News from Lindsey Wilson University
Musical adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel features characters that connect to modern audiences.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (10/28/2025) A story that is more than a century old with timeless messages will be presented Nov. 6-7 by the Lindsey Wilson University Department of Theatre.
Anne of Green Gables: The Musical will be the first fall production by Lindsey Wilson Department of Theatre, and while the play’s director is looking forward to presenting the show to the general public, she’s even more excited about the several hundred area schoolchildren who will see it. The musical will be performed Nov. 3-7 for area schoolchildren.
The public performances will be at 7 p.m CT Nov. 6-7 in V.P. Henry Auditorium.
“Anne’s story is something that I think a lot of children can relate to,” said director Kassidy Phelps ’24. “Anne goes through this journey that many young girls do — of finding your place, making friends, going through the different seasons of life as a young adult. That is still applicable to what so many many young adults go through in their lifetime.”
The musical is an adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic 1908 children’s novel, Anne of Green Gables, which tells the story of 11-year-old orphan Anne Shirley who is mistakenly sent to help on a farm. The story is set in the late-1800’s in a fictional rural town in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Reilly Wells ’26 of Columbia said she was very familiar with the story before taking on the lead role as Anne. In high school, Wells played the story’s town gossip, Rachel Lynde, in a regional production.
“I just connect with Anne in a way because she is so high-strung, stubborn and so dramatic, and that pretty much encapsulates me,” said Wells, a media studies and theatre arts double major. “Anne shows the kids that it is alright to be this dramatic and to be this imaginative. It’s OK to be a high-strung, independent girl and lead your own life rather than having someone guide you. I feel that’s very important for today’s youth to realize.”
A big reason Anne’s story has endured over generations is because it deals with loss, said Sabrina Ruiz ’26, who plays Anne’s best friend, Diana Barry.
“She goes through a time of loss where she loses somebody close to her, and, as a kid, it’s hard to deal with that and know how to cope with that,” said Ruiz, who is an arts administration and theatre arts double major from Louisville, Kentucky. “She not only realizes that even though that person is not there, something like love is eternal and they still love you and you still love them.”
School performances
When Anne of Green Gables: The Musical is performed for area schoolchildren, Phelps said that is “one of my absolute favorite things that we do, because it exposes children to theater at such an early age.”
In addition to the performance, the Lindsey Wilson Department of Theatre also provides study materials and other supplemental materials that can be used to enhance students’ experience with the play.
Wells said that performing for schoolchildren is often “completely different” because of the audience’s energy and enthusiasm levels, as well as how they respond to the cast during a performance.
“Just seeing how much of an impact we made on them (in past productions) was great,” said Wells. “Young audiences are the best audiences because they are really honest, and they will tell you whether they enjoyed it or not.”
Ruiz said “it is such a blast, it is so much fun” to perform for younger audiences.
“It’s like you’re sprinkling magic into their hands and you’re just feeding into their imagination,” said Ruiz. “It’s giving them the opportunity and the power to be creative and to be imaginative.”
The Lindsey Wilson University Department of Theatre will present “Anne of Green Gables: The Musical” at 7 p.m CT Nov. 6-7. It is directed by Lindsey Wilson theatre graduate assistant Kassidy Phelps ’24, and the cast is: Reilly Wells ’26 of Columbia (Anne Shirley); LeBron Barroso ’29 of Elizabethtown, Kentucky (Moody Spurgeon, the Minister and the Doctor); Zoe Boatright of Columbia, a graduate student in business administration (Mrs. Spencer); Mayatu Brown ’27 of Campbellsville, Kentucky (Rachel Lynde); Gage Carnes ’26 of Jamestown, Kentucky (Matthew Cuthbert); Gabriella Devore ’26 of Knob Lick, Kentucky (Marilla Cuthbert); Brandon Grider ’28 of Columbia (Mr. Philips and the Stationmaster); Leeshawn Johnson ’27 of Louisville, Kentucky (Gilbert Blythe); Shiane Lussier ’26 of Bremen, Kentucky (Josie Pye and the Shop Girl); McKenzie Melton ’29 of Lily, Kentucky (Mrs. Blewett and Mrs. Barry); Cade Ramsey ’27 of Russell Springs, Kentucky (Charlie Sloan); Sabrina Ruiz ’26 of Louisville (Diana Barry); Nellie Leona Smith ’28 of Coxs Creek, Kentucky (Jane Andrews); and Aidyn Weingartner ’28 of Shelbyville, Kentucky (Minnie Mae Barry). To purchase tickets, go to lindsey.edu/theatre or contact the Lindsey Wilson Theatre Department at theatre@lindsey.edu or 270-384-8044.
Lindsey Wilson University “Anne of Green Gables: The Musical” cast members at a recent rehearsal in V.P. Henry Auditorium, from left: Shiane Lussier ’26 of Bremen, Kentucky (Josie Pye); Nellie Leona Smith ’28 of Coxs Creek, Kentucky (Jane Andrews); Reilly Wells ’26 of Columbia (Anne Shirley); and Sabrina Ruiz ’26 of Louisville (Diana Barry). It will be presented to the public at 7 p.m CT Nov. 6-7.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)