I will appear as Matthew Cuthbert in the New London Theatre's production of Anne Of Green Gables on July 19-22, 2001. Here is a place for notes, etc. 

I will also appear as Arvide in the company's production of Guys And Dolls.

The rehearsal calendar  is here. This will probably change. 

Here is an etext of the novel, "Anne Of Green Gables." 

5/21/2001:
I'm thrilled at this opportunity. I have asked Kirk to contact Angie, the director of the production, to have her get a script to me prior to the first read-through. 

Angie impressed me a great deal with her professionalism and talent in The Secret Garden. 

 5/22/2001:
Reading the etext (link is above) has me agog. Is our star really to learn all these speeches? Bless her heart. I'm glad I'm playing a taciturn man.

5/23/2001:
(G&D) Callbacks for "Guys & Dolls" last night. I got the part of Arvide! This will be an interesting challenge. Look for a Guys & Dolls page in the next few days. UPDATE: I've decided to keep these pages combined. Updates will be color coded, green for Anne Of Green Gables and burgundy for Guys & Dolls. General company stuff will stay in black.

Angie was at the callback. She'll be doing the vocal coaching for the show. Also got my script for "Anne!" Hmmm...where's all the singing orphans?

I just read Act I. It's pretty good, but truly, I think we should somehow add the locket scene. Definitely my favorite scene in the book so far.

5/29/01
First read-through was last night. We have until 6/29 to learn lines! I hope I don't take that long...if I do, I'll definitely be in trouble.

It was great to see my buddies the McElroys (Judy & Jocelyn) again. We're in good hands with them as our stage managers. I ran into Dennis at the BP the other day and couldn't place him until after he'd left. Duh.

The read-through showed quite a variety of talents, most of them greater than mine. I just hope I can stay on a level with my costars.

Next rehearsal is June 4. Need to be sure to give Judy my e-mail addy. Maybe I'll tell her about this page.

6/1/01
Read-through of Guys & Dolls last night. I think I was late...showed up at 7:30 to find them already started. I missed the introductions so I don't know any of my cast. Loaned Linda my G&D CD. She'll return it on Monday at the AOGG rehearsal. My next rehearsal for G&D is 6/7, singing "More I Cannot Wish You."

This is a small but crucial part, with an interesting twist and a nice song. Linda said it best: it's great not to have a large part in this because our roles in AOGG are so demanding.

6/4/01
Missed the company picnic Sunday due to storms. I hope it's rescheduled!

Must read AOGG today preparatory to "character orientation" with Angie.

Reading "MICWY:" "sheep's eye?" "lickerish tooth?"

6/5/01
Blocked pp 7-10 and 16-18 last night. No "character orientation" per se, but learned a lot about Angie's approach to directing. She's loud and full of ideas, and I love it.

Linda didn't make it last night because her car broke down! Hope she's all right. I'd better e-mail her.

6/15/01
Rehearsals moving slowly but surely. I'm very impressed with Jobie Johnson, who plays our Mr. Peterson and who also plays Nathan Detroit. I've learned all of Act I lines!

6/29/01
Been awhile. We're very busy on both shows. 

AOGG: Stumble-through, off-script, of Act I last night. It was great! Most everybody knew most of their lines, and seemed really focused. We have a wonderful, wonderful cast going. A bunch of great kids with talent to spare. As I like to say, "It wasn't perfect, but at least there was no loss of life."

G&D: I sang my number with the orchestra last night. That was a new experience for me! Actually, it was just a violin, clarinet and drum. The clarinet doubles me on the second verse, so we need to work on that aspect a bit, staying together. I'm impressed with these kids too. Molly, the orchestra leader, was full of praise for my performance. I didn't have the heart to tell her this was the first time I'd sung it through ;)

7/25/2001
Anne Of Green Gables is over! This, friends, is why I do theater. Working with a dedicated ensemble cast, hitting on all cylinders. The best compliment I heard was that we created a great atmosphere for the show. (I tend to disregard most of the personal compliments I get, but I will say I felt as good about my performance as I reckon I ever could have without actually getting paid ;) Working with Courtney, Gail, Angie, and Judy and all the cast will remain a special memory for me. I want to write cards for them but every time I start to write them I get to feeling all hokey. Seriously, though, several of us just stood around in very fragile emotional states for a couple hours after the last show. One thing I learned: DON'T FOCUS ON THE SHOW during the hours preceding the show. This is a real breakthrough for me: I used to brood and think about the show for hours beforehand. Just put on some loud music, hang around with your cast, etc. etc. I'll have some pics on the page within the next couple days.

We stumbled through Guys & Dolls Act I with piano accompaniment on Monday night. It seems like months since I've hit a lick on this. Acid test could come Thursday when I sing my number for the first time in front of the crowd.

Special announcement! I have volunteered to Stage Manage New London's next show, "Winnie The Pooh." I'll put up a separate page for that. Look for the link sometime soon.