Island Spirit Journal Vol. 1 Oct. 09
Welcome to our little journal about our family business. Island Spirit PEI offers the largest selection of Anne of Green Gables collectibles online and we’re starting to share our story with kindred spirits.
Give us a ring
Island Spirit PEI now have a toll-free phone number in CAN & USA
1 (866) 835-3979
In Japan you can reach us at +81 50 5539 9860
If you live outside Canada, The United States and Japan you can give us your number and we will call you back.
And of course our Skype ID is islandspirit_pei. If you have a question about Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery or PEI let us know!
Free Anne of Green Gables Series Books Online
We have added the complete Anne of Green Gables Series to our website as free online books.
For the first time ever, Island Spirit PEI has combined the leading online encyclopedia, e-book and audio books of the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery.
Our encyclopedia is Wikipedia. It’s a “wiki”, a collective knowlege tool made by many hands. It’s not the Bible of authority because of this but is also awsome in scope and a great place to start a search as Google will tell you.
Project Gutenberg is the largest collection of e-books online and also has audio books as well.
Librivox has mutiple narrators and an option to download the entire book as a compressed file. (.zip).
These sites along with much more Anne of Green Gables and L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery content is available on our website. where we build all the best online into a one stop shop.
Everything Anne
It’s Everything Anne time again in Ontario!
A fun Anne of Green Gables event at Bala's Museum
On July 24th 1:30 to 4:00 pm at Bala’s Museum we are in for a treat.
3 Legged Races & Sack Races
Egg-on-a-spoon Races
Free Popcorn & Cake
Prizes for Best Character Costumers (cosplay)
Bala’s Museum – With Memories of Lucy Maud Montgomery is home to one of, if not the most impressive historical collections of Anne of Green Gables memorabilia in the world.
Their name shows local pride and respect for the author, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they are like on our favorite heroine.
Everything the classic hardcovers, collectibles, family heirlooms and even the Lady of Shallot boat from the motion picture.
As we found out last week, it is certainly worth ride to Bala’s Museum in the Cranberry Capital of Canada.
Amy Wallis brings Charm of Anne of Green Gables to Toronto
Amy Wallis brings charm of Anne of Green Gables to Toronto
VINCENT TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR
“Mom and dad didn’t want me to go into theatre at all,” laughs Amy Wallis. But the young actor, who has already played several lead roles, is hooked. (April 28, 2009)
Director knew she had found the right one after Wallis auditioned for musical
May 02, 2009
RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
THEATRE CRITIC
When you’ve spent the last four years of your relatively short life alternating between playing one of Disney’s most beloved heroines and one of Canada’s most revered literary figures, you might think it could turn a young lady’s head.
But, judging from a recent conversation, Amy Wallis is doing just fine in the modesty department with none of the arrogance that both her onstage prototypes – Anne Shirley and Belle – have sometimes displayed.
Wallis, 26, is currently in Toronto rehearsing with the Charlottetown Festival Company to begin her fourth season as the title character in that best known of all Canadian musicals, Anne of Green Gables. What makes this time around even more special for her is that the show is going to begin on May 7 with a run at the Elgin Theatre, courtesy of Dancap Productions.
“I’m incredibly excited to be appearing in the city that I hope to build a career in,” says Wallis. “I really want to do well here.”
The chances are that she will. The reviews from her first three summers as Anne have all been glowing – the same kind of response in her native Vancouver, where she’s starred for the past four Christmases in the Arts Club Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast.
This might be the time for a bit of total disclosure. I directed Wallis’s mother, Valerie Easton (who is now a noted choreographer) and my wife, Pamela, appeared on stage with her father, Ray Wallis (who has left the business for a career in financial planning), when we were all young and foolish in Vancouver, back in the 1970s. But the Ouzounians had moved East by the time Amy was born on Sept. 16, 1982.
“Mom and dad didn’t want me to go into theatre at all,” she laughs. “They tried to get me interested in sports, but all I wanted to do was perform. I would force my parents to watch me put on these long, involved plays I had created when I was only four. I was always running around doing numbers from Cats and driving them crazy.”
By this point, Wallis’s father had quit show business “cold turkey,” in his daughter’s words, and was enjoying working in the financial sector. “Dad would try to get me interested in the things he was doing,” Wallis confesses, “and I would just stare at him with drool coming down from my mouth. I was such a Broadway baby!”
But the Wallis family still held the line, making sure Amy would have something approaching a normal existence. “I got very involved in high school drama,” shares Wallis, “and so I asked my mother if I could have an agent. She said `no.’ It was okay if went to dance classes and acted in community theatre, but she wanted me to have a real life.”
Eventually she spent a few years at York University, but dropped out, feeling that “I was ready and I knew what I wanted.”
After a year on a cruise ship (“just so I could see the world”), she wound up in her old hometown and got her first professional job as Anybodys in the Arts Club Theatre production of West Side Story.
Since then, she’s kept busy across the country in various shows, but there’s no doubt in her mind that the cherry on the sundae has been playing Anne Shirley.
“I flew out to Toronto to audition for it,” she remembers, “and I had no idea how I did at first. I wanted the part so badly! I had read the books as a little girl and the first song I ever sang at a concert was `Gee, I’m Glad I’m No One Else But Me.’ I had the VHS copy of the Megan Follows TV version and I’d watched it so much over the years that the tape had literally worn out. That’s how much I loved Anne of Green Gables.”
So her heart started beating just a bit faster when director Anne Allen stopped her after her audition and asked if she was planning to stay in Toronto a few more days.
“I told her `no,’” says Wallis, “that I was flying right back home. She just looked at me and said `Oh, I’d stay around.’”
Wallis was called back several times, and when she got to her final audition she remembers thinking she had blown it because she saw Allen turn to whisper to someone during her song.
“`Oh great, I thought, `She’s talking while I’m singing!’”
What she only found out later was that the person Allen was whispering to was author Don Harron, and what she was saying was “I think we’ve finally found our Anne.”
Things are busy for Wallis right now, but what about life after Anne?
“I see myself playing as many different roles as possible. I really want to do My Fair Lady. And I’ve always hoped to be in a production of Les Miserables. I’d be anyone … even the third whore from the left!”
I wonder what Marilla would have to say about that!
GETTING PERSONAL
Q: What was the first musical you ever saw?
Marilyn Dalzell, Peterborough
A: It was a Vancouver production of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby and Long John Baldry. Cathy Rigby threw fairy dust on me so I went home and tried to fly. I couldn’t. I didn’t get hurt, but I was very sad.
Q: How old were you when you first came across Anne of Green Gables?
Jean-Anne Moors, Whitby
A: I think I was 9 when I first started reading one of the books. Then I learned the songs from the musical and next came the TV show on tape.
Q: Why do you think Anne of Green Gables is still so popular in Charlottetown after all these years?
Eleanor Vineberg, Halifax, N.S.
A: First of all, it’s a wonderful show, but I also think people love coming to see Anne’s story near her home.
ANNES WITH AN ‘E’
Fourteen actresses have played Anne Shirley in the Charlottetown Festival production of Anne of Green Gables since it premiered in 1965. Here’s a few:
Susan Cuthbert (1979-1980): She went on to become the first alternate for Rebecca Caine’s Christine Daae in the original Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera, playing the role at least twice a week.
Glynis Ranney (1991-1992): Known for her soulful, wide-eyed stare and crystal-clear voice, Ranney has been seen for many years at the Shaw Festival.
Tracy Michailidis (1994-1996): One of the most serious and emotional of all Annes, Michailidis has gone on to star at Shaw and Stratford as well as theatres around North America.
Chilina Kennedy (2000-2001): The feisty, sexy Kennedy went far beyond Anne Shirley, starring as Sophie in the national tour of Mamma Mia! and is currently at Stratford, in West Side Story.
Exclusive Coverage of Anne of Green Gables Open Call
by Kelly Cameron by way of Broadwayworld.com
On Tuesday April 21st, 2009 Dancap Productions held open auditions for children aged 8-12 to be in the Toronto engagement of Canada’s longest running musical Anne of Green Gables. More than sixty children showed up at the open call, all eager for a chance to participate in this amazing piece of Canadian theatre. BWW was on hand to witness the entire audition process, and had the opportunity to interview some of the key people behind the production.
In attendance for the process were members from Dancap Productions, as well as Artistic Director Anne Allan and Musical Director Donald Fraser. Dance Captains and cast members Robin Calvert and Zak Kearns were also in attendance to assist in the casting process.
The studio at the Ossington Theatre was beautifully out-fitted with props from the production, and the kids started to pile in very quickly and filled the room. Tons of bright and smiling faces prepared to learn a song and dance from the musical and show off what they had to offer.
It was a very thorough audition process. The children learned a verse from the song “Ice Cream” and then were taught the dance that goes along with it. Dance Captains Robin Calvert and Zak Kearns were fantastic in their direction of the young children, helping them learn the steps quickly so that they could be evaluated. The process moved very smoothly, with the children being divided into groups according to sex and height and then performing for Anne Allan with accompaniment by Donald Fraser.
Once all the children had an opportunity to sing and dance, they had a sit-down with Ms. Allan where she demonstrated her unique ability to handle children. Ms. Allan had a wonderful group conversation with them where she explained various aspects of the theatre business as well as the auditioning process, and encouraged the children to continue on their path regardless of whether or not they got a role in their production. Ms. Allan was incredibly kind and approachable throughout the process, and it seemed as though all the children felt included regardless of whether or not they were called back. She explained that they would all have the opportunity to go back to their parents, and then certain children would be called back in to perform the final call-backs.
During this time, I was able to speak with Ms. Allan for an exclusive interview for BWW readers:
Do you feel that this is a good turn-out?
Yes definitely. The turn-out was fantastic.
How long have you been with the Charlottetown Festival Production of Anne of Green Gables – The Musical?
I’ve been with Anne for ten years.
Are you only casting the children at this time?
We are only casting the children in Toronto, although we did cast for some of the other roles prior to arriving here. We have a lot of returning cast members, but we did also need to cast some new people. It’s a great job for young dancers who are coming out of school because we need young kids or people who can look like young kids. So very often it’s a wonderful jumping off point for performers. Plus they get to be a part of a Canadian classic and that is a great opportunity as well. Many of them stay with us for a long time, but then sometimes they go off and do other jobs and we need to open up the casting process again.
Will the children chosen be only performing in Toronto?
Yes, they will just be in the Toronto engagement. A lot of the reason behind that is because of their age and also their height. Sometimes children can become too tall during a long run!
Once we are done, you will be bringing a select number of children back in for final call-backs. What is involved from here on out?
Now we have to streamline everything and pick exactly what we need. And even though we publish the breakdowns for height and age, many children like to come anyways so some can’t be considered because they don’t meet the basic criteria. Sometimes they might be too tall, because they have to look like a young child of Avonlea. So basically I can tell right away which ones might be too small and need to be a bit older, or which ones are already too tall. So height-wise I know right away which ones fit the bill, and from there it’s just a question of getting to look them over again in smaller numbers and choose exactly what we are looking for.
Approximately twenty children were brought back in for the final part of the audition process, and at this time, each had the opportunity to sing solo for Anne Allan and the rest of the casting crew. In addition, they learned a more complicated dance routine and did some additional work with Dance Captain Zak Kearns. At the end, Anne Allan sat down with the children and had a very informative and moving discussion about the demands that come with being in this type of production as well as general rules of the theatre. The children were extremely enthusiastic despite being tired from a long evening of auditioning, and each were eager to answer questions and display their knowledge of the do’s and don’ts of being in a professional production.
At the end of the night all the children went home and the casting crew were left with a very hard decision to make. All the children did a spectacular job and only four were being cast (two boys and two girls). It was not announced at the open call who had been selected, however BWW has been given an exclusive opportunity to follow-up with the children shortly after the show opens to hear how they felt about the audition process and how they are enjoying being in Anne of Green Gables – The Musical.
Anne of Green Gables – The Musical plays the Elgin Theatre from May 7th – 24th, 2009. Tickets start as low as $25 and can be purchased online or by calling 416-644-3665. For more information please visit www.dancaptickets.com
If you’re in Ontario why not visit Prince Edward County?
Don’t rush to the beach
Ontario’s Prince Edward County is more than just the famous sandbanks. It offers up a harvest of pleasures, from its burgeoning wineries to the charms of small-town Picton
By PHIL NORTON, Special to The GazetteNovember 10, 2008
Even on a road map of Ontario, Prince Edward County looks alluring. With a northern border of blue provided by the Bay of Quinte, the ragged peninsula juts into the inland sea of Lake Ontario.
Nature created the county as a presqu’ile, almost an island, but technically it only became Quinte’s Isle when a canal was cut through the narrow spit of land linking the peninsula to the mainland at Trenton.
Best known for its Sandbanks Provincial Park, Prince Edward County is a sort of miniature Prince Edward Island with astounding similarities to the Canadian Maritime home of Anne of Green Gables.
“Cradled in the waves of the Great Lakes” could be its motto.
Commercial fishing boats dock in cove harbours, and tractors ply green fields overlooking blue seascapes and rocky bluffs.
Country roads crisscross the interior offering automobile shunpikers and bicyclists endless discoveries of authentic rural scenery and characters mixed with fine art galleries and home-baked delights. Local taste treats have become a big tourist draw here, from U-pick berries and organic veggie stands to gourmet pub fare and wineries.
Be sure to pick up the map Harvestin’ the County, with directions about where to buy beef and lamb direct from the farm, fresh lavender, even emu sausages (www.harvestin.ca).
All through the county, you’re never far from a blue road sign marked “Taste Trail.” The signs lead along County Road 8 to the Waupoos Estates Winery (www.waupooswinery.com). Inside the elegant building, owner Ed Neuser is behind the counter pouring a glass of gamay noir for a visitor. Felix, his white Jack Russell terrier, saunters through the gift shop.
Neuser and his wife, Rita Kaimins, are credited with planting the first vineyard in Prince Edward County. Fifteen years later, the county has been officially recognized as a Designated Viticultural Area.
“Yes, I started this mad wine disease,” Neuser admits, stroking his white beard. He explains that the soil and slope and microclimate beside the bay are ideal for grape growing.
Waupoos has historically been apple country. Carefully tended orchards still line the road, with Jamaican migrant workers pruning and mowing.
Drive past Tooth Acres Lane and the North Marysburgh Town Hall, then turn up the steep Bongards Crossroad for the home of County Cider (www.countycider.com). On a sunny weekend day, the patio tables overlooking Prince Edward Bay are abuzz with guests tasting the dry sparkling hard cider procured inside the old stone barn.
Owner and grower Grant Howes loves to talk apple varieties and grafting. His hilltop farm is the largest orchard of European cider apples in Canada.
The largest vineyard is the 25-hectare Grange Winery. But it’s located near Wellington, clear across the county, so if you’ve been taste testing wine and cider in Waupoos, wait a while before heading out on the winding roads.
During the summer, Picton is festival central, with Main St.’s high-end fashion stores, gourmet hotdogs, sidewalk sales of boogie boards and bikinis, fine art galleries, chai lattés and gelato, and hotrods like the metalflake lime ‘57 Chevy cruising in traffic.
The downtown core’s centrepiece is the Regent Theatre. Its colourful marquee lights announce top-notch stage performances and first-run movies in an old-fashioned, small town setting. The newest attraction on the block is the huge 5,500 square-foot bookstore and café. It mixes new and used books on the same shelves and offers comfy chairs for reading and cats that roam around looking for attention.
For anyone who is an English royalty buff, it won’t take long to notice that many of the place names in the county honour 18th-century monarch King George III. Ameliasburgh, Sophiasburgh and Marysburgh townships were named for his daughters. And like every Ontario town along the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River corridor, there is a King St. and a Queen St., even a King’s Highway.
United Empire Loyalist history abounds here. The first settlers were mostly from New York and New England. They left the American colonies or were chased into Canada, then an English colony, around the time of the Revolution. The proper brick homes and neat, tree-lined streets are a tribute to this English heritage.
(Speaking of proper and polite behaviour, one important note to Montreal drivers: Pedestrians here have the right of way, particularly when they have pushed the button that lights up the Main St. crosswalk lights and step into traffic.)
For agriculture, Prince Edward County is endowed with a mix of some of the richest soils in Ontario, and some of the most sterile.
But for tourism, nature has provided the county with more than 800 kilometres of shoreline and a huge deposit of sand that became Sandbanks Provincial Park. Sandbanks is famous for its mountains of sand – true hills that you can climb and look out over the bay known as West Lake. Other beaches that face Lake Ontario are wide and white and washed by fresh water waves.
The scene is colourful, with blue sky blending into aqua water dotted with red and yellow kayaks, white breakers and, on the shore, a rainbow of beach umbrellas. Up away from the water in the shady dunes are large family groups with hibachis and speaking Punjabi, Hindi or Mandarin. Out in the sun by the water, some old guys from Montreal toss horseshoes, and beside them the young guys dive to send volleyballs over a net. The wives and children cheer in French.
“We used to go to Virginia Beach,” says one of them, but Sandbanks has become their preferred summer destination.
Park Superintendent Don Bucholtz says there’s been a general increase in the number of French-speaking visitors. Even though the dollar exchange has made travel to the United States less expensive and more attractive, the cost of gas is high and Sandbanks is closer to Montreal.
Just outside the park, a local farmer sells firewood to campers. He says the French love life, love to have fun, and when they’re on vacation they love to spend money, which has been good for his business.
And guess who’s in charge of promoting Prince Edward County? A Montrealer! Beaconsfield native Dan Taylor came here with his wife, Kerry, to live their dream of becoming wine growers. Now, he is the economic development officer working to draw business and tourism to the county, promoting its wines, shores and haute cuisine to the world, and the virtual world (www.thecounty.ca).
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Coloring Contest for Anne of Green Gables – The Musical Tickets
Charlottetown Festival’s perennial favourite, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical™ is Canada’s longest-running musical seen by more than 3 million people worldwide. Dancap productions is presenting the family classic from May 7 to 31 at the Elgin Theatre. For a chance to win a family pack of four tickets to the show, enter our colouring contest and mail your entry to City Parent Anne Contest, 447 Speers Rd. Suite 4 Oakville, ON L9T 3S7. Submissions must be received by Monday, April 27.
With her fiery temper, passion for melodrama and romance, and penchant for misadventures, Anne brings laughter, love and more than a little consternation to the village of Avonlea. Based on the novel Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, this story is loved by millions around the world and in 2008 is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its original publication. For details about the show or for tickets call 
416-644-3665
or visit www.dancaptickets.com/shows.
Click HERE and print out the colouring contest image.
ISPEI welcomes The Anne of Green Gables and L. M. Montgomery Lexicon to the Blogroll
We are very happy to introduce The Anne of Green Gables and L. M. Montgomery Lexicon to our Blogroll.
The Lexicon has become a leading clearinghouse of Anne and Montgomery content.
If you ever wanted to explore Anne’s World and the writings of Montgomery online this is one site you don’t want to miss.
The menu includes:
- About the author
- list of e-texts
- bibliography
- flimography
- creation and publication
- locations
- timelines (by leading character)
- library
- recipes (scrumptious? The names sound nice for sure.)
- book cover gallery ( a MUST see!)
- Famous fans
- book mentions
- memorabilia
- quizzes
- games
- and e-cards
- blog
- links to other LMM sites
- shop
- guestbook
The Rothesay-born mezzo soprano who lives in Toronto says she’s a fan of Anne of Green Gables. ‘She is such a feisty, strong-willed character.’
a 23
q Provenance?
a I am from Rothesay, but I currently live in Toronto. I am finishing my masters in opera performance and performing at the University of Toronto.
q Why opera?
a I love singing, acting, learning languages and have always been at home on the stage. My voice has a classical and operatic quality, which was evident even before my voice started to develop from voice lessons. I also love musical theatre – anything with singing, acting and dancing.
q What was your breakthrough moment?
a After my first year of university, I went to Mozart’s most famous opera, Marriage of Figaro, in New York City with The Acadia Vocal Ensemble. I became very passionate about opera and vocal technique. I always loved the theatre, but opera really seemed to fit.
q What would you be if you weren’t an opera singer?
a An actor; I love impersonating a character and using my emotions to communicate to an audience. Or a yoga teacher; I may even do it in conjunction with opera singing. Or a psychologist, because I love listening to people and their stories, analyzing situations and learning about behaviours.
q What are you working on next?
a The role of the child in Ravel’s French opera L’enfant et les sortileges.
q What place on earth inspires you?
a I love Italy – Rome, Tuscanny and the Amalfi coast. There is so much beauty in that country, so much history.
q Your current obsession?
a Balancing healthy eating with my love for sweets.
q What place in New Brunswick inspires you?
a Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved the Saint John City Market. With a ceiling shaped like the bottom of a ship, the long building is filled with artisans, fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and poultry, crafts, bustling people – both artistic and business types. In memories, it is always there; it doesn’t leave with the changing of the seasons, and it is home. There really is no place like home … and I have a pair of bright and shiny red shoes to get me there.
q Secret indulgence?
a Toffee, chocolate and caramel, pies and cookies, but I am not sure how much of a secret it is.
q Your favourite hero of fiction?
a Anne of Green Gables, because she is such a feisty, strong-willed character who knows what she wants. And she is a well-known and loved Maritime fictional character.
q What is your greatest extravagance?
a Clothes. I love to dress nicely and have a classy wardrobe.
q What is your greatest fear?
a Failure. I want to succeed in my career, my relationships and my finances, have good health and still have time, energy and money to give to society.
q Greatest joy?
a To love and be loved in return – in my personal and professional life.
q Your favourite opera?
a Carmen. It is filled with passion, tragedy, wit, humour, sensuality, dancing and high drama. The orchestration, vocal writing, libretto, language and style are an absolutely spectacular package. It is the perfect musical drama, in my mind. I would love to perform the role someday.
q Favourite paintings on Earth?
a Impressionist paintings by Monet, Degas and Renoir because they are very beautiful, but they depict nature or people in a way that is not exact or defined; the artist interprets a scene and is free to colour outside of the lines. Reproductions of paintings by Degas on notebooks and posters have been cherished gifts since I was a little ballerina.
q Favourite painting by a New Brunswick artist?
a A drawing of a circle of dancers by my uncle, Brian Perkins, who worked for Festival-by-the-Sea. The festival is no longer active, but it is a part of my fond memories of summers in Saint John.
q What are you reading?
a Eat, Love, Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert
q What’s on your iPod?
a Dance and pop music, a bit of R&B, several opera albums and some rehearsal recordings of myself.
q What is the greatest public misconception about opera?
a That is is stuffy and boring and only for old people. It is entertaining, sexy and high drama!
q Your most treasured possession?
a A beautiful diamond ring from my great, great aunt Jennie Fitzgerald who was 111 years old when she died. She was a vibrant and cheerful lady, and I enjoyed visiting her at the Loch Lomond Villa, where she lived for 25 years.
q What is your favourite performance venue?
a In Rome, Italy, there is a magnificent courtyard near Piazza Navona, where I performed with Operafestival di Roma, called the Palazzo della Sapienza. The façade of the church provides an ideal scenic background for the opera, and the four-sided courtyard is a vibrant acoustical space.
Built in the 15th century and for nearly 500 years the seat of the original University of Rome, the Palazzo now houses the library of the Senate of the Roman Republic. The famous church, S. Ivo alla Sapienza, built inside the courtyard, is considered one of the architectural masterpieces of Rome.
q What is your motto?
a Life is a daring and bold adventure. Cherish yesterday, live today and dream tomorrow.
q What opera singer would you like to hear in person before you die?
a More like, who would I like to hear before they die?! lol or stop singing … Frederica von Stade. She is a beautiful mezzo soprano that has achieved abundant international acclaim and has made many recordings. I think my voice is a lot like hers and she is definately one of my role models.
Source: The Telegraph Jounral
