Long-Awaited Show Comes to the Stage

Gallery Theater winds up the fall season in McMinnville with a delightful production of “Anne of Green Gables.” Running through December 17, it was originally scheduled to take the stage in 2020, but was postponed when the theater closed its doors during the pandemic. Now back in full swing, Gallery Theater returns to the McMinnville community for all to enjoy. Directed by Debbie Harmon Ferry, this is not the first time she’s lent Gallery Theater her expertise in the telling of this story. Twenty years ago, “Anne of Green Gables” was one of the first productions she directed for Gallery Theater and Debbie admits that she had a lot of fun doing it.

The cast and crew are mostly local to Yamhill County, primarily McMinnville with an occasional member coming from Salem, Keizer or Newberg. Meredith Simons, who plays Marilla Cuthbert, also played Marilla once before when Debbie directed “Anne of Avonlea.” Debbie comments, “I’ve known her since I was in high school!” A local resident herself, Debbie shares that her relationship with Gallery Theater has been long standing. “The first show I was in was Junior High,” she recalls, and for the last 25 years she has been on Gallery’s board.

Having directed a Gallery Theater show approximately every other year (with exception of COVID), Debbie explains, “I would say the most difficult job of the director is to put together the team.” That includes not only casting parts, but also costumers, set designer, lighting designer and the like. “If you get the right people and they all do what they’re supposed to do, then it works like clockwork,” Debbie says. “Anne of Green Gables” is expected to draw a substantial audience and Debbie goes on to say, “I am so pleased with the way our community supports Gallery Theater. We’ve been so welcomed back since the pandemic — our audiences are as large or larger than ever and the charitable gifts to support the theater have been amazing.”

As a community theater, Gallery operates almost exclusively through volunteer efforts. It’s a great place for people who want to volunteer their time — whether they want to usher, be on stage, paint, sew a costume or share whatever skills they have or even learn new skills. “I love that in my cast, I have people that are 8 years old and I have people in their mid-70s. They all interact well together and support each other — I just really love that about community theater,” Debbie expresses. She adds that she always needs more actors to play male roles. If you’re at all interested, turn out for auditions – “you never know,” she says.

Gallery Theater is located at 210 N.E. Ford Street in McMinnville. Please call (503) 472-2227, email info@gallerytheater.org or visit the website, gallerytheater.org for additional information on shows and events, curtain times, ticket sales and seating.