Q&A With 'anne of green gables' creatives

Each year, a favourite children’s story is transformed by London Children's Ballet with an original scenario full of humour, drama and excitement to engage a family audience. A company of talented young dancers aged 9 - 16 are auditioned, from over 600 applicants, and spend five months in rehearsal. LCB brings emerging artists together. It commissions a talented choreographer to create the ballet, an up-and-coming composer to write a full-length narrative score and a young designer, to bring the characters to life. The resulting collaboration is then staged over a week-long run to sell-out audiences in the West End’s Peacock Theatre. Anne of Green Gables, written in 1908 by the Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery will be performed from 26-29 May 2022.

ToThePointe caught up with some of the leading creatives behind the production to find out more about putting this exciting ballet together for London Children's Ballet...

RUTH BRILL, Artistic Director

Ruth, tell us a bit about this brand new ballet and why you chose to tell the story of Anne of Green Gables?

We chose Anne of Green Gables because it’s a story that has it all - fun, drama, comedy, joy, sadness, hope. It’s a story about imagination, optimism, friendship and standing up for what you believe in. Anne gets into various mishaps along the way but her optimism, feistiness, emotional intelligence, strong character and genuine nature wins everyone over. I hope there is something for everyone in this story.

We are delighted to have Jenna Lee as our choreographer. She has brought her dynamic, theatrical, creative flair to the production. We have an outstanding creative, technical and operational crew. I must mention Mark Jonathan (Lighting Designer), Elin Steele (Production Designer), Gus Nicholson (Composer) and Zoe Vickerman (Scenario). Working with the creative team and building this ballet has been inspiring. I’m in awe of each of their talents and expertise, and am grateful for their focus and dedication to the cause - the children are the stars of the show!

How have the dancers responded to the new ballet? Have they embraced the story?

The dancers have been brilliant. There’s a real team spirit within the company. For us, this is as important as the show. We want these young people to have an incredible experience - experiencing life in a ballet company, meeting like-minded people, respecting others and working together as a team! This opportunity is offered for free and there is no financial barrier to entry. We look for talent and star quality alone. We have a bright young cast who not only dance beautifully, but have had to delve deep into their characters and learn about storytelling in dance. It has been a joy working with them all!

The last couple of years must have been a difficult time for LCB, how have you all navigated through Covid?

The last two years have been difficult for everyone, so I’m relieved that we have managed to navigate the ups and downs of the pandemic. I also feel proud and grateful to all involved who have enabled us to make it back on stage.

Despite the disappointment and hardship associated with the past two years, there was a significant silver lining for LCB. In early 2021 we were successful in our bid to Wandsworth Borough Council for a space within Big Yellow, Battersea, as part of the Council’s cultural anchor tenancy programme. Big Yellow’s construction teams moved on-site in January 2021 and transformed the raw space into the wonderful facilities we now enjoy, including two beautiful dance studios, offices, costume storage and more. A real game changer for the company!

What's on the horizon for LCB? What can we expect over the next few months?

There’s lots going on! We have our performances 26th-29th May at the Peacock Theatre. In addition to all the upcoming public performances, we welcome 2,000 audience members as part of our 'Ballet for a £1' programme. We have delivered Anne of Green Gables workshops in 40 schools across London in advance of the production to provide context and spark imagination ahead of their visit to the theatre. The LCB mission goes much further than the company dancers on stage.

There is still much work to be done to ensure LCB can continue to offer opportunities to young dancers whatever their financial background and to maintain and expand all our outreach programmes. We have our Touring Companies who take ballet out into the community, and will be performing in care homes and SEND schools in June and September. We hold our summer school in July/August. We have ideas bubbling for future plans, plus I’m already starting work preparing for next year’s production and assembling the creative team... Onwards and upwards!

GUS NICHOLSON, Composer

Gus, where did you source the inspiration when composing the music for Anne of Green Gables?

Debussy and John Williams have always been favourites of mine but I was listening to a lot of Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky around the time of writing the ballet so am likely to have been influenced by them too.

What do you hope the music conveys in the ballet?

I hope the music conveys the magic of Anne's imagination and the warmth of her friendships. It's a really fun ballet but has a few sadder moments so I hope my music succeeds in conveying the light and dark of the story too.

What has been the biggest challenge in composing the music for this ballet?

The challenge was in developing a range of independent themes and tying them together in a way that tells the story but also makes sense for the dancers.

JENNA LEE, Choreographer

Jenna, how have you helped get the dancers into character to tell this story?

The story of Anne of Green Gables is full of so much colourful narrative and I am always keen to find ways of embedding storytelling into the dance. From the moment I teach the steps, alongside the musicality, I talk about the intention, the feelings of the scene or role. This is woven into the steps, rather than something that we add in later.

I’m aware that for some of our dancers, acting and telling a story through ballet might be new to them, so we’ve had the help of one of our wonderful LCB alumni James Lovell, who is currently dancing with Matthew Bourne. James came in to coach the dancers but with the focus being on storytelling. He supplied the cast with character research sheets to help the dancers develop their characters. Helping the dancers take ownership of their characters, creating backstories for their role, has played a crucial part in really bringing the scenes to life.

There is such a range of ages in LCB - what is it like to choreograph for such a mix of age groups? And how do you manage their different levels and capabilities of technique?

Every age group and every dancer at LCB provides something valuable for Anne of Green Gables. I very much enjoy getting to know the company and working to their strengths. Some dancers even suggest steps they could do and I’m always very happy to have choreographic assistants in the studio!

During the ballet some scenes are designed for specific age groups in mind, like the younger dancers who show the hardship of the orphanage scene at the end of act 1. However, we also have scenes like the White Way of Delight where we incorporate our youngest with our oldest dancer. During these moments I see so much learning taking place, as our younger dancers watch the older dancers in the studio full of wonderment, as they perform more technically complex steps and practice skills like moving together as a corps de ballet. It’s very inspiring for them.

What inspired your choreography of this ballet? What has been the most challenging aspect?

To get ready for any new creation, I try and immerse myself in as many mediums as possible. Theatre, film, live music, lots of variety. When I read through a scenario, usually creative solutions don’t come instantly but by soaking up as much art as possible it helps me conjure up ideas for a new show.

Recent things I have seen, which all inspired AOGG!

Life of Pi

Westside story film

Emma Rice- Wuthering heights, National Theatre (big fan of her way of telling story with quirky solutions)

Ronnie Scotts

Frozen musical

Raymonda

The most challenging aspect has been the level of narrative detail in the scenario and musical score. I wanted to show all these lovely details through good, clear storytelling but working with such a young cast can be challenging. Most are new to acting through dance and it takes time encouraging them and working on their confidence to develop this new skill.

What has been your highlight so far in creating this ballet?

My highlight has been discovering Anne Shirley and all her wonderful layers! To me, she is a beacon of hope. Her passion, tenacity for life and curiosity can often lead her into some tricky situations! But I love her honesty, bravery and strength of character, which on occasion gets mistaken for being disrespectful. She really does wear her heart on her sleeve at all times! It’s been so much fun creating a ballet around this protagonist, who has so much variety in her personality, it then gives scope for diverse choreography full of personality and flare.

ELIN STEELE, Production Designer

Elin, can you talk us through your creative process in developing the costumes for this ballet?

We wanted the design for the ballet to feel really light-hearted, and reflect the fun and creativity that’s tied into the narrative and choreography. There’s a lot of colour and prints, inspired by the prairie style that’s true to the period, as well as some more traditional ballet costumes that portray the world of Anne’s imagination. It was also really important to show Anne’s journey through her costumes, from her days in the orphanage, through to being at Green Gables, and moving on from there. Her costume changes follow her growing up, and represent the different milestones of her childhood.

What was it like designing costumes for LCB? There is a big mix of age groups, what was that like?

The priority is that all the dancers feel completely comfortable and confident in their costumes, from the little ones through to the teenagers. The children are always excited to try them, it’s all part of the performance process, and especially nice when we have the chance to make something for them from scratch - it might be the first time that they’ve had a ballet costume made for them specifically. Most of them have two changes - one character costume that’s unique to them, and one for either the blossom or orphanage choreography, which are some of the group scenes in the ballet.

What has inspired you throughout this process?

Obviously I began by re-reading the book, and did some research into previous film and TV adaptations, but my main inspiration has come from the music and the movement. Once you listen to the score, it’s clear what the feeling of the design should be. There are dark moments, but for the most part you’re rooted in the vibrant, exciting world of Anne’s childhood, full of brilliant characters, and I hope the design encapsulates that.

'Anne of Green Gables' will be performed from 26th - 29th May. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/london-childrens-ballet-anne-of-green-gables/ Ticket prices from £15 - £55

*Photos all copyright ASH / London Children's Ballet

*Thank you to Anna Hickman and hickmanandassociates