A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
Charlottetown native Rebecca Parent reprises role of Anne Shirley
Charlottetown native Rebecca Parent reprises role of Anne Shirley
“I just see her as more vulnerable than I used to see her. We see Anne as this very strong, very headstrong, very stubborn young woman. But, there’s a part of me that knows now that that’s a bit of a mask. There’s a part of her that just doesn’t want to put herself out in a position to get hurt. So, she’s protecting herself, she’s guarded.” Rebecca Parent
An Island actor who has returned home to plant her roots is looking forward to reprising the role that started her career.
Eleven years ago, Charlottetown native Rebecca Parent was cast in her first professional acting role when she landed the part of Anne Shirley in “Anne & Gilbert – The Musical”.
For the next three summers, Parent played the iconic redhead at the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside. Following her run as one of the title leads, Parent worked at the Watermark Theatre in North Rustico before heading to Halifax and then Toronto.
Over a decade later, the 31-year-old said that while she loved her years working and living away, she was ready for stability and to be closer to her family.
“I just hit a point in my life where I had been a nomad for long enough,” Parent told The Guardian during a recent rehearsal break at The Guild.
Now back in Charlottetown, the actress will once again don the red wig as the musical’s female lead for the show’s 2018 run.
Parent said that because Anne Shirley was her first professional role, she would often look back on it as she matured in her profession and think about how she might play it different.
“It’s always been one of those roles that’s kind of been on the back of my mind,” she said, adding she’s views the character of Anne differently now.
“I just see her as more vulnerable than I used to see her. We see Anne as this very strong, very headstrong, very stubborn young woman. But, there’s a part of me that knows now that that’s a bit of a mask,” she said.
“There’s a part of her that just doesn’t want to put herself out in a position to get hurt. So, she’s protecting herself, she’s guarded.”
Parent’s love interest in the play, Gilbert Blythe, is played by Ontario-born actor Josh Wiles.
The 27-year-old is tackling this specific role for the first time, but he said he’s no stranger to the character he’s portraying.
“Hilariously enough, 10 years ago, when I was graduating from high school, I played Gilbert Blythe in “Anne of Green Gables” at my high school,” he said, adding his mother recently dug up the photos after he landed this role.
Wiles said he’s happy to be on the Island for the summer.
“It has such a vibrant theatre community, there’s so many awesome people around,” he said. “It’s just so much fun to get out here and get to play with all of these people.”
He said working with his costar has been great because she’s “a fantastic, giving actress.”
“It’s really easy to just play tennis back and forth when someone is giving you that much (to work with).”