hoped that this competition would contribute to the understanding and sharing of cultures, he said."

March 2006 - Schedule for Univerity of Prince Edward Island and L.M. Montgomery Institute's 7th International Conference (June 21-25, 2006).
You can view the schedule and register for the "Storm and Dissonance: L.M. Montgomery and Conflict" conference online.

February 2, 2006 - Chat with Mag Ruffman on March 8th, 2006.
Sullivan Entertainment will host a fourth question and answer session on March 8th at 5:30 pm EST on their Avonlea Message Boards. This chat will feature Mag Ruffman, who played Olivia King Dale on Road to Avonlea and Alice Lawson in the Anne of Green Gables miniseries.

Also check out the newly updated Sullivan Movies website, which features an interview with Gema Zamprogna.

February 1, 2006 - Anne and Gilbert onstage in Summerside in 2006!
Anne and Gilbert, the hit musical, will be produced at the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre in Summerside, in 2006. The musical will run from July 12th to September 3rd. There will be six shows a week with evening performances Wednesday to Sunday, and a matinee performance on Sunday.

Campbell Webster, the producer of Anne and Gilbert, said the decision to go to Summerside is an exciting and important step in development of the musical. "Last year’s world premiere run at the Victoria Playhouse was a wonderful experience for everyone," said Webster, "and the musical now needs to move to a bigger venue to accommodate ticket demand and to prepare Anne and Gilbert for future productions in larger theatres off-Island." Webster praised the facilities at the Jubilee and he described Summerside civic and business leaders as being “incredibly supportive".

Maurice Gallant, general manager of the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre said, "I’m thrilled to welcome Anne and Gilbert to Summerside this summer. It promises to be an experience that theatre lovers will not soon forget. The thought of Anne appearing on our very own stage has this community buzzing with anticipation. I believe Wanda Wyatt would approve."

Anne and Gilbert was written by Jeff Hochhauser, Bob Johnston and Nancy White (born in Summerside). Based on the sequel novels to Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, the musical tells the story of Anne Shirley’s journey into young adulthood and her romance with Gilbert Blythe.

Last year, in its world premiere season, Anne and Gilbert sold out its entire run of forty-four shows.
To purchase tickets call 1-800-708-6505 or email: mgallant@jubileetheatre.com

January 25, 2006 - News from Nancy White
"ANNE AND GILBERT" CD LAUNCH IN TORONTO

"Anne and Gilbert," the lively new musical by Nancy White, Bob Johnston and Jeff Hochhauser, premiered in Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI, last summer to sold-out houses, rave notices, and audience joy, and the original cast cd is having a Toronto launch Sunday, March 26, at Hugh's Room.

White and Johnston, the Toronto writers, are organizing the show, and Hochhauser, the New York writer, is flying in to narrate. Producer Campbell Webster will come in from Charlottetown to give the event some class.

The show, a sequel to "Anne of Green Gables", will basically be a concert featuring nearly all the songs from the musical -- about two-thirds of them are on the c.d. -- and maybe some short scenes.

"We are thrilled that three of the Toronto-resident cast members are able to do the show," says Nancy White. " Peter Deiwick, the Gilbert, has a beautiful, romantic voice and he¹s a very saucy man. Sarah Sheps, the Diana, is hilarious, with a big Broadway voice. And Marla McLean, our Anne, is a dream performer."

(Marla, a Halifax actor who performed in "Mamma Mia" (as did Deiwick), recently got a surprise review in the "Globe and Mail" from Chris Nuttall-Smith, who heard her sing in a karaoke bar populated by music theatre people. "Her voice is a revelation," he wrote. "It is bright and beautiful and optomistic.")

It turns out that two exciting young singers from the PEI production, Natalie Sullivan (Josie) and Brittany Banks (Prillie) will be in Toronto on their March break, and can perform. Brittany's younger brother Brandon, 12, who played Paul Irving in Victoria, will be able to do the show for the most exciting of reasons: he's on his way to understudy the lead in the Stratford Festival production of "Oliver". Another Charlottetown singer, Whitney Rose (Annetta) will come in from from St. Catharines, where she's studying at Brock.

The amazing comic actress/singer Robin Craig (who has played Mrs.Lynde many times in the Charlottetown Festival production of "Anne of Green Gables"), will likely play that character - an older and mellower Mrs.Lynde- depending on her availability. Nancy White will play Marilla, because Laura Smith, who brought down the house in the role in PEI, is busy studying at Acadia.

The cast will be filled out by talented young Toronto performers, most connected with the music theatre programme at Wexford Collegiate in Scarborough, where Bob Johnston teaches.

" Anne and Gilbert" is a love story, which plays out against the couple's years teaching in PEI, then studying at Redmond University (Dalhousie) in Halifax. It¹s a simple story: Boy loves girl, passionately. Girl resists. And resists. And resists. "It's surprisingly compelling," says Nancy White.

When "Toronto Star" columnist Joe Fiorito saw the show in Victoria, he wrote that, although he¹s not big on Lucy Maud Montgomery, and he doesn¹t like musicals, "Anne and Gilbert is a marvel."

The Victoria production was directed by Duncan McIntosh, who'll also direct the 2006 production, slated to run July to September at the Jubilee Theatre in Summerside, PEI.

The Hugh's Room cd launch will be a matinée, with doors opening at 12 for those who want a (fantastic) lunch, and curtain at 2.00 . Hugh's Room is at 2261 Dundas West,
just a bit south of Bloor.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 at the door, $9 for students. Bob and Nancy are hoping many young girls in "Anne" braid hats will come to this show, as they did in Victoria. And cry!

Box office: (416) 531-6604. www.hughsroom.com

"Anne and Gilbert", a musical by Nancy White, Bob Johnston and Jeff Hochhauser, is based upon the novels "Anne of Avonlea" and "Anne of the Island" by L.M. Montgomery and is produced with the permission of Ruth Mcdonald and David Mcdonald, trustees.

Launch info: Nancy White (416) 535-2757. nancyw@sympatico.ca
or Lisa Weitz (for Hugh's Room) (416) 686-1616. info@secondavenue.ca

" Anne and Gilbert" info: Dave Malahoff (902) 566-3346. davem@isn.net
Music samples at http//www.anneandgilbert.com
The "Anne and Gilbert" cd is available from the website, and, in Toronto, at Theatre Books, Theatre Q's, and Song and Script.

January 24, 2006 - Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada to host Avonlea's FIRST OFFICIAL CAST REUNION!

Avonlea Reunion
Sunday, May 7, 2-3:30 pm.

Be part of Avonlea's first official cast reunion! Enjoy an entertaining afternoon of quips, ribaldry and video clips hosted by series creator Kevin Sullivan. Cast members scheduled to join in the fun are Jackie Burroughs (Hetty King), Sarah Polley (Sara Stanley), R.H. Thompson (Jasper Dale) and Mag Ruffman (Olivia Dale).

$22.00 per ticket
To register please call 416-586-5797 x 2

(information posted on the Anne3.com message board.)

January 16, 2006 - I now have an answer for a question listed in the FAQs.
Do you know if the BBC 1 Sunday Serials Anne of Green Gables (1972) and Anne of Avonlea (1975) are availble for sale on video or DVD?
I have received this question many times, and I now have some new information about the serials. Recently, I was sent information on the status of "Anne of Green Gables". Unfortunately, "Anne of Green Gables" is of of the few BBC 1 Sunday Serials which is missing and no longer exists in the BBC archives. In contrast, "Anne of Avonlea" is intact, and will be released this year by Strawberry Entertainment Ltd. on Region 1 DVD in August and on Region 2 by the end of the year. Thanks Paul for this information! Stay tuned for more info, hopefully soon!

Also, there will be another question and answer session with Kevin Sullivan, who made the CBC Anne of Green Gables series on the Avonlea Message Board on January 26th. Click the banner below for details.

Last Updated 04.07.08
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