Charlottetown – Anne Shirley sings Cher. Matthew Cuthbert does opera. The beauty of the Charlottetown Festival is the diversity of its talented artists. Amy Wallis, Anne in Anne of Green Gables – The Musical™, takes the stage as Cher in British Invasion II: America Strikes Back! One night a year, that all takes a back seat. The annual Maud Whitmore Benefit Concert showcases the Festival cast and crew doing what they do best with material other than the roles they perform throughout the summer.
For Sandy Winsby, who plays Matthew in Anne™, that meant a bit of opera by Puccini at last year’s concert. For Wallis it was a selection from Sondheim. From opera to Broadway to the occasional monologue, and last year even a bit of High School Musical, the Maud Whitmore Benefit Concert programme is surprising and entertaining. The cast is still preparing, competing, and working out the details for the 2008 concert. This year’s programme won’t be known until a few days before.
The 32nd Annual Maud Whitmore Benefit Concert takes place on the Confederation Centre’s Mainstage on Sunday, August 24, at 7:30 p.m. The Charlottetown Festival Company invites you to join them for a fabulous evening as they perform music, dance and comedy. The cast and crew volunteer their time for this meaningful fund-raiser. All proceeds go to the Maud Whitmore Scholarship Fund. Staff, cast, crew, and the orchestra can apply to the fund for scholarships to further their education in the arts.
The late Maud Whitmore, a veteran Charlottetown Festival performer, endeared herself to audiences for many years as the sharp-tongued but kind-hearted busybody Rachel Lynde in Anne of Green Gables – The Musical™ from 1965 to 1977. She inspired many people to enter theatre-related careers.
Tickets for the Maud Whitmore Benefit Concert are $12. For tickets, please call the box office at 566-1267, toll free at 1-800-565-0278 or visit www.charlottetownfestival.com.
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Media contact: Dan Wall, publicist, Confederation Centre of the Arts, phone (902) 628-6135
Email: confederationcentre.com, web www.confederationcentre.com
or
Megan Gauthier, PR assistant, phone (902) 628-1864 ext 315, Email: confederationcentre.com