Showing posts with label Ontario. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ontario. Show all posts

November 29, 2024

Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery at the Toronto Public Library

Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery at the Toronto Public Library

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery's birth, the Toronto Public Library is presenting a special exhibit called "Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery." Located in the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, the exhibit includes first editions of L.M. Montgomery's novels and Montgomery's original letters.

Here is the description of the exhibit from the Toronto Public Library:

Celebrate Lucy Maud Montgomery's 150th birthday with the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books. From first editions of her classic novels to original letters penned by Montgomery herself, this exhibition explores the author's fascinating life and timeless stories. Best known for Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery was a Canadian icon in her own right, publishing 20 novels and countless short stories during her long career.

Free. All are welcome.

Located in the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, on the 4th floor of the Lillian H. Smith Branch.

"Maud's World" opened on September 9, 2024, and the exhibit is ongoing until December 1, 2024. It is located at the Lillian H. Smith Branch of the Toronto Public Library at 239 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1R5. The exhibit is located on the 4th floor and is free to the public.


Official Website:
Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery

Image Credit:
Photograph of Lucy Maud Montgomery at her desk (1932) from Wikimedia Commons.

Reference:
Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery. (2024). Toronto Public Library. Retrieved from: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT511151&R=EVT511151.

Created November 29, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

October 07, 2024

Patterns and Puffed Sleeves - Celebrating Costume Design through Anne of Green Gables

Patterns and Puffed Sleeves – Celebrating Costume Design through Anne of Green Gables, Toronto Public Library Exhibit 2024, Photograph showing Megan Follows as Anne Shirley wearing a costume by Martha Mann and Martha Mann's costume drawing.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery's birth, The Toronto Reference Library is presenting a special exhibit called "Patterns and Puffed Sleeves – Celebrating Costume Design through Anne of Green Gables."

The exhibit highlights costume designs from four screen and stage productions of L.M. Montgomery's most famous story Anne of Green Gables. Designs are featured from Sullivan Entertainment’s Anne of Green Gables (1985) and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987). Costume designs are also displayed from the 1994 production of Anne of Green Gables by Theatre Calgary and the 1974 production of The Charlottetown Festival’s Anne of Green Gables: The Musical. The exhibit features the work of award-winning costume designers Martha Mann and Marie Day. Along with viewing their hand-drawn designs, visitors can view the final costumes themselves, as well as photographs and memorabilia from the productions.

Patterns and Puffed Sleeves – Celebrating Costume Design through Anne of Green Gables, Toronto Public Library Exhibit 2024

Here is the description of the exhibit from the Toronto Public Library:

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lucy Maud Montgomery!

Lucy Maud Montgomery is an iconic Canadian author whose works are popular world-wide. In celebration of the anniversary of her birth we are exploring one of her most notable pieces of literature — Anne of Green Gables.

This exhibition features original costume designs, from both stage and screen, by designers Martha Mann and Marie Day from TPL's Special Collections in the Arts. These designs were used in Sullivan Entertainment’s Emmy award-winning Anne of Green Gables series, Theatre Calgary’s 1994 production and Charlottetown Festival’s long-running Anne of Green Gables musical.

Explore the world of Anne of Green Gables through the lens of a costume designer! See how they use fashion to bring the story to theatrical life!

Do not miss out seeing actual garments from the 1985 Sullivan Entertainment production of Anne of Green Gables in the entrance window to the Toronto Reference Library.

Special thanks

Sullivan Entertainment Inc. for sponsoring the exhibit through loans of costumes and photographs from their productions of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel.

Theatre Calgary for providing a program and images of their 1994 production of Anne of Green Gables.


The "Patterns and Puffed Sleeves" exhibit opened on October 5, 2024 and will continue through January 12, 2025. It is located in the TD Gallery at The Toronto Reference Library on 789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W 2G8. Entry to the exhibit is free, and free guided tours will take place on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. during the exhibit's run.


Official Website:
Patterns and Puffed Sleeves - Celebrating Costume Design through Anne of Green Gables Exhibit at The Toronto Reference Library

Image Credit:
Images from Patterns and Puffed Sleeves - Celebrating Costume Design through Anne of Green Gables Exhibit at The Toronto Reference Library.

Reference:
Patterns and Puffed Sleeves: Celebrating Costume Design through Anne of Green Gables. (2024, October). Toronto Public Library. Retrieved from: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/exhibits/patterns-and-puffed-sleeves.jsp.

Created October 7, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

September 17, 2024

L.M. Montgomery's 150th Birthday Events in Norval, Ontario

Book covers of Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie J. Fishbane, The Kitchen by John Ota, and Maud of Green Gables by Janet Wilson

Over the coming months, there will be several events held in Norval, Ontario to celebrate L.M Montgomery's 150th birthday.

September 29, 2024 - Culture Days
Visitors are welcome at St. Paul's Anglican Church (14 Adamson St.), The Norval Studios and Gallery (Parish Hall, 16 Adamson St.), and the Caretaker’s Cottage (404 Draper St.), located next to the Manse where L.M. Montgomery once lived.

October 19, 2024 - Find my Fictional Maud: A Conversation with Melanie J. Fishbane
A book talk and signing with Melanie J. Fishbane, author of Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery, will take place at 2 p.m. at the Norval Studios and Gallery. Read this article to learn more about with Fishbane's book and the event.

November 23, 2024 - The Kitchen of L.M. Montgomery
John Ota, author of The Kitchen, will give a book talk and sign copies of his book at 2 p.m in Parish Hall. Ota's book examines famous kitchens in history, and his speech will explore three of L.M. Montgomery's kitchens. Ota has visted L.M. Montgomery's kitchens in Norval, the Leaskdale Manse, and the Toronto Manse and welcomes questions from the audience. Read this article to learn more info about Ota's work and the event.

November 30, 2024 - Montgomery Christmas Sale
A Christmas sale will take place on L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday. St. Paul’s Anglican Church and St. Elias The Prophet Ukranian Church (10193 Heritage Rd.) will host church bazaars from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Janet Wilson, author of Maud of Green Gables, will have a book signing at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. The Norval Studios will be open for shopping on November 30th and December 1st from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Read more about these events at Halton Hills Today.


Image credit:
Book covers of Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie J. Fishbane, The Kitchen: A Journey Through History in Search of the Perfect Design by John Ota, and Maud of Green Gables: How L.M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World by Janet Wilson.

References:
Tanweer, Mansoor. (November 18, 2024). Author to entertain Norval guests about Lucy Maud Montgomery’s kitchens. HaltonHillsToday.ca. Retrieved from: https://www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/author-to-entertain-norval-guests-about-lucy-maud-montgomerys-kitchens-9802934

Tanweer, Mansoor. (October 17, 2024). Author coming to Norval for chat about Lucy Maud Montgomery. HaltonHillsToday.ca. Retrieved from: https://www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/author-coming-to-norval-for-chat-about-lucy-maud-montgomery-9648514

Tanweer, Mansoor. (September 11, 2024). Norval celebrating Lucy Maud Montgomery's 150th birthday. HaltonHillsToday.ca. Retrieved from: https://www.haltonhillstoday.ca/local-news/norval-celebrating-lucy-maud-montgomerys-150th-birthday-9473840

Created September 17, 2024. Last updated November 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

August 28, 2024

Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill

Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill by Catherine Little and illustrated by Sae Kimura

Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill is a children's book by Catherine Little and beautifully illustrated by Sae Kimura that was published by Plumleaf Press on August 1, 2024. Set in Toronto after WWI, the book tells the story of a young girl named Anne who loves her local library and books by L.M. Montgomery. Anne grows excited when Montgomery visits her town.

The book is 32 pages long and geared toward children ages 6–10. Catherine Little is a teacher and writer, who lives in Toronto, Ontario. While reading L.M. Montgomery's journals, she learned that Montgomery had once visited her neighborhood in Toronto. This knowledge inspired her to write this book. Sae Kimura is an artist and illustrator who is from Japan and moved to Toronto in 2011.

Here is the book's description from Plumleaf Press:

Growing up in the shadow of the Great War, Anne finds comfort in her neighbourhood library, where she loses herself in books, often imagining herself as part of the story. She particularly loves the books of L.M. Montgomery — and her imagination really takes off when she learns her beloved author is in town.


Image credit:
Cover of Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill by Plumleaf Press.

Purchase and read Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill:

Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill by Catherine Little and illustrated by Sae Kimura

Created August 28, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

July 30, 2024

Call Me Maud Exhibit

Call Me Maud Exhibit at Kawartha Lakes City Hall in Lindsay, Ontario

In commemoration of L.M. Montgomery's 150th birthday this year, Kawartha Lakes Economic Development is presenting an exhibit titled "Call Me Maud." The exhibit explores L.M. Montgomery's life and includes information on her surprising connection to Kawartha Lakes.

The exhibit opened on July 23, 2024 and is located on the second floor of the Kawartha Lakes City Hall at 26 Francis Street in Lindsay, Ontario. Visitors can view the exhibit from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until November 29, 2024. Admission is free of charge.

The Call Me Maud exhibit is based on research by Dr. Christy Woster who wrote an essay called "L.M. Montgomery and the Railway King of Canada" that was published in The Shining Scroll newsletter for the L.M. Montgomery Literary Society in 2005. In her article, Woster described how L.M. Montgomery’s father's second wife Mary Ann McRae was originally from the Kirkfield area in Kawartha Lakes. McRae was the niece of Sir William Mackenzie, the famous Canadian railway contractor and entrepreneur from Kirkfield. During the years that Montgomery lived in Ontario, she would often visit the Mackenzie estate, and she wrote about these visits in her journals.

To accompany the Call Me Maud exhibit, Kawartha Lakes Economic Development will present a virtual talk and in-person tea event on August 18, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. with support from the Kirkfield and District Historical Society and Museum. Dr. Emily Woster will give a virtual presentation on L.M. Montgomery's connection to Kirkfield and her time in Ontario. This event will take place at 992 Portage Road in Kirkfield, Ontario at the Kirkfield and District Museum and Historical Society. Refreshments will be served from L.M. Montgomery's personal recipe book. Tickets for the event cost $25.

The Call Me Maud exhibit webpage features four recipes from L.M. Montgomery's original ledger that were passed down through her family to Elaine Crawford and her daughter, Kelly Crawford. You can download PDFs for L.M. Montgomery's recipes for Marion's orange cake, Boston cookies, applesauce cake, and lemon crumbles. These recipes (and many more) were included in Elaine and Kelly Crawford's book Aunt Maud’s Recipe Book: From the Kitchen of L.M. Montgomery.


Official Website:
Call Me Maud Exhibit

Image Credit:
Image from the Call Me Maud Exhibit website.

References:

'Call Me Maud' Lucy Maud Montgomery exhibit comes to Lindsay. (2024, July 24). Kawartha Lakes. Retrieved from: https://www.kawarthalakes.ca/en/news/call-me-maud-lucy-maud-montgomery-exhibit-comes-to-lindsay.aspx.

Head, Bruce. (2024, July 24). New exhibit explores ‘Anne of Green Gables’ author’s connection to Kawartha Lakes. kawarthaNOW. Retrieved from: https://kawarthanow.com/2024/07/24/new-exhibit-explores-anne-of-green-gables-authors-connection-to-kawartha-lakes/.

Created July 30, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

July 11, 2024

A Nod to Maud Events Celebrating L.M. Montgomery's 150th Birthday in Leaskdale, Ontario

A Nod to Maud Events Celebrating L.M. Montgomery's 150th Birthday in Leaskdale, Ontario

The Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario (LMMSO) is celebrating L.M. Montgomery’s 150th birthday with special “A Nod to Maud” events throughout 2024. Following L.M. Montgomery's wedding, she and her husband Ewen moved to Leaskdale, Ontario, a town located north of Uxbridge. They lived there in the Leaskdale Manse for 15 years.

Check the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario’s website for updates to their "A Nod to Maud” calendar of events.

Here are some of the highlights:

Throughout July and August, the LMMSO will hold their annual Summer Luncheon Teas at the Historic Leaskdale Church.

June 15, 2024 - Gardens of Uxbridge Tour.

July 21, 2024 - Downtown Summer Social - Actors dressed as Anne of Green Gables and Lucy Maud Montgomery will be at various locations in downtown Uxbridge and at the Farmer’s Market to meet fans and pose for photos. There will be an Anne of Green Gables look-a-like contest at Blue Heron Books and special displays in storefront windows. For more of the events, see this article by the Uxbridge Times-Journal.

August 15, August 17, and August 18, 2024 - The LMMSO will present a one-woman play called Maud of Leaskdale starring Jennifer Carroll as L.M. Montgomery at the Historic Leaskdale Church. On August 15th, attendees can enjoy dinner theatre beginning at 6:00 pm featuring a menu chosen from Maud’s time for $60. On August 17 and 18th at 3:00 PM, attendees can see the matinee show for $25.

November 30, 2024 - Maud’s Birthday Party in Leaskdale.

December 8, 2024 - The finale of "A Nod to Maud" includes a skating party at the Uxbridge Arena and cupcakes for all.


Official Website:
The Official Website of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario

Image credit:
Poster for "A Nod to Maud" from The Official Website of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario

References:
A 150th birthday party: Uxbridge celebrates Lucy Maud Montgomery on July 21. (2024, July 13). Uxbridge Times Journal. Retrieved from: https://www.durhamregion.com/things-to-do/a-150th-birthday-party-uxbridge-celebrates-lucy-maud-montgomery-on-july-21/article_86d97a65-d538-5fc4-b588-41b989e879ce.html.

Boyce, Conrad. (2024, July 19). Huge ‘nod to Maud’ happening with festivities this weekend. Penticton Herald. Retrieved from: https://www.pentictonherald.ca/spare_news/article_77417c4c-1ff3-595a-8b32-6c0dad73eb17.html.

Uxbridge marking 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery. (2024, July 10). Durham Post. Retrieved from: https://durhampost.ca/uxbridge-marking-150th-birthday-of-lucy-maud-montgomery.

Created July 11, 2024. Last updated July 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

October 20, 2015

L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys: The Ontario Years, 1911-1942

L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys: The Ontario Years, 1911-1942 edited by Rita Bode and Lesley D. Clement


L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys: The Ontario Years, 1911-1942 was published by McGill-Queen’s University Press in October 2015. This volume of scholarship examines L.M. Montgomery's life and work during her decades living in Ontario, Canada. The book was edited by Rita Bode and Lesley D. Clement. There are contributions by Elizabeth Waterston, Mary Beth Cavert, Margaret Steffler, Laura M. Robinson, Caroline E. Jones, William V. Thompson, Melanie J. Fishbane, Katherine Cameron, Emily Woster, Natalie Forest, E. Holly Pike, Linda Rodenburg, Kate Sutherland, Lesley D. Clement, and Kate Macdonald Butler.

Here is the description of the volume from McGill-Queen’s University Press:

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) and Anne of Green Gables will always be associated with Prince Edward Island, Montgomery's childhood home and the setting of her most famous novels. Yet, after marrying Rev. Ewan Macdonald in 1911, she lived in Ontario for three decades. There she became a mother of two sons, fulfilled the duties of a minister's wife, advocated for copyright protection and recognition of Canadian literature, wrote prolifically, and reached a global readership that has never waned.

Engaging with discussions on both her life and her fiction, L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys explores the joys, sorrows, and literature that emerged from her transformative years in Ontario. While this time brought Montgomery much pleasure and acclaim, it was also challenged and complicated by a sense of displacement and the need to self-fashion and self-dramatize as she struggled to align her private self with her public persona. Written by scholars from various fields and including a contribution by Montgomery's granddaughter, this volume covers topics such as war, religion, women's lives, friendships, loss, and grief, focusing on a range of related themes to explore Montgomery's varied states of mind.

An in-depth study of one of Canada's most internationally acclaimed authors, L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys shows how she recreated herself as an Ontario writer and adapted to the rapidly changing world of the twentieth century.

Contributors include Elizabeth Waterston (Guelph), Mary Beth Cavert (Independent), Margaret Steffler (Trent), Laura M. Robinson (Royal Military College), Caroline E. Jones (Austin Community College), William V. Thompson (Grant MacEwan University), Melanie J. Fishbane (Humber College), Katherine Cameron (Concordia University College), Emily Woster (Minnesota-Duluth), Natalie Forest (York), E. Holly Pike (Memorial-Grenfell), Linda Rodenburg (Lakehead-Orillia), Kate Sutherland (York), Lesley D. Clement (Lakehead-Orillia), Kate Macdonald Butler (Heirs of L.M. Montgomery Inc.).

Reviews

“With its interest in placing Montgomery’s work in new cultural and historical contexts, L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valleys expands our understanding of this canonical Canadian author. Although there is no disputing that PEI had an enduring impact on Montgomery's literary sensibility, Ontario played its part too, as the essays in this collection abundantly reveal.” Janice Fiamengo, University of Ottawa

“Coherent and well-structured, L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valleys breaks new ground with its singular focus on the Ontario years. It will unquestionably command the attention of an academic audience, but is also accessible to the general reader who has an interest in Montgomery or in Canadian culture.” Joy Alexander, Queen’s University, Belfast

L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valleys is important because it resists Montgomery’s own obsessive returns to Prince Edward Island, as well as those of her readers and critics. The collection remains grounded in her Ontario experience, demonstrating its influence on all the writing she did in the second half of her life.” The Times Literary Supplement


The book includes the following content and essays:

Introduction by Rita Bode and Lesley D. Clement

Prologue

1. Leaskdale: L.M. Montgomery’s Rainbow Valley by Elizabeth Waterston

A New Home in Leaskdale: War and Religion


2. “To the Memory of”: Leaskdale and Loss in the Great War by Mary Beth Cavert
3. “Being a Christian” and a Presbyterian in Leaskdale by Margaret Steffler

The Changing World of Women: Mother, Daughter, Friend

4. “A Gift for Friendship”: Revolutionary Friendship in Anne of the Island and The Blue Castle by Laura M. Robinson
5. The New Mother at Home: Montgomery’s Literary Explorations of Motherhood by Caroline E. Jones

Shadows in Rainbow Valley: Loss and Grief

6. The Shadow on the House of Dreams: Montgomery’s Re-Visioning of Anne by William V. Thompson
7. “My Pen Shall Heal, Not Hurt”: Writing as Therapy in Rilla of Ingleside and The Blythes Are Quoted by Melanie J. Fishbane

Interlude

L.M.M. by Katherine Cameron

A Sense of Place: Reading and Writing

8. Old Years and Old Books: Montgomery’s Ontario Reading and Self-Fashioning by Emily Woster
9. (Re)Locating Montgomery: Prince Edward Island Romance to Southern Ontario Gothic by Natalie Forest

Travels to Muskoka: Commodification and Tourism

10. Propriety and the Proprietary: The Commodification of Health and Nature in The Blue Castle by E. Holly Pike
11. Bala and The Blue Castle: The “Spirit of Muskoka” and the Tourist Gaze by Linda Rodenburg

Life in Toronto: Professional and Cultural Links

12. Advocating for Authors and Battling Critics in Toronto: Montgomery and the Canadian Authors Association by Kate Sutherland
13. Toronto’s Cultural Scene: Tonic or Toxin for a Sagged Soul? by Lesley D. Clement

Epilogue

14. Dear Grandmother Maud on the Road to Heaven by Kate Macdonald Butler

Appendix

Montgomery’s Ontario Legacies: A Community Presence in the Twenty-First Century by Rita Bode and Lesley D. Clement with the assistance of Kristina Eldridge and Chloe Verner


Image credit:

Book cover of L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys: The Ontario Years, 1911-1942 from McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Purchase and read L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys: The Ontario Years, 1911-1942:

L.M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valleys: The Ontario Years, 1911-1942 edited by Rita Bode and Lesley D. Clement

Created October 20, 2015. Last updated June 7, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

July 15, 2014

Maud of Leaskdale (2011)

Maud of Leaskdale poster from 2024 with a photograph of Jennifer Carroll as Lucy Maud Montgomery


Maud of Leaskdale (2011) is a one-woman play by Conrad Boyce about L.M. Montgomery's years living in Leaskdale, Ontario, Canada. Based upon L.M. Montgomery's journals, Maud of Leaskdale is told using Montgomery's own words and is two hours long. Boyce wrote the script by "choosing excerpts from L.M. Montgomery’s journals and shaping the excerpts into a coherent account of her inner and outer life." The play was produced by the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario (LMMSO).

Conrad Boyce wrote Maud of Leaskdale with a specific actress in mind to play the title role of Maud—Jennifer Carroll. Happily, Carroll agreed to play the role of Lucy Maud Montgomery. In October 2011, Maud of Leaskdale premiered at the LMMSO International Conference. In the summer of 2012, Carroll performed the play at the Historic Leaskdale Church, where Ewan Macdonald, L.M. Montgomery’s husband, was minister from 1910 to 1926. In 2014, Jennifer Carroll presented the show at the biennial conference held by the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island. Carroll has continued to portray Maud for more than a decade in Leaskdale where the production has been celebrated.

The play is described as follows:

“Experience the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery during her first 15 years in Ontario (1911-1926), when she became a devoted mother, a world-famous author, and the loyal wife of a Presbyterian Minister. It was a time of simple joys and heart-rending tragedy, brought to life through Montgomery’s own powerful words. Compiled and directed by Conrad Boyce.”



Image Credit:

Maud of Leaskdale poster advertising the play from 2024 from DiscoverUxbridge.ca.

References:
Maud of Leaskdale starring Jennifer Carroll. 2024. Discover Uxbridge. Retrieved from: https://discoveruxbridge.ca/events/event/maud-of-leaskdale-starring-jennifer-carroll/.

MacDonald, Shane. (2016, August 17). Uxbridge’s Jennifer Carroll brings Lucy Maud Montgomery to life in Maud of Leaskdale play. DurhamRegion.com. Retrieved from: https://www.durhamregion.com/things-to-do/uxbridge-s-jennifer-carroll-brings-lucy-maud-montgomery-to-life-in-maud-of-leaskdale-play/article_119e01f2-925c-5f8d-ae21-472b41deff89.html

Pratt, Barb. (2021, August 5). Maud of Leaskdale – Ten Years! The Standard. Retrieved from: https://www.thestandardnewspaper.ca/post/maud-of-leaskdale-ten-years


Created July 15, 2014. Last updated October 21, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

August 15, 2002

The Blue Castle (1993)

The Blue Castle: A Musical Love Story adapted and composed by Hank Stinson with additional music by Helen MacRae

The Blue Castle: A Musical Love Story (1993) is a musical by Hank Stinson adapted from the novel The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. Stinson composed the musical and it featured additional music by Helen MacRae. The musical was created for The Castle Company, a Prince Edward Island-based musical theatre company. In 1992, the musical won the Theatre Prince Edward Island New Voices Playwrighting Contest.

Following workshops at the Muskoka Festival, the first community production of The Blue Castle took place in Prince Edward Island in 1993. There was a larger community production in 1994 at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown. In 1995, the professional debut took place at the Oakville Summer Theatre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

The Blue Castle is a two-act musical. There are two versions of the script for either a small or a large cast. The musical length runs for 1 hour and 20 minutes for the small cast version and 1 hour and 30 minutes for the large cast version.

The musical is described as follows:
“Based on the L.M. Montgomery novel, The Blue Castle tells the story of spinster Valancy Stirling's escape from her stultifying home life, her quest for identity, and her awakening as a woman. She is a true hero; a glowing example of courage and determination in the face of the unknown; ‘It's only when you realize that no one else is going to take care of you that you begin to take care of yourself.’”


Image Credit:
Adapted screencaptures from The Castle Co. webpage (archived).

Reference:
The Castle Co. webpage (archived).

Created August 15, 2002. Last updated June 17, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

March 10, 2002

The Bend in the Road CD-ROM

The Bend in the Road: An Invitation to the World and Work of L.M. Montgomery CD-ROM by the L.M. Montgomery Institute


The Bend in the Road: An Invitation to the World and Work of L.M. Montgomery is an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM that was produced in 2000 by the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island.

I purchased the CD-ROM and found it both engaging and content-filled. It is divided into sections on "Life," "Works," "Impact," "Learning," and "Credits," providing a true invitation to L.M. Montgomery's fans. The images and audio clips are extensive. There are galleries of photographs of L.M. Montgomery and photographs taken by her. You can view first edition covers of L.M. Montgomery's novels, explore a genealogy, and watch clips showing her scrapbooks, clothing, needlework and personal belongings.

My favorite portions were the timeline and the video clips of Dr. Elizabeth Epperly viewing L.M. Montgomery's scrapbooks. It was clear to me that a huge amount of time went into the production of the CD-ROM, gearing it towards fans, scholars and educators.

In spite of these attributes, the CD-ROM also has a few downsides. It is designed solely for PC users, and it does not work on Mac computers. Using the CD-ROM was glitchy for me, and it crashed three times as I went through the contents. I tried to go through the CD-ROM in an orderly manner, but sometimes it would jump between sections, so I began using the back button to navigate so I wouldn't miss anything. Another limitation is that the CD-ROM URL links do not work, which hampers its use as an interactive tool.

For those keenly interested in learning more about L.M. Montgomery's life, the CD-ROM is a useful purchase; however, its price of $46.95 (US dollars) might be high for a fan more interested in L.M. Montgomery's books than in her life.


Here is the description of the CD-ROM from The L.M. Montgomery Institute:

The Bend in the Road is a multimedia CD-ROM presentation that invites viewers to discover some of the riches in the life, work, and influence of Canadian hero and internationally acclaimed writer, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

With 342 separate screens, thirty video clips, some one hundred audio clips, over two hundred of Montgomery's own photographs, readings by renowned actor Elizabeth Mawson, introductions to the principal Montgomery sites on Prince Edward Island and in Ontario, glimpses of rare manuscript and archival materials, hot links to related sites, commentary on all of Montgomery's writing, a new bibliography, and questions for discussion and research – The Bend in the Road is designed to appeal to Montgomery scholars and enthusiasts as well as those entirely new to Montgomery's work or life who have an interest in culture, history, or inspiration. The CD-ROM includes a family tree that has photographs and audio clips from some of Montgomery's living relatives. Noted historians, family members, and scholars take viewers on tours through Montgomery's past, the sites that now preserve her memory, and a gallery of Montgomery's own photographs. The Bend in the Road is ideal for individual viewing and also for classroom use; students from elementary grades through graduate school will find ideas and materials to pursue.

ISBN: 9780968729809

Image credit:
The Bend in the Road CD-ROM packaging.

Official Website:
The Bend in the Road: An Invitation to the World and Work of L.M. Montgomery (2000)

Created March 10, 2002. Last Updated November 12, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com