Source: Hometown Life
Author: Brad Kadrich
Julia Twigg grew up hearing about and watching, "Anne of Green Gables," the 1908 novel (later play) by Lucy Maud Montgomery, because her mother loved the story.
So when the Mercy High School senior saw the school's drama program was producing "Anne" for its fall show, she did something she'd never done in her high school drama career: Tried for (and got) a speaking part.
And not just any speaking part; she's playing Anne.
"'Anne of Green Gables' has always been my mother's favorite story," said Twigg, a transfer student from the International Academy. "I figured I'd go out of my senior year with a bang and I managed to get the lead. It still blows my mind."
The story follows the adventures of Anne Shirley, a 11-year-old orphan who mistakenly is sent to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island.
The premise takes the audience on Anne's journey of connecting with Matthew and Marilla, the school and the town.
It's about growth (Anne's and Marilla's), loss and adjustment and its family tones were attractive to Mercy's longtime director Kathy Sill, who also liked the facts the two main leads are good roles for female actors at the all-girls school.
"We decided we wanted to do two family-oriented plays this year," said Sill, who pointed out the next production will be "Mary Poppins." "We're always looking for stories with strong female leads. This show has tremendous female leads."
The other lead character is Marilla Cuthbert, played by senior Cara Forfinski, last seen in "42nd Street." Forfinski said she relished the role because Marilla is, in many ways, a polar opposite to Forfinski herself.
Marilla, especially in the beginning, is a more negative personality than Forfinski, a challenge the actor found exciting.
"I'd like to think I'm a nice person. ... It's hard to look at someone I like and be harsh to them," Forfinski said. "That's what I like about her. She's the opposite of me."
Marilla's growth and change — she's forced to adapt to a little girl rather than the boy she wanted, she loses her brother — are also traits Forfinski enjoys bringing to the stage.
"She realized all the challenges Anne puts her through are teaching her something," Forfinski said. "(Marilla) gets thrown through life and Anne teaches her she can lovce again."
But nowhere is the change as noticeable as with Anne, who overcomes low self-esteem issues to establish herself in the town and, more importantly, with Marilla.
The growth, Twigg said, mirrors her own.
"It's a really interesting character," said Twigg, mostly a crew member except for an on-stage, non-speaking role in "Night of January 16th" two years ago. "I see a lot of myself in her. It's interesting to see where she started and how she's grown and it shows me how I've grown, too. She's coming out of her shell at the same time I'm coming out of mine."
Production started with auditions in late August and rehearsals started right after that, Sill said. There are 26 students in the cast, including a half-dozen boys from Detroit Catholic High School in Novi.
The biggest challenges so far, Sill said, have been technical issues brought on by the simultaneous staging set built for the play. All of the play's locations — the front porch, the kitchen, Anne's bedroom and even a school room — are on the stage throughout.
"It's challenging for the lighting, in particular," Sill said. "There's a lot of attention to technical work in this show."
"Anne of Green Gables" plays in the Mercy High School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday Nov. 10-11, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling the drama office at 248-893-3572 or at the door.
Photos by Bill Bresler