By Jody Johnston Davidson

Transcription

1 By Jody Johnston Davidson Copyright 1999 by Jody Johnston Davidson Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that a royalty must be paid for every performance, whether or not admission is charged. All inquiries regarding rights should be addressed to Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., PO Box 4267, Englewood, CO 801. Rights to this play including but not limited to amateur, professional, and translation into foreign languages are controlled by Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., without whose permission no performance, reading or presentation of any kind in whole or in part may be given. All other rights in this play, including radio broadcasting, television and motion picture rights, are controlled by Jody Johnston Davidson, c/o Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., PO Box 4267, Englewood, CO 801. These rights are fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and of all countries covered by the Universal Copyright Convention or with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations, including Canada, Mexico, Australia and all nations of the United Kingdom. COPYING OR REPRODUCING ALL OR ANY PART OF THIS BOOK IN ANY MANNER IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN BY LAW. On all programs, printing and advertising, the following information must appear: 1. The full name of the play 2. The full name of the playwright 3. The following notice: Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Englewood, Colorado

2 Dedication This play is dedicated with much love to my family L.R. and Scott and to all the young girls out there like Anne who speak their mind, dream big dreams and are audacious enough to turn adversity into triumph. ii

3 ANNE OF GREEN GABLES Adapted from the classic novel by L. M. Montgomery By JODY JOHNSTON DAVIDSON CAST OF CHARACTERS (In Order of Appearance) # of lines MARILLA CUTHBERT... stern, old-fashioned woman 93 RACHEL LYNDE... Marilla s friend and neighbor 16 ANNE SHIRLEY... imaginative orphan; ages from to 14 years old MATTHEW CUTHBERT... brother of Marilla; shy, meek 46 MRS. SPENCER... responsible for bringing Anne to 11 Matthew and Marilla MRS. BLEWETT... offers to take Anne from Matthew 4 and Marilla DIANA BARRY... Anne s best friend 4 GILBERT BLYTHE... classmate and tormentor of 23 Anne MRS. BARRY... Diana s mother MISS STACY*... Anne s teacher 6 MISS HARRIS*... works at Lawson s Market 12 *These roles may be doubled

4 SETTING Time: The turn of the twentieth century. Place: The Cuthbert cottage at Green Gables and various locales in and around Prince Edward Island in Canada. SYNOPSIS OF SCENES ACT ONE Scene One: Late afternoon in early June. The sitting room at Green Gables and the train station. Scene Two: That evening. The sitting room. Scene Three: The next day. Mrs. Spencer s parlor. Scene Four: That night. Anne s bedroom at Green Gables. Scene Five: Three months later. The schoolyard and classroom of Avonlea School. Scene Six: That afternoon. The sitting room and Anne s bedroom. Scene Seven: A year later. The sitting room. ACT TWO Scene One: Three months later. The classroom of Avonlea School. Scene Two: That afternoon. The sitting room. Scene Three: Two months later. Lawson s Market in Carmody. Scene Four: The next month. The sitting room at Green Gables and the Barry s sitting room. Scene Five: Two months later. The shores of Barry Pond. Scene Six: The next month. The sitting room at Green Gables. iv PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

5 ANNE OF GREEN GABLES ACT ONE Scene One The STAGE is DARK. As the AUDIENCE ENTERS, we hear the pre-recorded voices of RACHEL and MARILLA having a very civilized conversation. This is not meant to be completely heard by the audience but rather should play as background sound for the three or four minutes before the curtain rises. The audience should almost feel as though they are eavesdropping on the private conversation of two acquaintances sharing tea. As the HOUSE LIGHTS DARKEN, the two voices become more distinct, and we can understand the conversation. The CYCLORAMA reveals two women UP RIGHT in stark silhouette conversing over tea. They are behind a SCRIM. When the theatre is completely DARK, the SCRIM FLIES OUT to reveal MARILLA and RACHEL as they begin their tea one afternoon in June at the turn of the twentieth century. RACHEL: It s a surprise, I d say such a pleasant evening after all. MARILLA: Isn t it though. A real fi ne evening. So, how are all of your folks? RACHEL: We re all pretty well. I was afraid you weren t, though, when I looked out my window today and saw Matthew starting off to town. I thought maybe he was off to the doctor. MARILLA: Oh, no. I m quite well, although I had a bad headache yesterday. Matthew went to Bright River. We re getting a little boy from the orphan asylum in Nova Scotia, and he s coming in on the train this afternoon. RACHEL: Are you in earnest, Marilla? MARILLA: Yes, of course. RACHEL: What on earth put such a notion in your head? MARILLA: Well, we ve been thinking about it for some time all winter, in fact. Mrs. Alexander Spencer was here one day before Christmas, and she said she was going to get a little girl from the asylum over in Hopetown in the spring. Her cousin lives there, and Mrs. Spencer has visited her and knows all about it. So, Matthew and I talked it over off and on ever since. We thought we d get a boy. Matthew is getting on in years, you know, and he isn t as spry as he once was. His heart troubles him a good deal, and you know how desperate hard it is to fi nd hired help. So in the end, we decided to ask Mrs. Spencer to pick us out a likely lad when she went to get her little girl. We heard last week that she was going, so we sent word by Richard Spencer s folks in Carmody to bring us a smart, sensible boy of about or 11 years of age. We decided that would be best old enough to help with the chores but young enough to be trained up proper. 1

6 RACHEL: Well, I never MARILLA: Today we got a telegram from Mrs. Spencer saying they were coming on the : train tonight. So, Matthew went to Bright River to meet him. RACHEL: Well, Marilla, I ll just tell you plain that I think you re doing a mighty foolish thing a risky thing, that s what! You don t know what you re getting. Bringing a stranger into your house. You don t know a single thing about him or his people nor his disposition at that. Why, it was only last week I read in the paper how a man and his wife up west of the island took a child out of the orphan asylum, and the little demon set fi re to their house one night. Set it on purpose, and those unfortunate souls were nearly burnt to a crisp in their beds. If you had asked my advice, which you didn t, I d have said for mercy s sake don t even think about such a thing. So, don t say I didn t warn you if Green Gables is burnt to its foundation or if he puts poison in the well. I heard of a case in New Brunswick where an orphan asylum child did that, and the whole family died in fearful agony. Only it was a girl in that instance. MARILLA: Well, no worry of that. (Emphatic.) I would never dream of taking in a girl to bring up! (We hear a sharp, distant TRAIN WHISTLE which seems to almost punctuate her fi nal comment as the LIGHTS GO DOWN on the UP RIGHT playing space. CROSS FADE to the DOWN LEFT playing space, where the last PUFF OF ENGINE STEAM reveals ANNE, a young girl in a threadbare but clean dress and smock. She is sitting on a station bench beneath a sign which reads Bright River. She wears a large shabby straw hat on her head from which sprout two long braids of bright red hair. Her skin is pale with a number of freckles. Her eyes are full of spirit and her expression is somber. In her lap she holds a small, beaten-up traveling bag. MATTHEW, an older gentleman, hurries IN. He is dressed as though for church in a neat suit and collared white shirt, but it is clear he is not at home in this fashion. He hurries past the bench, glancing briefl y at ANNE and hurries OFF. She watches him intently as he does. Several beats later he RE-ENTERS, more slowly this time. He is obviously looking for someone but clearly not having any luck fi nding them. He scans from LEFT to RIGHT without locating the person he seeks. He pulls at his collar and sighs. ANNE clears her throat to get his attention.) ANNE: I suppose you are Mr. Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables. Mrs. Spencer said you d be coming and told me to wait for you. I m very glad to see you. I was beginning to be afraid that you weren t coming for me. I had made up my mind that if you didn t come for me tonight, that I d go down the track to that big wild cherry tree at the bend and climb up into it to stay all night. I wouldn t be a bit 2

7 1 3 afraid, and it would be lovely to sleep in a wild cherry tree all white with bloom in the moonshine! You could imagine you were dwelling in marble halls. I was quite sure you d come for me in the morning if you didn t come tonight. MATTHEW: (Uncertain.) You came with Mrs. Spencer? ANNE: All the way from Hopetown. I wasn t even the least bit sick on the boat to Prince Edward Island, although Mrs. Spencer turned the most bilious shade of green. MATTHEW: You re the orphan from the asylum? ANNE: You might say that I m from the asylum, but I ve only really been there four months. You can t possibly understand what it s like. The asylum people tried to be good folk, but (Sighs.) there is so little scope for the imagination in an asylum. MATTHEW: Well, I can t leave you here, so you better come along with me. Marilla will be able to sort all this out. The horse is tethered out front. Give me your bag. (Reaches for the bag, but ANNE maintains her hold in a very self-suffi cient manner.) ANNE: Oh, I can carry it. It isn t heavy. I ve got all my worldly goods in it, but it isn t heavy. But if it isn t carried in a certain way, the handle pulls out, so I d better keep it because I know the exact knack of it. MATTHEW: Fine. ANNE: I m awfully glad you ve come for me even if it would have been nice to sleep in a wild cherry tree. Isn t it wonderful that I m going to live with you and belong to you? Am I talking too much? People are always telling me I do. I can stop when I make up my mind to although it is diffi cult. MATTHEW: (Smiles and shakes his head as he heads OFF RIGHT. ANNE follows clutching her bag.) Oh, you can talk as much as you like. I don t mind. ANNE: Mrs. Spencer said that my tongue must be hung in the middle. It isn t it s fi rmly fastened at one end (The actor playing GILBERT, dressed now as a station attendant, steps in and rolls the bench and station sign unit OFF LEFT as MATTHEW and ANNE EXIT RIGHT. LIGHTS FADE.) End of Scene One ACT ONE Scene Two LIGHTS CROSS FADE back to the sitting room at Green Gables that evening. MARILLA CUTHBERT, an angular, serious woman with a stern set to her shoulders and a serious outlook on life, sits knitting on the 3

8 couch. She rises as MATTHEW ENTERS. He looks away from her as ANNE ENTERS the room. MARILLA stops short. MARILLA: (In amazement.) Matthew Cuthbert, who s that?! Where is the boy? MATTHEW: There wasn t any boy. There was only her. MARILLA: But there must have been a boy. We sent word to Mrs. Spencer to bring a boy. MATTHEW: She didn t. She brought her. I had to bring her home. She couldn t be left at the station, no matter where the mistake had come in. MARILLA: Well, this is a pretty piece of business! ANNE: (Drops her satchel with a woeful sense of drama.) You don t want me. You don t want me because I m not a boy. I m a plain, skinny girl with hair of the most disastrous red. I might have known that it was all too beautiful to last. Oh, what shall I do? I think I m going to burst into tears. (Drops onto the couch and drapes herself dramatically across it as she begins to sob uncontrollably.) MARILLA: (Unable to cope with the drama and uncertain what to say. Responds ineffectually.) Well well there s no need to cry about it. ANNE: Yes, there is a need! You would cry, too, if if you were an orphan and had to come to a place you thought was going to be your home and found out they didn t want you because you weren t a boy! Oh, this is the most tragical thing that ever happened to me! MARILLA: Well, there s no need to cry about it anymore, we re we re not going to turn you out of doors tonight. You ll have to stay until we investigate this affair. What s your name, child? ANNE: Will you please call me Cordelia? MARILLA: Call you Cordelia?! Is that your name? ANNE: Nooo, it s not exactly my name, but I would love to be called Cordelia. It s such a perfectly elegant name. MARILLA: I don t know what on earth you mean. If your name s not Cordelia, what is it? ANNE: (Reluctant.) Anne Shirley. But, oh, please, call me Cordelia. If I m not going to be around here long, how can it matter much what you call me? MARILLA: Fiddlesticks. Anne is a good, honest, sensible name. ANNE: Very well, but if you call me Anne, please call me Anne spelled with an e. MARILLA: (Smiles in spite of herself.) What difference does it make how it s spelled? 4 PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

9 1 3 ANNE: It makes such a difference! It looks so much nicer. A-N-N looks dreadful but A-N-N-E looks so much more distinguished. If you will only call me Anne spelled with an e, I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia. MARILLA: Very well then, Anne with an e, it s clear we re going to need to see Mrs. Spencer and get this matter cleared up. ANNE: If I were very beautiful with raven hair, would you keep me? MARILLA: No. We want a boy to help Matthew with the farm. Take off your hat. You must be hungry. Would you like some dinner? ANNE: No. Thank you very much all the same. MARILLA: You don t want anything to eat? ANNE: I can t. I m in the depths of despair. Can you eat when you re in the depths of despair? MARILLA: I can t say, never having been there. MATTHEW: I guess the girl is tired from her trip. Best to put her to bed, don t you think, Marilla? MARILLA: I suppose. It s the room at the top of the stairs, in the east gable. Good night. ANNE: (As she EXITS.) With the knowledge tomorrow I must leave Green Gables? How can you call it a good night when you know it must be the very worst night I ve ever had. (She s OUT.) MARILLA: (To MATTHEW.) Well, this is a pretty kettle of fi sh! MATTHEW: Well now, she s a real nice little thing. Seems a pity to send her back when she s got her heart set on staying here and all. MARILLA: Matthew Cuthbert, you are not suggesting that we keep her?! MATTHEW: Well now, no not exactly I suppose not not exactly. MARILLA: I should say not. What use would she be to us? MATTHEW: We might be of some use to her. MARILLA: No sense trying to deny it. I can see it, plain as plain. You want to keep her. MATTHEW: She s an interesting child. You should have heard her talk on the drive back. MARILLA: Oh, she can talk, all right. No doubt about that! But I don t want an orphan girl, and even if I did, she s not the style I d pick out. MATTHEW: I could hire a boy to help with the chores, and she d be good company for you. MARILLA: I m not lacking for company, thank you very much. And I m not going to keep her. Tomorrow, she goes. (LIGHTS FADE.) End of Scene Two

10 1 3 ACT ONE Scene Three LIGHTS CROSS FADE UP LEFT. We are now in Mrs. Spencer s parlor the next day. A simple window frame drops in to define the room. MRS. SPENCER and ANNE roll in two parlor chairs and position them. MRS. SPENCER busies herself arranging the room as MARILLA dons her hat and cape and quietly crosses INTO the action. ANNE, wearing her straw hat and carrying her traveling bag, gazes out the window in an effort to remove herself from their conversation and its ramifi cations. MRS. SPENCER: Well, I must say you two are certainly the last two folks I was expecting to see today, but I m really glad you re here! You will be staying for tea, won t you? After coming such a long way? MARILLA: I suppose we ll stay a little while to rest the mare. MRS. SPENCER: And how are you today, Anne? ANNE: I m as well as can be expected, thank you. MRS. SPENCER: Well, I ll go get the tea I ll just be a moment. I made some of my special cardamom cake, Marilla. Shall I slice some for the tea? MARILLA: That would be just fi ne. MRS. SPENCER: Good then, if you ll excuse me. You two just make yourselves at home. (EXITS.) MARILLA: You ll enjoy the cake. Mrs. Spencer s one of the best bakers on the island. ANNE: I m quite sure she s a wonderful woman. Her hair is such an attractive golden color. Did you ever know anyone whose hair was red when she was young but got to be another color when she grew up? MARILLA: No, I don t know that I ever did, and I shouldn t think it likely to happen in your case, either. ANNE: (Sighs heavily.) Well, that is another hope gone. My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes. I read that sentence in a book once, and I say it to comfort myself whenever I m disappointed in anything. MARILLA: I can t see where the comforting comes in, myself. ANNE: Why, because it sounds so nice and romantic, just as if I were a heroine in a book. I fi nd my life much easier to tolerate if I can imagine I m a heroine in a novel. MARILLA: Since you re so fi re bent on talking, why don t you talk to some purpose by telling me what you know about yourself. 6

11 ANNE: Oh, what I know about myself isn t really worth telling. If you ll only let me tell you what I imagine about myself, you ll think it ever so much more interesting. MARILLA: None of your imaginings. Just stick to the bald facts. ANNE: If I must My father and mother were teachers, poor as church mice but ever so in love. I was born to these lovely people. Mrs. Thomas, a neighbor, said I was the scrawniest, homeliest baby she d ever seen, but my mother said I would grow up to be a great beauty. MARILLA: I d imagine. ANNE: Mother died when I was only three months old, and Father passed on four days later. I m sure it was because he could not bear to be parted from his one true love and not because he meant to leave me alone in the world. Anyway, no one wanted me until fi nally Mrs. Thomas said she d take me. I lived with her until I was eight and helped take care of her children. She had four of them younger than me. Then Mr. Thomas was killed, and Mrs. Thomas went to live with her sister, but she couldn t take me. Finally, Mrs. Hammond from upriver came down and said she could use a girl who was handy with babies. You see, Mrs. Hammond had eight children! Twins three times! Now, I like babies in moderation, but three sets of twins MARILLA: Does seem kind of extreme. Were the Hammonds good to you? ANNE: They meant to be nice people, the Hammonds, but Mr. Hammond drank a great deal, and Mrs. Hammond s temper was short, with that many babies and all. I m sure that they would have liked to have been MARILLA: I see ANNE: When Mr. Hammond was killed in the mill accident, Mrs. Hammond gave the children up to relatives they wouldn t take me and she set off for the states. They almost wouldn t take me at the asylum, but they had to as there was nowhere else for me. Finally, Mrs. Spencer came to bring me to you and Green Gables. You must love it so MARILLA: I do we do. My brother and I have lived there since we were born. MRS. SPENCER: (ENTERS pushing her fully loaded tea cart.) There, that didn t take too long. Now, Marilla, what did you want to discuss? MARILLA: The fact is, Mrs. Spencer, there s been a mistake made, and I ve come over to see where. Matthew and I sent word to you that we wanted a boy. 7

12 MRS. SPENCER: Marilla, you don t say so! I got word from my cousin through his daughter that it was to be a girl. MARILLA: No, unfortunately, a boy, about or 11 years old. MRS. SPENCER: Oh, Marilla, I m so sorry. I did the best I could, and I thought I was following your instructions. MARILLA: We should have spoken to you directly, so we re as much at fault. I suppose the asylum will take her back, won t they? MRS. SPENCER: I suppose but that may not be necessary. Mrs. Blewett was up here the other day, and when she heard about the girl I d brought back for you, she said what a smart idea it was and how she could use a girl to help her with the work around the house. She has that large family, you know, and the children quarrel so. I call this a wonderful stroke of luck. MARILLA: I suppose, but MRS. SPENCER: (Glances out the window.) And more good fortune! She s coming up the walk now. (Crosses OUT to greet the arriving MRS. BLEWETT, a shrewish, foul-tempered woman. We hear the beginning of her greeting from OFF.) Come in, Mrs. Blewett. MRS. BLEWETT: (ENTERS, followed by MRS. SPENCER.) Don t mind if I do. Been talking to the mister, and he says I can take on a girl as long as she s civil and won t eat much. So MRS. SPENCER: How wonderful! You see, there s been a mistake. The Cuthberts actually wanted a boy, so this girl might be just the thing for you. MRS. BLEWETT: (To ANNE.) What s your name, and how old are you? ANNE: Anne Shirley and I m twelve. MRS. BLEWETT: (Examines ANNE as though she were a horse for sale, checking teeth, hair etc.) Hrumph there doesn t look like there s much to you. But you re wiry. The wiry ones are the best. Work the hardest and eat the least. Well, if I take you, you have to be good and smart and respectful. Especially respectful. Mr. Blewett keeps a special strap for young ones who need to learn a little respect. Yes, I expect you ll earn your keep and make no mistake about that. Right then, I ll be glad to take her off your hands, Mrs. Cuthbert. The baby s been awfully colicky lately, and it would be a pleasure to sleep through the night and let someone else tend to him. If you like, I can take her off your hands right now! MARILLA: Well, I don t know I didn t say Matthew and I had absolutely decided we wouldn t keep her. I just came by to see where the mistake had been made. I think I better take her home again and talk it over with my brother. I oughtn t decide anything 8 PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

13 1 3 without consulting him. If we decide not to keep her, Mrs. Blewett, I can simply bring her by tomorrow. Will that suit you? MRS. BLEWETT: I suppose it will have to. MARILLA: (Begins to make a hasty EXIT with ANNE in tow.) Come along, Anne. ANNE: Marilla, does this mean? MARILLA: Hush your mouth, child, and come along. (They EXIT as MRS. SPENCER calls out after them.) MRS. SPENCER: But, Marilla, I Oh, well! Would you care for some tea, Mrs. Blewett? (The LIGHTS DIM on a baffl ed MRS. SPENCER.) End of Scene Three ACT ONE Scene Four LIGHTS CROSS FADE DOWN RIGHT, where a bed has been rolled into position to become Anne s bedroom at Green Gables that night. MARILLA steps into the space and joins MATTHEW in making up the bed. MARILLA: Where s the girl? MATTHEW: Down in the garden. Said she wanted to hold the vision of the garden at sunset, in case she has to leave it in the morning. She won t have to will she? MARILLA: It s foolishness, Matthew. Plain and simple foolishness, and you know it. Why, that child could talk the ear off a stalk of corn. And her fantasies do you know she s given names to all the fl owers? Bonny and Snow Queen and the like I just don t know. MATTHEW: You know how I feel. She s an interesting one, that s for sure. ANNE: (ENTERS in her nightgown.) I m ready for bed now. It was glorifying, the sun and the arbors (Pulls back the covers and starts to get into bed.) MARILLA: Aren t you going to say your prayers, child? ANNE: I ve never done that before. What should I say? MARILLA: You re old enough to pray for yourself, Anne. Just give thanks for your blessings and humbly ask for the things you want. ANNE: Well, I ll do my best. (Kneels by the side of the bed and begins to pray.) Oh, gracious, heavenly Father That s the way the ministers say it in church, so I suppose it s all right for a private prayer. I thank thee for Bonny and the Snow Queen and Rosalie the sorrel mare and Prince Edward Island and Marilla and Matthew. 9

14 1 3 I m extremely grateful for them. As for the things I want, they would take a great deal of time to name, and I don t want to become tiresome, so I ll only mention the two most important. Please let me stay at Green Gables, and please let me be good-looking when I grow up. I remain respectfully yours, Anne Shirley. There. Did I do all right? MARILLA: (Deeply touched.) Yes, you did just fi ne, Anne Shirley. I m sure He took note of every word. (Pause.) Well, we can t get through this world without our share of trouble. I ve had a pretty easy life so far, but it s clear my time has come at last, and I suppose I ll just have to make the best of it. You ll have a home with us here Anne Shirley, that is, if you can prove yourself a good and grateful girl and ANNE: (Springs out of bed and throws her arms around MARILLA and cries.) Oh, I will, Miss Cuthbert! I will! MARILLA: (Responds uncomfortably to all of ANNE S emotion but clearly enjoys it underneath it all.) Plain Marilla will do just fine. (Awkwardly places her arms around her. ANNE melts into a comfortable embrace as MATTHEW slowly smiles and looks on quietly. LIGHTS DIM.) End of Scene Four ACT ONE Scene Five LIGHTS UP. It is now three months later at the Avonlea School and schoolyard. We can hear CHILDREN LAUGHING and TALKING under the opening tableau. DIANA BARRY, an attractive dark-haired girl, sits reading by herself. At the opposite end of the stage, GILBERT BLYTHE lays on his stomach playing marbles. ANNE ENTERS wearing her straw hat and carrying her books and lunch pail. The SCHOOLYARD SOUNDS slowly FADE upon her entrance. She looks around and fi nally announces to no one in particular. ANNE: I d always dreamed that my fi rst day of school would be exquisite, but this exceeds my greatest expectations. DIANA: Excuse me? ANNE: I m sure you wouldn t appreciate it as I do, but I would have to say that next to the day I came to Green Gables, this would have to be the most wondrous day of my life. DIANA: Green Gables? Oh, you must be Anne Shirley. My mother heard all about you from Marilla. I m Diana Barry. We live near the pond at the farm next to yours. I m so glad you re here. ANNE: You are?

15 DIANA: Oh, yes. There are no other girls near my age in class except for Josie Pye, and she s a horrid tattle. I d rather be alone than spend time with her. ANNE: This is joyous. I ve never had a real friend before. I ve imagined several, but a true-life companion is too great to conceive. Do you think you could like me a little enough to be my bosom friend? DIANA: Why, I guess so. My sisters aren t old enough for me to play with, and you live so close by ANNE: Will you swear to be my friend for ever and ever? DIANA: My mother says a lady never swears! ANNE: Oh, no, not that kind. There are two kinds, you know. DIANA: I ve never heard of but one kind, and the minister says that doing it will send you straight to ANNE: No, I d never do that! My kind simply means vowing eternally and solemnly promising. DIANA: Oh, I can do that. How do you do it? ANNE: We must join hands so. It ought to be over running water. We ll just imagine this path is a brook. I ll repeat the oath first. (Assumes a romantically regal posture, dropping one of DIANA S hands to place one hand on her heart.) I solemnly swear to be faithful to my bosom friend, Diana Barry, for as long as the sun and the moon shall endure. Now you say it, and put my name in. DIANA: Very well. I solemnly swear to be faithful to my bosom friend, Anne Shirley, for as long as the sun (ANNE coaches DIANA to match what she just said. Both GIRLS laugh playfully over the fun and mystery of their pledge.) and the moon shall endure. You re an odd girl, Anne. I d heard that about you. Still, I believe I m going to like you real well. (GILBERT crosses toward the GIRLS now, attracted by their merriment. He lets out a piercing exclamatory whistle as he draws near.) GILBERT: Wheeee!! Will you look at the hair on that one. It looks like she s got two long carrots hanging out from under her hat. (Snatches ANNE S hat.) Why, there s a whole carrot patch under there! DIANA: (Grabs for the hat, and he begins to play keep away in response.) Give it back, Gilbert. That s Anne s. GILBERT: (Puts the hat on his head.) So that s her name. Look, I m Anne! You could study all the multiplication tables by the freckles on my face and still have dots left over! DIANA: Gilbert! ANNE: Don t bother, Diana. I m just going to ignore his taunting. (The SCHOOL BELL RINGS. GILBERT promptly drops the hat and hurries 11

16 1 3 to the interior playing space for the school and sits down at a twoperson desk.) DIANA: (Picks up the hat and thoughtfully returns it to ANNE.) Here. Don t mind Gilbert, Anne. He teases the girls something terrible. Just torments our lives, but he is awfully handsome. I should tell you though, you are going to have to sit with him in class. His is the only desk with only one person at it. Julia Bell sits by me, but she s been out this week with the chicken pox. ANNE: Don t worry, Diana, I can endure it. I ll simply pretend I m a solitary prisoner in a tower, a tall tower. I won t be able to see him for the thick walls between us. DIANA: You are wonderful, Anne. (The LIGHTS CROSS FADE as they enter the schoolhouse, represented by two two-person desks. DIANA sits down at one desk. ANNE grandly sits at the other, studiously ignoring GILBERT, who sits next to her. She turns to smile and wave at DIANA. While her back is turned, GILBERT ties her hair ribbons together. She turns back, and he feigns innocence. She gets a piece of chalk from her lunch pail and while she s involved, he pushes her books off the desk. She picks them up and gives him a dirty look. He looks at her as if asking what he d done. She opens the book and turns to a page, reaching to get her chalk. When she does, he fl ips the pages of the book. She starts to read and realizes the page is turned. He starts writing, ignoring her. She sighs and tries to begin again. GILBERT takes out a small candy heart and puts it on the page she s reading. She carefully picks it up, examines it and places it meticulously on the fl oor by her foot. Staring at him, she brings up her foot and stomps it to smithereens. She smiles at him.) GILBERT: What s the matter, Carrots? Don t you like candy? (With that, ANNE stands up and breaks her slate over his head.) DIANA: Anne!! ANNE: (Calmly sitting down, explaining.) Gilbert Blythe hurt my feelings excruciatingly, Diana. It s suffi cient that a lady be cursed with red hair without a gentleman making an issue of it. (LIGHTS DIM.) End of Scene Five ACT ONE Scene Six LIGHTS CROSS FADE UP RIGHT to the sitting room at Green Gables that afternoon. MARILLA and RACHEL LYNDE are seated talking. ANNE comes running IN. ANNE: Marilla! Marilla! I m the happiest girl on the whole of Prince Edward Island at this very minute! I ve met a true and kindred 12 PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

17 spirit in our neighbor, Diana Barry and (Stops when she sees RACHEL.) MARILLA: Anne, this is Mrs. Rachel Lynde. ANNE: (Going on in excitement.) and there s going to be a picnic in a few weeks with boating on the pond, and we are all supposed to bring baskets. You will help me with mine, won t you? Because I ve never been a particularly good cook. RACHEL: My, my. She certainly can chatter on right enough. Come here, child. Well, they certainly didn t pick you for your looks, that s sure and certain. She s terribly skinny and homely, Marilla. Let me have a look at you. Lawful heart, did you ever see such freckles? And that hair, red as carrots. Come here, child, I say. ANNE: (Crosses to RACHEL.) I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! How dare you call me skinny and ugly? How dare you say I m freckled and red-headed? You are a rude, impolite, unfeeling woman! MARILLA: Anne! ANNE: (To RACHEL.) How would you like to have such things said about you? How would you like to be told that you re fat and clumsy and probably haven t a spark of imagination? I don t care if I do hurt your feelings, for you have hurt mine even worse than Mrs. Hammond s drunken husband ever did. I ll never forgive you for it. (Storms OFF to her room and REAPPEARS as she throws herself on her bed DOWN RIGHT.) RACHEL: Did anybody ever see such a temper?! Well, I don t envy your job bringing that up, Marilla. MARILLA: You shouldn t have twitted her about her looks, Rachel. RACHEL: You don t mean to say that you are defending that terrible display of temper we just saw? MARILLA: No, I m not excusing her. She has been very uncivil, and I ll have to give her a good talking to about it. But you were too hard on her. RACHEL: Well, I see that I ll have to be more careful what I say after this since the feelings of orphans brought from goodness knows where have to be considered above everything else. If it were me, I d give her a talking to with a two foot birch switch. Her hair matches her temper! I ll be taking my leave right now. MARILLA: Please don t go yet, Rachel. Give me a moment to speak with her. I m sure she ll realize the error of her ways. RACHEL: I ll sit for minute, out of respect for our friendship, Marilla. I really don t expect you can change the spots on that hellcat with a few well-thought words. 13

18 MARILLA: (CROSSES to Anne s room.) Anne? Anne, get off of that bed this minute and listen to what I have to say to you. Aren t you ashamed of yourself? ANNE: She had no right to call me skinny and red-headed! MARILLA: You say it often enough yourself. ANNE: Oh, but there s a difference between saying something yourself and hearing other people say it. MARILLA: Well, you made a fine exhibition of yourself, that s for sure. And knowing Rachel Lynde, it will be all over town by evening. ANNE: I couldn t help it. Something just rose up in me and my temper got the better of me. MARILLA: And now it s time to go down and swallow some crow. You must apologize. ANNE: But what she said was mean and hurtful. MARILLA: Now, I don t think Mrs. Lynde was exactly right in saying what she did to you. She can be a tad outspoken herself. But she is a guest in our home and your elder, and she must be shown respect. She s due an apology. ANNE: Oh, Marilla, must I really? MARILLA: Absolutely. (They CROSS to the sitting room where RACHEL sits waiting.) ANNE: (Beginning slowly, becoming more and more dramatic as she progresses. It is clear that she is envisioning herself as some wronged heroine from one of her novels.) Oh, Mrs. Lynde, I am so extremely sorry. I ve disgraced my dear friends Matthew and Marilla, who let me stay at Green Gables even though I am not a boy. I am a dreadful, wicked girl who deserves to be cast out by respectable people forever. It s true, I am skinny and my hair is red. What I said to you is true, too, but I shouldn t have said it. (Throws herself to the ground at RACHEL S feet.) Oh, Mrs. Lynde, please, please forgive me. If you refuse, it will inflict a life-long sorrow on a poor orphan girl. You couldn t do that to a poor orphan child, even if she had a terrible temper. Please, Mrs. Lynde. Please say you ll forgive me! RACHEL: There, there, get up, child. Of course I forgive you. ANNE: Bless you, Mrs. Lynde. (Done with her, to MARILLA.) May I go play with Diana now? MARILLA: (Realizes that RACHEL has been conned but lets it go.) Go ahead. ANNE: Thank you. (EXITS.) RACHEL: Oh, she s an odd little thing, Marilla. I must say there s something kind of taking in her. She has a certain fl air. Speaks her 14

19 1 3 mind, though but then, so do I, I guess. On the whole, Marilla, I believe I like the girl. MARILLA: Why, thank you, Rachel. RACHEL: Why, I would love it if you could come over to my house now and try the new preserves I ve just put up. MARILLA: That s very generous of you, Rachel. (They EXIT. LIGHTS DIM to indicate a passage of time.) End of Scene Six ACT ONE Scene Seven LIGHTS UP on the sitting room at Green Gables a year later. MARILLA is putting on her hat and cape as ANNE comes running IN. ANNE: Oh, Marilla, I hope it s agreeable with you that I ve asked Diana to tea this afternoon. We have been true, bosom friends now for more than a year, and it just seemed right to celebrate. I ll get everything ready, and we won t be any bother. Please? MARILLA: Tea? Well, yes, I suppose that is fi tting you are growing up, after all. ANNE: Oh, thank you! Thank you! I ll start to get ready right now. (EXITS as if going to the kitchen.) MARILLA: (Calls OFFSTAGE to ANNE as she puts on her hat and cape.) Anne, I must run an errand now, so for your tea with Diana, you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves, cut up some fruitcake and have some of those cookies I made last evening. ANNE: (Hurries IN with a tea service, distracted and not really paying attention.) Of course, Marilla. (Starts to set up the tea table.) MARILLA: (From the door as she prepares to EXIT.) And there s a half a bottle of raspberry cordial that was left over from the church social. You may have a little of that. It s on the second shelf in the pantry in the crockery pitcher next to the glass decanter of currant wine. For heaven s sake, see that you don t get them mixed up. The last thing I need is the two of you getting all liquored up. ANNE: (Not listening.) Glass decanter yes, Marilla. MARILLA: (Meeting DIANA at the door. As DIANA ENTERS.) Good afternoon, Diana. Anne s in the sitting room. DIANA: Thank you, Miss Cuthbert. My mother sends her regards and says she hopes she ll see you when she comes by later to pick me up. MARILLA: Please send her my best if we miss each other. (EXITS. DIANA ENTERS the sitting room and admires the spread that ANNE 1

20 has laid out. To ANNE with mock formality.) Good afternoon, Miss Shirley. ANNE: Good afternoon to you, Miss Barry. Welcome. May I offer you some tea? DIANA: Why, yes, that would be delightful. (Both laugh at their silliness.) Anne, this all looks wonderful. ANNE: I wanted everything to be perfect for my true bosom friend. Marilla even said we could have some Oh, my goodness, I forgot the cordial. (Runs OUT and returns with the glass decanter of wine and two large glasses.) Marilla makes a wonderful cordial. Like a fruit punch but ever so much sweeter. May I pour you some? DIANA: With my sweet tooth, need you ask? ANNE: (Pours a full tumbler for DIANA.) Drink your fi ll then. May I offer you some cookies? Marilla made them last night. She is such a wonderful cook. She s trying to teach me, but it is uphill work. There s so little scope for imagination in cookery. Did I tell you what happened last Sunday when the minister was invited for dinner? (Through the next sequence, DIANA gets progressively drunker and sillier. Her movements and reactions make it clear that she is reaching a level of high intoxication.) Marilla thought it would be a nice gesture if we had the minister over for lunch after the Sunday service. She asked me to put the pudding sauce outside on the porch to keep it cool and to be sure and cover the top. Now, I meant to cover it as much as could be, but I had just finished reading The Crimson Blade DIANA: That was so romantic. I couldn t put it down. I wish I could be Lady Margaret. ANNE: Exactly! I knew a kindred soul like you would understand. That is exactly what happened. More cordial? DIANA: Yes, please. It s just delicious. ANNE: (Pours a second full glass.) Anyway, I was very busy imagining the suffering of poor lady Margaret, locked in the tower until her rescue by the dashing Lorenzo. Covering pudding sauce pales in comparison. The next day, Marilla asked me to fetch in the pudding sauce. I discovered, to my extreme horror, that a mouse had drowned in it. I lifted his body out with a spoon imagine how pleasant it might be to drown in pudding sauce and threw it out. I washed the spoon, thoroughly, fi ve times. Marilla was out milking, and I meant to tell her, but then I got involved pretending to be a frost fairy, turning the trees red and yellow. DIANA: (Holds up her empty glass.) Have you a little more cordial, Anne? I m suddenly very warm. Are you warm? I m very warm. 16 PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

21 1 3 ANNE: I m quite comfortable, actually. Then we were off to church and back again, and the minister was here and we were all enjoying lunch, and then the next thing I know, Marilla is walking out with the plum pudding in one hand and the pitcher of warmed up plum pudding sauce in the other. Diana, that was a terrible moment. DIANA: (Very drunk and slurring her words.) Oh, Anne, I can just imagine. ANNE: So, Marilla cut a large slice for the minister and covered it with the tainted sauce. I wrestled with my conscience. He raised the fork to his mouth and and I leapt up in my place and shrieked, Aaaaah! You mustn t eat that. A mouse drowned in the pudding sauce! DIANA: Ooooh, Anne, I don t think I feel very well. The room is starting to spin. I think I better go home. ANNE: But you haven t had your tea yet. DIANA: The chair is spinning? I think the chair is spinning. Is my chair spinning? ANNE: Oh, Diana, do you suppose it s possible that you ve caught smallpox? If you have, I ll gladly nurse you back to health. DIANA: The fl oor tipping. Why is the fl oor tipping? I need to go home now! (Rises unsteadily. ANNE helps her towards the door. Just as they reach it, the door swings open, and MRS. BARRY and MARILLA ENTER talking.) MRS. BARRY: and I thought her choice of dress Girls? DIANA: Afternoon hic Mother (Reaches towards her and passes out in MRS. BARRY S arms.) MRS. BARRY: Diana?! Diana?! (Smells her breath.) Diana Barry! Liquor! Anne Shirley, you re responsible for this. I ve thought all along that you were a thoroughly bad, wicked girl, and I shall never permit my daughter to play with you again. ANNE: But MRS. BARRY: Come along, Diana! (Carries, drags or walks the drunken DIANA OUT.) ANNE: (Runs to MARILLA, crying.) Oh, Marilla, I ve made a mess of everything. (CURTAIN.) End of ACT ONE ACT TWO Scene One CURTAIN UP: The classroom three months later. ANNE is sitting at her desk, writing fi gures in columns. DIANA ENTERS. They look hard at 17

22 each other and then turn away. GILBERT ENTERS and sits next to ANNE. DIANA smiles at ANNE and then turns away. ANNE sighs forlornly. GILBERT: I must say I never would have believed it. If they had told me three months ago that the two biggest chatterboxes in the school would fall silent, I d have laughed out loud. Let s see, that s 12 weeks of my not having to listen to you two giggle. Ninety days of blissful silence unbroken by schoolgirl gossip. And if I broke it down to hours ANNE: Gilbert Blythe, you are a heartless creature with no understanding of true friendship. Even though both Marilla and I tried to make amends with Mrs. Barry, she was relentless, and now Diana, my one true friend, and I may not visit or play or even talk together. GILBERT: Remind me to thank Mrs. Barry for my peace and quiet. ANNE: I fear, Gilbert Blythe, that you will never change, and it is as useless trying to explain all this to you as poetry to a pig. (Returns to her sums. DIANA drops a note on the ground, accidentally on purpose. ANNE picks it up and reads aloud.) My dearest Anne, I miss awfully telling you my secrets and the times we shared. I made you a red tissue paper bookmark. When you look at it, remember me. (Looks at the bookmark and then sadly at DIANA. Gets a clean sheet of paper and writes as she speaks.) My own Diana, I shall keep your lovely present forever as a token of the friendship that we have lost, but shall, I hope, find again. I ve been playing with Sally Andrews, but she has sorry little imagination and after having been your bosom friend, I really can t be hers. Please excuse any mistakes in my spelling. Yours until death do us part, Anne or Cordelia Shirley. (Folds the note and drops it in DIANA S direction. DIANA picks it up, reads it and smiles bravely. The teacher, MISS STACY, ENTERS.) MISS STACY: Good morning, class. I ve placed assignments on the board for today. Those of you in the upper levels will work on your decimals. Lower level, please take up your primers and read. Our group preparing for the Queens College examinations will run their Latin declensions. Before we all begin, I have an announcement to make. The school board has decided to have a benefi t concert at the White Sands Hotel to raise money for the repairs on the schoolhouse roof, which we so desperately need. Our girls choir will perform, and they have asked me to select a pupil to recite. I have selected Anne Shirley. ANNE: Oh, Miss Stacy, you honor me. This will truly be an epoch in my life! GILBERT: Imagine people paying to hear Anne Shirley talk! (LIGHTS DIM.) End of Scene One 18

23 1 3 ACT TWO Scene Two LIGHTS CROSS FADE UP RIGHT where it is that afternoon in the sitting room at Green Gables. ANNE is talking excitedly with MARILLA and MATTHEW. ANNE: Just think of it! The chorus is going to perform patriotic songs, and a few of the girls are going to present the tableau Faith, Hope and Charity. I would have liked to have been in that one, because Diana is going to be Charity. Several of the townspeople are performing as well. You should think about performing, Marilla. After all, it is for a good cause. MARILLA: Now that would be a sight, me dancing around with flowers in my hair. MATTHEW: I d pay to see it. MARILLA: No doubt the whole town would pay to see it. ANNE: I was thinking, Marilla As I have to get up in front of the whole of Avonlea, with all of them looking at me I was wondering if perhaps I might have a new dress, one with puffed sleeves? They are ever so fashionable now. Please, Marilla, it would give me such a thrill. MARILLA: Well, you ll have to do without your thrill. I haven t any material left over for puffed sleeves. I think they re ridiculous looking things, anyhow. I prefer plain, sensible styles. ANNE: I d rather look ridiculous with everyone else than plain and sensible all by myself. MARILLA: The dresses you have are serviceable frocks with plenty of wear left in them. Perhaps we could get a new set of hair ribbons to brighten up the outfi t. ANNE: Whatever you wish, Marilla. (EXITS the room.) MATTHEW: (Sits quietly for a few moments and then ) She s right, you know. MARILLA: Matthew Cuthbert, when we took that child in, we agreed that I would be in charge of her upbringing. I don t suppose I ve done badly so far, and I think I can get along fi ne without your interference. MATTHEW: But she doesn t look like the other girls. I ve watched her walking home with the others, and it seems to me that their dresses are all bright and cheery. Anne s look so plain and sober. Surely there could be no harm in one fashionable dress. MARILLA: It will only contribute to her vanity, Matthew. MATTHEW: Just one dress 19

24 1 3 MARILLA: Anne s dresses are fi ne. (EXITS as MATTHEW sits thinking. LIGHTS DIM.) End of Scene Two ACT TWO Scene Three LIGHTS CROSS FADE TO DOWN LEFT. We are in Lawson s Market in Carmody two months later. MISS HARRIS is folding fabric and singing as MATTHEW ENTERS. On a dress dummy is displayed a lovely white dress with puffed sleeves. MATTHEW examines it. He is clearly uncomfortable with his mission but resolute just the same. MISS HARRIS: What can I do for you this evening, Mr. Cuthbert? MATTHEW: Well I d like Have you any, any, any, well now say gardening rakes? MISS HARRIS: In the middle of February? MATTHEW: Yes. MISS HARRIS: I believe I may have one or two left over, but they re upstairs in the lumber room. I ll go and see. (EXITS. MATTHEW waits. Walks over to the dress and lightly touches the fabric. MISS STACY ENTERS, and he drops the material self-consciously.) MISS STACY: Good evening, Mr. Cuthbert. MATTHEW: Evening, ma am. MISS HARRIS: (Returns with the rake.) It took some looking, but I found one. (Starts to write up the order.) Let s see now, that s one garden rake. Will there be anything else this evening? MATTHEW: Well now, since you suggest it, I might as well take that is look at buy some some hayseed. MISS HARRIS: I m afraid we only keep hayseed in the spring. We ve none on hand just now. MATTHEW: Oh, certainly certainly of course, just as you say. MISS HARRIS: Will that be all then? MATTHEW: No! No I d like to you see I d like to I need some sugar. MISS HARRIS: White or brown? MATTHEW: I don t know. Marilla usually takes care of all that. MISS STACY: (Tries to help.) What s she baking? A cake? MATTHEW: No, I don t think so I mean MISS HARRIS: Preserves? Bread? Cookies? MATTHEW: Cookies no, you see, actually PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

25 1 3 MISS STACY: (To MISS HARRIS.) Did you taste those cookies of Marilla s at the tea social last week? She said she cut almost a pound of butter into them. MISS HARRIS: Weren t they wonderful? I ate way too many. They were light as air. MISS STACY: I asked her for the recipe, but she wouldn t let it out. You know Marilla keeps her recipes tight to her. MISS HARRIS: Well, if it s cookies she s making, she ll need brown sugar. How many pounds then? MATTHEW: A dress! MISS HARRIS: Excuse me? MATTHEW: It s the dress over there that I need. I wanted to buy a dress for Anne with puffed sleeves. MISS HARRIS: (Exchanging knowing glances with MISS STACY.) Of course that s what you wanted. Why, that dress will look lovely on your Anne. The color will be very fl attering with her bright hair. I ll get it down and wrap it up for you. MATTHEW: (Takes out his handkerchief and wipes his forehead.) I d be much obliged if you would. (Pause.) And Miss Harris, I don t believe I ll be needing this rake. (LIGHTS DIM.) End of Scene Three ACT TWO Scene Four LIGHTS CROSS FADE to the sitting room at Green Gables the next month. MARILLA is preparing to leave with MATTHEW. ANNE is sitting doing her homework. ANNE: Geometry is casting a dark cloud over my whole academic life. MATTHEW: Miss Stacy was saying the other day that you were making rapid progress. Rapid progress were her very words. MARILLA: Matthew Cuthbert, if you don t hurry and harness that mare, we are going to miss the whole meeting. It s not every day that the Premier comes to Prince Edward Island. MATTHEW: Can t say I understand what all the fuss is about. You d think the King himself was coming the way folks around here are talking about it. All of Avonlea will be over in Carmichael tonight, that s for sure. MARILLA: All except us if we don t hurry. I promised Rachel Lynde we d pick her up on the way, and you know how she complains if she s 21

26 late. (To ANNE.) I left your dinner warming in the oven, and I want the light out soon after. No reading in bed till all hours just because I m not here to say no. ANNE: Yes, Marilla. Have a good time, and please try to recall every vivid detail because I ll want to hear everything in the morning. MARILLA: I m sure you will. Come, Matthew. MATTHEW: Good night, Anne. ANNE: Good night. (MARILLA and MATTHEW EXIT. ANNE returns to her studies. After a little while, she CROSSES to a book on the other side of the stage, opens it and begins to read aloud.) The Jealous Rival. Geraldine Seymour was a regal brunette with a coronet of midnight hair and duskily flashing eyes. (Puts the book down with self-resolve and crosses back to her homework. Sits a moment staring and then hurries back. Reads again excitedly.) Her best friend Miranda was a queenly blonde with hair spun like gold and velvety purple eyes beneath an alabaster brow. The two grew in beauty side by side until they were sixteen, the year that Bertram Devere came to their peaceful little village (We hear a KNOCK at the door. ANNE hurries over and swings the door open, thinking it is MATTHEW.) Did you forget your pipe again? (GILBERT steps IN carrying a textbook.) GILBERT: I haven t quite taken to smoking a pipe, yet. ANNE: Good evening, Gilbert. GILBERT: Miss Stacy asked me to bring by the geometry text when I d fi nished with it. ANNE: And of course you ve fi nished with it, while I m still muddling along. Thank you for reminding me. GILBERT: Could you use some help? I d be glad to stay and ANNE: No. Thank you kindly, Gilbert Blythe, but I ll manage just fine without any help from you. You re just gloating because you had your name on the board today for having the highest marks in math. Well, let me tell you (The door fl ings open and DIANA bursts IN.) DIANA: Anne! Anne! ANNE: Diana, whatever is the matter? Has your mother relented at last? DIANA: Oh, Anne, do come quick. My little sister, Minnie May, is awfully sick. She s got croup. The poor thing can hardly breathe. Mother and Father are away at Carmichael for the meeting, and there s nobody to go for the doctor. She s awful bad, nearly blue. I don t know what to do. Oh, Anne, I m so scared. GILBERT: I ll take my horse and get the doctor from Carmody. 22

27 ANNE: No, he s sure to be in Carmichael with everyone else. Go straight there, to the town hall. I ll go with Diana. (GILBERT hurries OUT.) DIANA: We need to get back to her. Please come with me. ANNE: Don t cry, Diana. I know exactly what to do for the croup. You forget that Mrs. Hammond had three sets of twins. When you look after three pairs of twins, you naturally gain a lot of experience. They all had croup regularly. Now just let me get the ipecac elixir. You may not have any at your house. (The TWO GIRLS hurry OUT and with a LIGHT CHANGE and MUSIC, they arrive at the sitting room of the Barry home, indicated by a couch DOWN LEFT.) Now, boil up some water. That should have been the first thing you did. I ll check Minnie May. (EXITS. Calls to DIANA from OFFSTAGE.) It s croup, all right. She s pretty bad, but I ve seen worse. I m going to give her a good dose of the ipecac first to try and bring up some of the phlegm. DIANA: Oh, Anne, I pray God this will work. (The LIGHTS FADE, a CLOCK CHIMES indicating the passage of time. As the LIGHTS COME UP, we see the TWO GIRLS sleeping together on the couch. MATTHEW, MARILLA, MRS. BARRY and GILBERT ENTER.) MRS. BARRY: My baby, where is she?! ANNE: Sleeping soundly now in the bedroom. (MRS. BARRY rushes OFFSTAGE. To MATTHEW and MARILLA.) I was very near giving up in despair. She got worse and worse until she was sicker than any of the Hammond twins ever were. I actually thought she would choke to death. When I gave her the last dose in the bottle I thought to myself I didn t say it out loud for you were worried enough, Diana I thought, This is the last lingering hope, and I fear it is a vain one. But, the next thing I knew, she started coughing up the phlegm and within minutes was resting comfortably. DIANA: Anne knew everything to do. MATTHEW: Dr. Blair should be here any moment. He was right behind us. But it looks like you got the situation well in hand. MARILLA: You managed just fi ne, Anne. MRS. BARRY: (ENTERS.) She was sleeping, but she woke up and told me everything. Oh, Anne, what can I say to you? You saved my baby. I m so very ashamed for the way I ve treated you. I know now you could never have meant to get my Diana drunk. Please forgive me. There is no way I can thank you enough. ANNE: The thanks should really go to Mrs. Hammond and her ability to produce all those twins. (EVERYONE laughs as DIANA and ANNE run to each other and embrace. LIGHTS DIM.) End of Scene Four 23

28 1 3 ACT TWO Scene Five LIGHTS UP on the shores of Barry Pond two months later. ANNE sits on the ground as DIANA weaves a wreath of fl owers into her hair. DIANA: Of course you must portray Elaine, Anne. I would never have the courage to do it. ANNE: Well, that s something Elaine must have. Imagine she has lost her Lancelot forever. She knows she will never see him again, see the one true love of her life. So she gets into her barge, kills herself and allows the river to carry her body back to Camelot and her beloved DIANA: It might be romantic, but I know I could never lie still. I d keep popping up every few seconds to see where I was and to check that I hadn t drifted too far out. No, if anyone is going to portray the dead Elaine, it should be you. ANNE: Of course, it s so ridiculous to have a red-headed Elaine. She supposed to be fair with long, golden hair streaming down. It s quite hopeless. A red-headed person simply cannot be a lily maid. And yet, better than a fi dget, I guess. DIANA: You know, Anne, I don t believe your hair is quite as red now as it once was. It could almost pass for auburn now, in some lights. ANNE: Thank you. Now, you must pretend to be my faithful servant and friend. You can push off the boat and watch from the shore. DIANA: I brought my mother s black shawl as you asked. ANNE: Perfect. (Lies down in the boat.) Now cover me with the shawl. Should I cross my arms or? DIANA: Crossed looks much more dead. ANNE: Fine then, crossed it is. (Lays motionless for a moment, then sits upright quickly.) I almost forgot my lily. (Grabs a lily from next to the boat and lies back down with the lily sticking straight up in the air.) You can push off now, Diana. Do you remember your part? DIANA: Of course. (Overly dramatic.) Farewell, my lady. (Pushes the boat away. Calls after it as it fl oats away. [Refer to PRODUCTION NOTES at the end of the playbook for suggestions on creating the illusion of a boat moving on water.]) Oh, Anne, you look wonderful! ANNE: Diana, it s so exciting! I feel so noble. I feel so sentimental! I feel so wet. Wet! Diana, the boat has sprung a large leak. I can t swim. Help. Where are the oars?! DIANA: You just said you wanted to fl oat! You didn t say you wanted to row. So I left the oars back in the barn! ANNE: The barn! No! Diana, help! 24 PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

29 DIANA: I can t swim. My mother never let me. She said it caused infl uenza. Anne, what shall I do? I ve killed my best friend! ANNE: Run for Matthew. He s in the lower pasture. Hurry! DIANA: I don t want to leave you. Oh, Anne ANNE: Now, Diana! Run! A moment later, and it may be too late. DIANA: Ooooh, Anne (Running OFFSTAGE.) Help! Help! Anne is drowning almost. Matthew, help! (She s OUT.) ANNE: (Stands up in the boat.) Elaine never had this problem. (Climbs up to the seat.) There s a high price to be paid for drama, that s for sure. Help! Mrs. Barry s shawl! (Grabs it and ties it awkwardly around her waist.) It s bad enough her boat is scuttled without losing her Sunday shawl. Help, someone, please help! (Sees the pilings nearby in the lake.) Dear God, I don t believe in flowery prayers, but just get this boat over to those pilings, and I ll do the rest. (The boat fl oats next to the pilings for a moment.) Thank you! (Jumps from the boat to the pilings and holds on for dear life. The boat fl oats OFFSTAGE.) Providence takes strange forms. (Waits.) Why doesn t Matthew come? What if Diana fainted from fright on her way to him? What if he had to go all the way into Avonlea to borrow a boat? What if the horse pulls a show on the way back? I might grow faint from hunger and exhaustion, clinging desperately to my small perch as the night comes and my eyes grow weary, until I can stand it no longer and I slip at last into the wicked green depths below to walk this earth no more (Pause.) Marilla s right. A little imagination is more than enough. (During this last line, GILBERT has rowed a small boat ONSTAGE and calmly rows over to ANNE. They speak as though they are stopped on a sidewalk passing the time of day.) GILBERT: Good afternoon, Anne Shirley. ANNE: Gilbert. GILBERT: Pleasant day we re having, don t you think? ANNE: Unseasonably warm for this time of year, I d have to say. GILBERT: Would you like to tell me what happened? ANNE: If you must know, we were acting out a poem, and I was supposed to be the Lady Elaine floating down to Camelot in my royal barge, but the rowboat sprung a large leak, and I had to climb up on these pilings. GILBERT: Can I offer my help? ANNE: Diana went for Matthew. GILBERT: Fine then (Starts to row off.)

30 1 3 ANNE: But she has been gone an awfully long time. So maybe, if you wouldn t mind GILBERT: Certainly. (Rows over to her and offers his hand. She climbs into his boat. They row in silence to the shore. ANNE gets out of the boat, and GILBERT follows her.) ANNE: I m very much obliged to you, Gilbert. GILBERT: Look here, can t we please be friends? I m awfully sorry I made fun of your hair that time. I didn t mean to vex you. I only said it as a joke. It was all so long ago. Besides, I think your hair is awfully pretty now, honestly, I do. Can t we be friends? ANNE: No, I shall never be friends with you, Gilbert Blythe, and I don t think I ever want to be. GILBERT: All right. All right! I shall never again ask you to be friends, Anne Shirley, and I don t care either. (Gets back in his boat and rows away angrily. DIANA comes running up with MATTHEW.) MATTHEW: I told you, child, that she wouldn t be dead. No need to worry so. DIANA: Oh oh Anne! I thought you drowned, and I felt like a murderer because I made you be Elaine. How did you ever escape a watery grave? ANNE: I climbed on to the pilings, and Gilbert Blythe came along in his rowboat and brought me to land. DIANA: How splendidly romantic! Of course you ll have to speak to him after this. ANNE: Of course I won t. And, I will thank you not to use the word romantic again, especially about Gilbert Blythe! MATTHEW: (With a smile.) Well, Anne, romance isn t that easy to control. It s kind of like the water in your boat. A tiny opening and then, suddenly you re in over your head. ANNE: I d sooner drown in the Barry s pond than swoon over Gilbert Blythe. MATTHEW: Suit yourself. (LIGHTS DOWN.) End of Scene Five ACT TWO Scene Six LIGHTS UP on the sitting room at Green Gables the next month. MATTHEW and MARILLA sit reading. MATTHEW: We should have gone, you know. 26

31 MARILLA: I had no intention of braving the crowds at the White Sands Hotel to hear Josie Pye play the violin one more time. I swear that child only knows three songs and plays each of them equally bad. MATTHEW: Still, it would have been nice to hear Anne s recitation. I told her the crowd was certain to call for an encore. MARILLA: How you do go on with her! She ll end up vain as one of those silly city girls who stay at the White Sands each summer all white lace and bad manners. Speaking of which, that dress! Matthew Cuthbert, you shouldn t have. MATTHEW: Maybe not. But I did. And she sure looked a sight in it. So pretty. MARILLA: Well, I m sure she managed to get it all mussed up riding over there in the dust and the dew. There s no use saying anything to you when you get your mind set on something, is there? You didn t ask my opinion before you bought the dress, so I can t see you listening to it now. MATTHEW: She looked lovely, didn t she though? MARILLA: I suppose. (There s a KNOCK on the door. MARILLA opens it to DIANA, who ENTERS excitedly.) DIANA: Is she back yet?! Oh, Marilla, Matthew, it was wonderful. Anne was triumphant. She stopped the whole show. MATTHEW: I knew it. DIANA: The whole audience stood as if one and cheered her. I could hardly clap, I was crying so. She was so poised and not at all nervous. She held the whole audience in thrall and when it was over, they all rose calling Encore! Encore! I ve never seen anything like it. The audience just loved her. MARILLA: Where is she? DIANA: Miss Stacy is giving her a ride back. RACHEL: (Pushes through the door and ENTERS past DIANA.) Marilla, that Anne Shirley was splendid tonight. Simply splendid. Why, there wasn t another on the program who could top her. I always said she was a remarkable child. MARILLA: So you did, Rachel. Would you care for some tea? RACHEL: I d like that. There is far too much rich food at the White Sands Hotel. It causes indigestion. MARILLA: Diana, won t you join us, too? DIANA: I d love some tea, Miss Cuthbert, and some of your cake if you have any. MARILLA: I believe I can fi nd some for you. 27

32 ANNE: (Rushes IN wearing the white dress. She looks elegant, on the verge of womanhood. She is followed by MISS STACY.) Oh, Matthew, Marilla! Has there ever been such a night?! There was a professional actress staying at the White Sands, and she performed fi rst. After she was fi nished with her presentation, I just sat with my head in my hands, for I knew I could never hope to equal her. But then they called my name and MISS STACY: She was remarkable. You should be very proud. MATTHEW: We are. Could you do it once more, Anne? I d like to hear it for myself. ANNE: I d be glad to, Matthew. (Collects herself and recites.) Though life may be unfair to me and hard along the way, Though troubles may be many and skies above me gray, I do not fret and worry. This matters not to me. For I shall fi nd warm comfort with my friends and family. I do not seek great riches, for fortunes can be lost. I do not need possessions that come at princely cost. There s only one thing that I wish on earth or up above. To be worthy of the people who have given me their love. MATTHEW: You are a wonder, Anne Shirley. A wonder. (Crosses to her and hugs her.) MARILLA: Time enough for that later. This calls for a celebration. Let s go to the parlor. Currant wine for the adults and cherry cordial for the girls. I ll pour. (EVERYONE laughs and EXITS except ANNE.) ANNE: Oh. I forgot my book in Miss Stacy s carriage. I ll be right back. (EXITS.) GILBERT: (Knocks on the opened door. No one comes, so he steps inside awkwardly. Calls out uncertainly.) Hello? Hello? (Turns to EXIT, and ANNE comes racing in, bumping into him. She is surprised to see him.) Hello! ANNE: Good evening, Gilbert. GILBERT: Hi, Anne I just stopped by My folks are expecting me but I wanted to Well, I heard your presentation and (Pause.) You sure look awfully pretty tonight. ANNE: Thank you, Gilbert. GILBERT: I I needed to tell you I mean, I wanted to say Are we ever going to be able to be friends? Can t you forgive me? ANNE: I believe I forgave you that day at the pond, although I didn t know it. What a silly, stubborn goose I ve been. Of course we can be friends, Gilbert. 28 PHOTOCOPYING THIS SCRIPT BREAKS FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAWS

33 1 GILBERT: We are going to be the best of friends (Kisses her cheek lightly.) We were born to be the best of friends, you know. May I walk you to school tomorrow? ANNE: Yes, you may. (GILBERT smiles and starts to EXIT. ANNE smiles.) MARILLA: (ENTERS.) Good evening, Gilbert. GILBERT: It s a great evening, Miss Cuthbert. (EXITS.) MARILLA: Come along, Anne, all your fans are waiting. (ANNE turns towards her and MARILLA sees, as though for the fi rst time, the young woman ANNE is becoming. She sits down, tears in her eyes, thinking back to the odd, frightened child who fi rst appeared at Green Gables more than two years ago.) ANNE: (Sees MARILLA S tears and crosses to her.) I declare, Marilla, my recitation has made even you cry. Now I call that a positive triumph! (Kneels down and kisses MARILLA on the cheek.) MARILLA: I m not crying over your poem. I just couldn t help thinking of the little girl you used to be, Anne. I wish you could have stayed a little girl even with your wild ways. You re growing up now, and before we know it you ll be going away to school. You look so grownup and stylish and altogether different in that dress, as if you didn t belong in Avonlea at all. I just got kind of lonesome thinking what my life would have been like without you. ANNE: Marilla! I haven t changed a bit. Not really. I m only pruned down and branched out a bit. The real me, inside, is just the same. It doesn t matter where I go or how much I change outwardly. At heart I shall always be your little Anne, who will love you and Matthew and dear Green Gables more and better every day of my life. MATTHEW: (Standing at the doorway. He has overheard the last.) Well, I guess she ain t been too much spoiled. MARILLA: Anne, you are the dearest mistake that s ever come into my life, and I don t know how I could love you more. (Pulling herself together.) Now come along. Where are your manners, girl? We have company waiting. (They all EXIT. BLACKOUT.) END OF PLAY 29

34 PRODUCTION NOTES PROPERTIES ONSTAGE: Set pieces for the sitting room at Green Gables remain UP RIGHT the entire play. All other set pieces are to be moved on and off stage by either actors or stagehands. The sitting room at Green Gables: Couch, tea table, chairs, books on a shelf Train station: Rolling bench and a sign that reads Bright River Mrs. Spencer s parlor: Two parlor chairs, window frame Anne s bedroom: Bed on wheels Avonlea school and schoolyard: Two two-person desks Lawson s market: Dressmaker s dummy with white dress with puffed sleeves The Barry s sitting room: Couch Barry s Pond: Small boat, a lily, pilings BROUGHT ON, ACT ONE, Scene One: Straw hat, small traveling bag (ANNE) BROUGHT ON, ACT ONE, Scene Two: Knitting needles, yarn (MARILLA) BROUGHT ON, ACT ONE, Scene Three: Straw hat, small traveling bag (ANNE) Hat, cape (MARILLA) Teacart with tea settings (MRS. SPENCER) BROUGHT ON, ACT ONE, Scene Five: Straw hat, books, lunch pail, slate, chalk (ANNE) Book (DIANA) Marbles, candy heart (GILBERT) BROUGHT ON, ACT ONE, Scene Seven: Hat, cape (MARILLA) Tea set, glass decanter of wine, two large glasses (ANNE) BROUGHT ON, ACT TWO, Scene One: Paper, pen, inkwell (ANNE) Written note, red bookmark (DIANA) BROUGHT ON, ACT TWO, Scene Three: Fabric, rake, bag of brown sugar (MISS HARRIS) Handkerchief (MATTHEW) BROUGHT ON, ACT TWO, Scene Four: Homework papers (ANNE) Textbook (GILBERT)

35 BROUGHT ON, ACT TWO, Scene Five: Black shawl (DIANA) Wreath of fl owers (ANNE) Oar (GILBERT) BROUGHT ON, ACT TWO, Scene Six: Book (ANNE) SOUND AND SPECIAL EFFECTS Train whistle, puff of engine steam, sound of children laughing and talking, school bell. SET DESIGN AND SCENE CHANGES Because of the many settings in this play, sets are intended to be suggestive only. The only set that remains on stage for the entire play is the sitting room at Green Gables. Sets and lighting should be adapted as needed for the playing space. Scenes should fl ow smoothly from one to another, with just enough lighting shift or use of period music to suggest a change of location and/or time. THE BOAT SCENE ON BARRY POND In the original 1994 production by the Serendipity Theatre Company in Los Angeles, only one boat was used, fi rst by Anne in one direction, then by Gilbert coming back the other direction. The bottomless boat was on casters to glide easily across the stage fl oor and had a bench where an actor could sit and move the boat with his or her feet. Of course, Gilbert also held a paddle with which he rowed. Another option is to have a rope attached to the boat. Offstage, a stagehand can pull the boat to create movement. This is especially effective when Anne has jumped out and the boat fl oats off. The boat was constructed like a collapsible drinking cup and hinged so that upon the actress pulling a pin, the top plank would sink over the next one down and fi nally over the bottom one, making the boat appear to be sinking. The only other set piece used in this scene by the Serendipity Theatre Company was a pole center stage with pilings at its base, both to stabilize it and to provide Anne with adequate footing while clinging to the pole. 31

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