From June 6-8, audiences can enjoy the all-ages performance of Anne of Green Gables from the Ottawa School of Theatre (OST) at the Harold Shenkman Hall.
Former Artistic Director of the OST and director of this performance, Kathi Langston says that this year’s show is the school’s 20th anniversary of their all-ages play.
“The all-ages play is something that has become so popular,” says Langston. “This particular play, we have 94 people in it, which is a gigantic cast — the youngest being six and the oldest being 80.”
While Anne of Green Gables is a classic Canadian tale, the OST is putting their own spin on things to accommodate this large cast.
Scene from the Ottawa School of Theatre’s Anne of Green Gables. Photo provided.
“I like to work with the original works as much as possible, and intersperse it with poetry, or things that are appropriate to the time era that we’re working on,” she says. “I also had to make up a whole bunch of scenes to accommodate 94 characters, so everyone gets at least one line, if not two or three.”
Students who attended the school were able to work with their teachers on the script in smaller groups to prepare for this performance, and different pieces of visual art created by the students will also be featured within the performance.
There is also a strong family aspect that provides a unique experience performing all-ages plays. Langston says that these all-ages plays are put together with the help of incredible volunteers, which also often include family members of the performers.
Scene from the Ottawa School of Theatre’s Anne of Green Gables. Photo provided.
“Theatre very much creates families and Anne of Green Gables is all about creating a family,” says Langston. “[In the cast] there’s a dad and a daughter, there’s a dad and two kids, there’s a grandmother and a granddaughter, and the backstage crew is just amazing. It’s a wonderful way to get involved and theatre is very much a team sport.”
The Harold Shenkman Hall will be opened at full capacity for audiences to take in this spectacle.
“It’s a lovely big theatre, the staff, the techs, everybody at the Shenkman Arts Centre are wonderful,” says Langston. “To be able to give so many people the experience of performing on a professional stage with real costumes, real props, real sets, real lighting cues, is an experience and an opportunity that most people will never get.”
Scene from the Ottawa School of Theatre’s Anne of Green Gables. Photo provided.
Langston is excited to celebrate this 20-year milestone, and is hopeful for the momentum to continue in Ottawa — especially as the current artistic director, Megan Piercey Monafu has taken the helm.
“I just hope it continues,” she says. “Megan is a wonderful, talented, creative, incredible person who has done so much for this school — my hopes have already been filled.”
Make sure to catch the Ottawa School of Theatre’s all-ages performance of Anne of Green Gables from June 6-8 at Harold Shenkman Hall. Tickets can be purchased online. For more information about the performance, or about the school, check out their website.
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