Broadway-Aimed Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical Acquired by Broadway Licensing

Broadway Licensing has added Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical to its catalogue. The musical is a contemporary adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables by Matte O’Brien and Matt Vinson. Broadway Licensing Global plans to bring the musical to Broadway and to introduce the show to audiences worldwide.

In a press release, Broadway Licensing Global announced the following:

Broadway Licensing, the dedicated musical imprint of Broadway Licensing Global, proudly announces its acquisition of Matte O'Brien and Matt Vinson's Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical. Also home to play imprints, Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts, BLG is currently represented on Broadway by Oh, Mary, recently featured by Water for Elephants, and soon to be represented by the highly anticipated productions of Eureka Day and John Proctor is the Villain.

L.M. Montgomery's, Anne of Green Gables, is one of the best-selling books of all time, with more than 50 million copies sold in over 50 languages. The definitive classic follows the imaginative and fiercely independent Anne Shirley, whose life takes an unexpected turn when she is sent to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert at their farm, Green Gables. Anne navigates her place in this close-knit community, ultimately learning what it means to truly belong. With a clever book and a contemporary score, O'Brien and Vinson faithfully adapt this beloved story for today's modern landscape of theater.

"Our entire team is captivated by this vibrant and new adaptation" says Ted Chapin, Chief Executive Officer of BLG. "Welcoming Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical into our catalogue allows us, alongside lead producers Eric Cornell and Jack Sennott of Cornice Productions, to introduce this exciting new piece to audiences worldwide."

Christopher Arnott of the Hartford Courant calls Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical, "a sharp re-thinking of a timeless coming-of-age tale." In kind, Ariana Straznicky-Packer of BroadwayWorld raves that the musical exudes, "the sharp wit and stylistic speed of Gilmore Girls, nods to award-winning Broadway musical favorites Wicked, The Bridges of Madison County, The Drowsy Chaperone, and more; all blended together into something entirely new and exciting."

"There is genuine excitement for a new stage adaptation of Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical and we have already received a number of licensing requests. We are thrilled to strategically partner with Broadway Licensing to meet this demand as part of our Broadway, touring, and international planning," says Cornell.

Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical was originally produced and presented as a World Premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in 2022. It was earlier developed and produced by Justin Nichols and The Rev Theatre Company (Brett Smock, Producing Artistic Director) in 2018. A Concept Recording was released in 2020 on Broadway Records.

"Anne Shirley has always been a 'Different Kind of Girl' and ahead of her time," Chapin adds. "At BLG, 'different' is our specialty."

Follow Anne of Green Gables on all social media channels: @aoggmusical or visit www.aoggmusical.com for more information. The Concept Recording can be found on Spotify.

Learn more at: broadwaylicensing.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY LICENSING GLOBAL

Broadway Licensing Global and its family of imprints (Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, Stageworks, and Broadway on Demand) is the global leader in theatrical licensing and distribution. Representing an astonishing 40 Tony Awards® and 49 Pulitzer Prize-winning iconic works, BLG titles epitomize the greatest collection of authors, composers, lyricists, and underlying rights holders across the globe, including Stephen King, Alan Menken, Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, Elvis Presley, Paula Vogel, Tennessee Williams, the Beatles, the Bee-Gees, and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.

MEDIA CONTACT & ASSETS
For Broadway Licensing Global:
Hannah Thulin & Lindsey Rathjen | Account Director, Interdependence | broadwaylicensinggroup@interdependence.com

Official Site:
Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical

Image Credit:
Cast of Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical (Goodspeed Musicals, 2022) featuring Juliette Redden as Anne Shirley. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.

References:
Logan Culwell-Block. (December 10, 2024). Broadway-Aimed Anne of Green Gables Musical Joins Broadway Licensing Catalogue: The adaptation of the L.M. Montgomery book made its world premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in 2022. Playbill. Retrieved from: https://playbill.com/article/broadway-aimed-anne-of-green-gables-musical-joins-broadway-licensing-catalogue.

Broadway-Aimed Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical Joins Broadway Licensing. (December 10, 2024). PR Newswire. Retrieved from: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/broadway-aimed-anne-of-green-gables-a-new-musical-joins-broadway-licensing-302325776.html.

Created January 8, 2025.
© worldofanneshirley.com

New Anne of Green Gables Anime Series Will Air in April 2025

Anne Shirley, a new anime series based on the Anne of Green Gables novels will be released next year. The series will be broadcast on NHK Educational TV in Japan beginning in April 2025. Anne Shirley is being produced by Answer Studio, which previously produced Suzume, Golgo 13, and Your Name.

According to the press release, the anime will adapt the first three novels in the Anne of Green Gables series written by Lucy Maud Montgomery and translated to Japanese by Hanako Muraoka. It will adapt Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne of the Island.

The official website for the new adaptation launched this week with four stills from the new series. An image of Anne Shirley and her bosom friend Diana Barry is shown above. Below is an image of Anne waiting at the station.



Here's another image of Anne Shirley.



Lastly, here is a still of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley. Isn't Gilbert's hair a bit too close to red?



I'm so excited about this new adaptation of Anne's story, and I hope it ends up covering the entire series. I also wonder how it will compare to the 1979 Anne of Green Gables anime series.

Official Website:
Anne Shirley

Image Credit:
Stills from the upcoming Anne Shirley anime.

References:

Anne of Green Gables is Getting an Anime, Animated Series Anne Shirley is Planned to Air on NHK E-Tele in April 2025. (November 20, 2024). Anime News Network. Retrieved from: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2024-11-20/anne-of-green-gables-is-getting-an-anime-animated-series-anne-shirley-is-planned-to-air-on-nhk-e-/.218092.

Cayanan, Joanna. (November 20, 2024). Anne of Green Gables Novels Get New Anime by Answer Studio Next Spring. Anime News Network. Retrieved from: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-11-20/anne-of-green-gables-novels-get-new-anime-by-answer-studio-next-spring/.218070.

Komatsu, Mikikazu. (November 19, 2024). Anne of Green Gables Novel Gets New TV Anime Adaptation in April 2025. Crunchyroll News. Retrieved from: https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2024/11/20/anne-of-green-gables-new-tv-anime-adaptation-april-2025.

Tan, Melvyn. (November 19, 2024). New Anne of Green Gables Anime To Begin in April 2025. Anime Trending. Retrieved from: https://anitrendz.net/news/2024/11/19/new-anne-of-green-gables-anime-to-begin-in-april-2025/.


Created November 21, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy - Canadian Time Machine Podcast

Today, a podcast was released titled, "In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy" as part of Season 3 of Canadian Time Machine, a series produced by The Walrus Lab. The episode was created to honor the 150th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birth. In the 15-minute-long podcast, Angela Misri speaks with Kate Macdonald Butler, who is L.M. Montgomery's granddaughter.

They talk about L.M. Montgomery's legacy and how people see themselves in Anne of Green Gables. They mention how immigrants to Canada and ADHD and neurodivergent communities have found kinship with Anne Shirley. Kate Macdonald Butler talks about how she learned about her grandmother through conversations with her father. She feels that her grandmother is closer in terms of personality to Emily Starr from the Emily of New Moon series than she is to Anne Shirley. Kate Macdonald Butler also discusses how both L.M. Montgomery and her husband struggled with depression. Lastly, she talks about the new commemorative coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in celebration of Montgomery's birthday and legacy.

Give the podcast a listen through the links below.

Websites:
In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy - Canadian Time Machine podcast and English transcript at The Walrus
In the Shadow of Green Gables: L.M. Montgomery’s Life and Legacy - Canadian Time Machine podcast at Apple Podcasts

Image credit:
Image from The Walrus.

Created November 20, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience

Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience is a new show produced in celebration of L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday. The show was created by Alicia Toner and Mike Ross as a "song cycle," a collection of songs performed in sequence. Behind the Veil is made up of songs that blend Lucy Maud Montgomery's journal entries, letters, and poetry with original songwriting. Produced by Harmony House, the concert aims to pull back the veil to reveal L.M. Montgomery's true spirit and to celebrate her life and love of Prince Edward Island.

The show premieres today on November 15, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. The ensemble cast features Julain Molnar, Brielle Ansems, Carlie Howell, Alicia Toner, Mike Ross, and Garrett Sherwood. Five additional performances will take place on November 16th at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., on November 22nd at 8:00 p.m., and on November 23rd at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Tickets for the 2-hour concert cost $40.00. Harmony House is located at 19814 Route 2, Hunter River, PE C0A 1N0.

You can listen to Alicia Toner and Mike Ross discuss the show in an interview by Matt Rainnie on CBC Mainstreet. It sounds like such a special event!

Official Website
Harmony House

Image Credit:
Image advertising Behind the Veil: A Lucy Maud Concert Experience from Harmony House.

Created November 15, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

#Maud150 Events at Acadia University

Later this month, two #Maud150 events will take place at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada to commemorate L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday.

The first is a speech by Dr. Brenton Dickieson of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). He will present a talk titled, "Friends, Lovers, and Revivalist Shudders: L.M. Montgomery and Baptists" in the Reading Room of the Vaughan Memorial Library on November 18, 2024 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. The speech is free and open to the public.

Here is the description of the talk from the Acadia University website:

Acadia celebrates L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday with a free talk titled "Friends, Lovers, and Revivalist Shudders: L.M. Montgomery and Baptists" by Dr. Brenton Dickieson (UPEI) in the Reading Room of Vaughan Memorial Library from 7-8 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

One of L.M. Montgomery’s more vividly drawn characters had “a holy horror of Methodists.” The main characters in the Anne series are thoroughly Presbyterian, but Montgomery has some fun playing with the cultural differences between the various Protestant denominations. The Cavendish Baptist church was part of Montgomery’s everyday life growing up, and she found herself frequenting the Baptists during her latter years in Toronto. Despite these connections, there were times when Montgomery’s journals reveal something like “a holy horror of Baptists.” From broken engagements to a threat of police action, a peek at Montgomery’s imagination of “Baptists” invites us to think about particular cultural moments in Eastern Canadian history and to enjoy her peculiar sense of religious humour that shapes our religious social imagination.

As a theologian of literature, Dr. Dickieson (UPEI) writes the popular website, A Pilgrim in Narnia, which explores the intersections of faith, fantasy, and fiction. With more than 2,000,000 views and fostering significant networks within the scholarly and readerly worlds of C.S. Lewis and the Inklings, Brenton has created a powerful platform for considering the literary, spiritual, and theological interest of some of our most famous world-builders, including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, and others. Brenton also is the host of Maudcast: the official podcast of the L.M. Montgomery Institute at University of Prince Edward Island.

The second #Maud150 event is a mini-conference that will be held at the university. On November 25th and 27th, the honours and master's students enrolled in the course on "Adapting L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables" will host a mini-conference and present their research on L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables to the community. The conference will take place from 4:00-5:20 p.m. on November 25th and 27th in BAC203. This event is open to the public according to Acadia University's calendar of events.

Image Credit:
Poster advertising Brenton Dickieson's speech from Acadia University.

Created November 15, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Cornelius Leard House for Sale in Lower Bedeque, Prince Edward Island

For a period of six months in 1897 and 1898, L.M. Montgomery boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Leard while she taught school in in Lower Bedeque, Prince Edward Island. During the time, Montgomery was secretly engaged to Edwin Simpson, but she found herself attracted to the Leard family’s oldest son Herman, according to her journals.

The Cornelius Leard House was formally recognized as a historic place in 2010. At different points in time, the house was run as a museum, a bed and breakfast, and a restaurant. It is currently for sale for $99,000 CAD and in need of care and major repairs. You can learn more about the home in this video by CBC News.

Image credit:
Screen capture from the CBC News website.

References:
Cornelius Leard House. Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=19168.

Home where 'Anne' author L.M. Montgomery had a forbidden romance is up for sale. (October 25, 2024). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6546552.

Created October 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Why People Still Love Anne of Green Gables on The Current Podcast

On September 3, The Current with Matt Galloway on CBC Radio released a podcast episode with a segment on "Why People Still Love Anne of Green Gables." The episode's synopsis reads: "This year would have been the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the famed P.E.I. author of Anne of Green Gables. We talk to some islanders and 'Anne fangirls' who are excited to celebrate both the author and her creations."

On his visit to Prince Edward Island, Galloway interviews Judith Graves and Linda Lowther. Judith Graves compiled and edited The Annethology, a collection of short stories inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Linda Lowther is on the committee responsible for Anne of Green Gables tourism in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, and she helped create The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour.

The interview covers a variety of topics relating to why Anne of Green Gables is timeless and why they love Anne. They also discuss adaptations of the story on screen and the economic importance of Anne of Green Gables-related tourism on Prince Edward Island. Lowther talks about The Literary Tour and things people might not know about L.M. Montgomery, such as her love of photography, scrapbooking, fashion, and nature. Graves discusses the concept behind The Annethology and the inventive short stories in the volume that take Anne on new journeys. This leads to a conversation about "Anne purists," "woke Anne" and "Anne fatigue."

It's a fun interview. Give it a listen!

Websites:
The Current with Matt Galloway on YouTube
The Current with Matt Galloway podcast at CBC

Image Credit:
Screencapture of The Current Podcast on YouTube.

Created October 4, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Stratford Festival Commissions a New Play Based on Anne of Green Gables

Last month, the internationally acclaimed Stratford Festival announced that they are developing a new play based on Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. The new adaptation is by playwright Kat Sandler, who will also direct the production. The play will premiere at the Avon Theatre as part of the Festival's 2025 season.

Founded in 1953, the Stratford Festival is a theatre festival that runs from April to October each year in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. The Festival is renowned for its productions of Shakespeare's plays, and it also presents a variety of other plays and musicals. The Festival has featured many talented actors over the years, including several who starred in adaptations of L.M. Montgomery works, including Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, Jackie Burroughs, Sarah Polley, and Charmion King.

The new Anne of Green Gables play is a Stratford Festival commission sponsored by The Schulich Foundation. The Stratford Festival's website describes the play as follows:

"Is there a Canadian title with more global recognition than Anne of Green Gables? More than 56 million copies have been sold, and it has been translated into 30 languages.

Anne of Green Gables by Kat Sandler is a bold adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's timeless tale of imagination, resilience and the transformative power of love. Set in the picturesque village of Avonlea, it follows the adventures of Anne Shirley, an irrepressible orphan with a vivid imagination and an unyielding spirit.

Sandler, who will also direct, is known for her deeply funny yet poignant plays and has written and directed extensively across Canada. She has enormous affection and respect for this story and wants to bring it vibrantly to life for another generation. The story of an outsider, an orphan, who finds happiness and wins the hearts not only of her adoptive family but of her doubting community is a story for the ages."

In a recent CBC News interview with Kat Sandler and Keith Barker (the Stratford Festival's director of new play development), the pair talk about reintroducing Anne Shirley's timeless story to a new generation of viewers. Barker states that they aim to be true to the novel, which he says, "reads beautifully" and "it's accessible, it's funny, it's smart." Sandler comments on the story's timeless themes saying, "Love, belonging, chosen family, community, loss, class — like, these are really big, big themes with high stakes." Sandler hopes that her adaptation reflects these themes.


Official Website:
Stratford Festival

Image Credit:
Screencapture of part of the Stratford Festival's 2025 Playbill featuring Anne of Green Gables.

References:
How the Stratford Festival wants to reimagine 'Canadian epic' Anne of Green Gables for a new era. (2024, September 8). CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6502563.

Ryan, Carolyn. (2024, September 8). Renowned Stratford Festival commissions new Anne of Green Gables play. CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-anne-of-green-gables-stratford-festival-1.7313342.

Created October 1, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Rare Anne of Green Gables Book at the Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair

The Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair is taking place this weekend at the City College of New York in New York City. The fair opened yesterday (September 27, 2024), and will continue through September 29th.

Among the many rare items offered is a first printing of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery in one of five surviving jackets from 1909 or earlier. The book is valued at $40,000.

What a special treasure for a book collector.


Location:
The Great Hall, Shepard Hall,
City College of New York,
160 Convent Ave,
New York, NY 10031

Official Website:
Fine Book Fairs

Image Credit:
Photograph of select books featured at the The Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair from Fine Books & Collections.

Reference:
Empire State Rare Book & Print Fair Opens Today. (2024, September 27). Fine Books & Collections. Retrieved from: https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/empire-state-rare-book-print-fair-opens-today.

Created September 28, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Support an Anne of Green Gables Product Idea at LEGO IDEAS

Today, I read a post by CivEng_NY on Reddit about a wonderful LEGO IDEAS project. Iyan Ha has proposed and designed an intricate Anne of Green Gables LEGO set. It has exceptional detail, and the design involves 2,935 bricks and has 5 minifigures.

This product idea has a chance of becoming a real LEGO set, but only if it has 10,000 supporters. After it reaches this goal, the idea will undergo an expert review by LEGO before the project is approved for production. This morning, Iyan Ha's Anne of Green Gables project idea had 1,366 supporters.

I signed up to support the project, and you can too. Let's help make this idea a reality!

Visit the Anne of Green Gables project page at LEGO IDEAS to sign up as a supporter.

Here are a few additional images of the project. Iyan Ha studied many references to design the Green Gables house. The model allows you to act out scenes from the novel both outside and inside Green Gables. In the scene below, Matthew Cuthbert brings Anne Shirley to Green Gables by carriage and Marilla meets them at the door. The model has such lovely details like the blooming Snow Queen.



Here, Anne Shirley accidentally serves her bosom friend Diana Barry currant wine instead of raspberry cordial, and Diana gets drunk. Oops. I love the expression on Diana's face.



Here is an image of the 5 minifigures: Matthew Cuthbert, Marilla Cuthbert, Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, and Diana Barry. Anne is breaking her slate over Gilbert's head, while Diana looks on in dismay.



I've highlighted a handful of the images of Iyan Ha's project. You can view all 15 images at LEGO IDEAS, and sign up to support the project.

Official Website:
Anne of Green Gables Product Idea at LEGO IDEAS by Iyan Ha

Image Credits:
Images of the Anne of Green Gables Product Idea by Iyan Ha at LEGO IDEAS.


Created September 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Studio 100 International to Remaster Anne of Green Gables Anime Series

AnimationXpress reported today that a German company called Studio 100 International is currently "remastering" the Anne of Green Gables (1979) anime using AI-assisted technologies to transform these series to full HD with a 16:9 widescreen format. The company specializes in entertainment for children and families. According to a press release from the company, it is undertaking the initiative as part of its "Heroes of Childhood" licensing campaign to breath "new life into its iconic classic series." Along with remastering Anne of Green Gables, they plan to remaster several other classic animated series from the 1970s, including Alice in Wonderland, Sinbad, Vic the Viking, Pinocchio, Nils Holgersson, Heidi, Marco (3000 Leagues in Search of Mother), and Maya the Bee.

By using AI-assisted technologies, Studio 100 International aims to create visual information needed to adapt the animated content to a widescreen format. They explain that the scenes will then be refined manually to maintain the integrity of the original. The audio for each series will be reconstructed to support different language versions for global distribution.

Studio 100 International will present the first remastered episodes for this project at MIPCOM in Cannes, which takes place from October 21–24, 2024.

Tampering with the early productions of Hayao Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata, who went on to establish the beloved Studio Ghibli, has caused outcry in the anime community according to an article by Paris Geolas at CBR. Geolas writes, "The usage of AI in Studio Ghibli works in particular has been strongly objected to given Hayao Miyazaki’s clear disapproval of the medium when it comes to animation. Many animation studios now use CGI and sometimes AI to enhance the animation or increase output within tight deadlines, but Studio Ghibli has always been faithful to using hand-drawn frames, contributing to the studio’s unique and beloved art style."


Image Credit:
Screencapture from Anne of Green Gables (1979) Anime.

References:
AnimationXpress Team. (2024, September 24). Studio 100 International to present remastered classic series like ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Heidi’ at MIPCOM. AnimationXpress.com. Retrieved from: https://www.animationxpress.com/animation/studio-100-international-to-present-remastered-classic-series-like-pinocchio-and-heidi-at-mipcom/.

Geolas, Paris. (2024, October 2). Studio Ghibli Founders' Earliest Anime Works Get "Cutting-Edge AI" Remasters. CBR. Retrieved from: https://www.cbr.com/studio-ghibli-first-anime-ai-remaster-controversy/.

Studio 100 International Remasters Classic TV Series in Full-HD and 16:9 for the First Time. (2024, 24 September). Press Release. Studio 100 International. Retrieved from: https://media.studio100international.com/media/sites/2/2024/09/d30fc09701-240924_pressrelease_s100int_classics-remastering_final.pdf.

Studio 100 International Unveils Full-HD and 16:9 Remasters of Beloved Classic TV Series. (2024, September 24). FormatBiz. Retrieved from: https://www.formatbiz.it/dettNews.aspx?id=11905.


Created September 24, 2024. Last updated October 3, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Green Gables Gal Clue in USA Today Crossword Puzzle

Check out today's crossword puzzle at USA Today. Titled "Lace Up," the September 23, 2024 puzzle was constructed by Stella Zawistowski and edited by Amanda Rafkin.

The clue for 24 Down is "Green Gables gal."

I'm sure all the Anne of Green Gables fans out there won't have to puzzle long over this clue!


Image Credit:
Screencapture of USA Today Crossword Puzzle from September 23, 2024 constructed by Stella Zawistowski and edited by Amanda Rafkin.

Created September 23, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com