I don’t remember the detailed plot to Anne of Green Gables, but I remember the feeling that lingered after reading the 1908 novel as a kid: great affection and warmth for the titular character, Anne, who was quirky, compelling and full of imagination.
Kim Mattice Wanat can relate. She’s the artistic and managing director of Nuova Vocal Arts — an Edmonton-based non-profit organization that aims to develop vocal artists in opera and music theatre performance and production, who also had a fondness for Anne.
“I have been in love with this story since I was nine years old,” she says. “I read the book and fell in love with her character.”
She introduced the classic Canadian novel to this year’s Class Act students – a group of 12- to 16-year-olds who train in singing, dance, and acting at Nuova — and found herself surprised by their reactions.
“They said, ‘Isn’t the writing wonderful?’” she recalls. “It’s just so heartwarming to hear teenagers really responding and resonating with the beauty of language. These are really brilliant kids who are engaged, excited to learn and empathetic.”
Those students — along with emerging professionals and amateur actors from the community — will perform the classic Anne of Green Gables: The Musical at Fort Edmonton Park’s Capitol Theatre.
For those whose memories of the book are foggy, Mattice Wanat explains: “It truly is a heartwarming story about a young girl who requires a village to help raise her and to change her trajectory in life. I think we need that story right now. We need a story about how we gather and how we energize each other and lift each other up. It’s full of hope, love and understanding. We need this type of entertainment where we can leave and feel really good about who we are and remind ourselves about what is important to value in life.”
Set in P.E.I. in the late 19th century, Anne is an orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with a pair of middle-aged siblings who need help on their farm. While they had hoped for a boy, Anne wins over the family, and the community they call home, with her spirit and imagination.
Students have been training as part of the program since September. This is the third year that Nuova has run Class Act and it’s a strong group, Mattice Wanat says. “Rehearsals have been fantastic,” she says. “The cast is just fabulous. It’s an extraordinarily talented group.” Typically, the production features adults playing the lead role of Anne over the five-year span covered in the story. In this case, two Class Act students are sharing the role of young Anne.
“It’s a really demanding role — especially double cast for young people,” Mattice Wanat says. “The two girls are amazing. They are absolutely extraordinary actresses and singers.”
The Capitol Theatre — a replica of the 1929 theatre that first brought movies with sound to Edmonton — also helps bring Anne’s era to life. While Nuova stages shows around the city, they have a partnership with Fort Edmonton Park to use the space and, in this case, it was particularly fitting.
“I think it will be very personal, very intimate, very immersive,” Mattice Wanat says. “That is always engaging. The fact we get to live in this beautiful, historic venue to do this iconic, historical musical — everything about the experience will really create a sensory experience for the audience in every way.”
Anne of Green Gables: The Musical runs at The Capitol Theatre from Feb. 26 to March 1 and March 4 to 8, 2026.
