The Frankfort High School drama club proudly presents Anne of Green Gables, the final show of their 2021-2022 season. This classic production will open on Saturday, June 4th at 3 PM. A second showing will be held on June 4th at 7 PM. This production will close on Sunday, June 5th at 3 PM. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $8 for general admission, $4 for students and seniors. No advance tickets will be sold.
Anne of Green Gables is the story of an orphan (Elizabeth Vaught) who is sent to the fictional community of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The audience quickly learns that there has been a serious mix-up when Anne arrives at the home of siblings Mirilla (Rebecca Vaught) and Matthew (Kai Taylor) Cuthbert. The family had originally asked that a boy be sent to help them on their farm and must now decide whether to keep Anne at Green Gables. Their decision will have life changing consequences for all three characters. This classic coming-of-age tale chronicles Anne’s journey to finding her place in the world.
“Anne is an orphan and she has had a pretty rough life. But she always looks for the positive in everything. And when things don’t quite work out she ends up imagining herself away from the situation,” Vaught said while reflecting on the title character.
During the show, Anne becomes close friends with Diana Berry (Layton Staples). As the story unwinds, Anne quickly draws Diana into her wily antics, much to the dismay of Diana’s mother, Mrs. Berry (Olivia Oberlin-Brown).
When asked who was the most disliked character in the play Oberlin-Brown responded, “I would probably have to say Mrs. Berry and it is definitely deserved at times. She can be pretty insensitive and hot-headed and rude. But I think the reason she acts that way is because she really cares about her children and I do think that she is very sweet at times.”
Sophomore Sam Gilbert plays the young school boy, and Anne’s arch nemesis, Gilbert Blythe. “My favorite part of the show is the ending. I like how all the characters come around to accepting everyone for who they really are on the inside,” Gilbert said.
Layton Staples also offered her favorite scene, “It has to be the one where Anne accidentally gets Diana intoxicated. She believes that she is serving her raspberry cordial when she is actually giving her currant wine. It is fun to pretend to be silly and disoriented.”
Director Andrew Tippett emphasized the learning opportunities that this production offers for his students. “This play provides a good opportunity for my students to stretch themselves as actors. It is set in the 1890’s to early 1900’s, so that allows us to explore the different cultural and societal aspects of that time period. However, one of the main themes of this story, as Sam pointed out, is accepting everyone even though they may appear to be different. Obviously, that is a timeless lesson for anyone to learn. But it is particularly appropriate for today’s young people,” Tippett said. The following Second Street and Frankfort High students also appear in this show: Kylee VanAtter, Elena DeSantis and Haylie Hayes. Laney Isaacs serves as the Stage Manager. Additional technical assistance is provided by Kaycee Hernandez and Audrey Jenkins. For further information, email Andrew Tippett at [email protected]. You can also find the latest FHS Drama club news at www.frankfortdrama.com The play is presented by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing Inc.