Amy Reitsma is starring as Anne Shirley in the 2010 production of Anne & Gilbert at the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. During one of her days off, Amy sat down to talk about the challenge of playing Anne in PEI (Amy’s from Halifax). She also shares some of her favourite encounters with Anne fans.
Q: This musical is based on the second and third novels in the Anne series. Anne is now a young adult. She gets her first job. She goes to university. Is it a more interesting role because she’s no longer a child?
I’d say it’s very interesting. This role is a gift to an actor, because many people don’t really know much about this older Anne, which gives me more freedom to develop the role in my own way. And she has a great dramatic arc. Her story is one of self-discovery, and at the end, when she finally has a moment of self-realization that allows the audience to understand why she behaved the way she did to Gilbert, it’s a wonderful moment to act.
Q: Is there extra pressure playing Anne in Prince Edward Island, the place where the novels are set?
Oh sure. So many people have a pre-conceived idea of Anne. So there’s pressure to do well but at the same time, you can’t worry about people’s pre-conceptions because they’ll restrict you from going on stage and performing well. Martha Irving was a big influence as director. She wanted to keep the relationships real and keep the characters honest. Of course, you want two people who should be together to be together. But her direction gives a realism in this story that gives it tension.
Q: Even though the audience is pretty sure there’ll be a happy ending?
Exactly, but the show does a good job of making the outcome seem uncertain. That’s why, in that last scene when Anne does end up with Gilbert, the audience is on the edge of their seats. One night, when Gilbert and I were about to embrace in the final scene, we heard this little girl’s voice yell “Yay!” from the audience. It was adorable. And such a nice reminder of how caught up people get in this story.
Q: What other encounters have you had with audiences?
People don’t realize that when we’re on stage, we can hear them talking amongst themselves. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a straight face. Once, during a serious scene with Jory (who plays Gilbert) I walked out and I heard one woman say to her friend, “Oh, it’s a wig.” Recently, in the Jonah Day scene where I fake-hit Paul Irving with the pointer, I heard a woman yell ‘Oh my God!’ as if she thought I was actually hitting him.
Q: So, the secret is out. You’re not a redhead.
No. And when I take the wig off, I don’t look anything like the Anne that was on stage. It can be a bit odd. Once, when I was leaving the theatre, a person came up to me and asked: “Were you in the show?” (laughing). But there have been some really special moments. A woman who must have been in her late twenties met me after the show. She came all the way from Spain. A friend of hers was translating and she told me that it was her dearest hope to be able to come to PEI to see Anne & Gilbert.
Q: Of the songs you perform what’s your favourite?
I think “Forever In My Life” is brilliant. You see the vulnerability of Anne and understand why she was hesitant to marry Gilbert. It was a hard song to get right because you have to make it look effortless. Anne is sitting there reading these emotional and powerful lyrics, vocally the song is in a lower range, which jumps to an upper range without much warning. As a singer, you have to manage to convey emotion without going over the top. It’s hard when you have to cry and sing at the same time.
Q: Since you been in PEI, have you had a chance to visit the Anne sites?
I have a friend who lives in Edmonton and she came out here to visit. She’s a real Anne-head. So we did the whole Anne experience—the Green Gables house, the Anne museum, etc. I’ve also been re-reading the Anne books. I’m up to number six in the series.
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