After months of preparation and work, the cast of “Anne of Green Gables” is ready to show off its theatrical sides.
The 43-person cast is comprised of between 6- and 14-year olds.
“We have lots of kids that are brand new to theater,” said Norma Molchan, a veteran of theater but a first-time director for the show produced by the San Benito Stage Company.
The play is about Anne Shirley, an orphan girl who is accidentally sent from an orphanage to live with a couple who thought they were adopting a boy. The play is based off a 1908 novel of the same name.
Casing is “such a wild thing,” Molchan said. “You can tell the funny kids.”
Karen Firstbrook, a producer for the show, said the kids have been “fabulous.”
She said the musical could not have happened without the 20 or more volunteers and parents who helped make the show work.
“We rely heavily on parent volunteers,” she said.
Marie Miskin, an eighth-grader from Maze Middle School, was cast for the lead role as the smart, red-headed Anne Shirley.
“I was screaming up and down,” she said, recalling when she found out she got the part.
She said the fact the play is opening on Friday hasn’t quite hit her yet.
When asked how she prepared for her role, she did something unique.
“I actually watched a Japanese version of the musical on YouTube,” she said.
Her mother is Japanese and helped her translate the lines to prepare for the role.
“It’s really fun,” she said.
Showtimes for the musical are 7 p.m. March 28 and 29, April 4, 5, 11, and 12, and 2 p.m. March 30 and April 6. The show will be performed at Granada Theatre at 336 5th St. in Hollister.
