Belleville Theatre Guild

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Press Release
November 3rd, 2011

The Belleville Theatre Guild,  - 256 Pinnacle Street, Belleville
(613) 967-1442

Cast members, Little Women, Left to Right
Back Row: Joanne Savage, Sonya Zaback, Jesse Duncan, Sarah Vanberkel. Front Row: Taylor Beach, Heather Barker

Little Women A Heartwarming Holiday Play

Belleville: Louisa May Alcott's 1868 endearing children's tale Little Women has been described as "a classic for girls". It is a coming-of-age story about family love, loss, and struggle set in mid-nineteenth-century New England.

The Belleville Theatre Guild production promises to be a real treasure. Director, Moira Nikander-Forrester has taken playwright Marisha Chamberlain's stage adaptation and emphasized the innate comedy despite the March family's meager circumstances.

The young woman at its center, Jo March, is a fictional character based on the author. Jo is bold, brave and loyal. She loves to run and she wishes she were a boy, so she can speak her mind, go where she pleases, learn what she wants to know and to be free.

This is the story of a New England family anxiously awaiting their husband and father's return from the American Civil War. The four young daughters of the Union army chaplain find their lives touched by love and loss as they struggle to help their kind-hearted mother make ends meet.

The play opens on Christmas Eve. It follows the sisters through a year of their humorous escapades as they work through their problems and try to fashion their futures. This version of the story brings the family to the second Christmas and Father’s return from the war.

When asked why she chose to direct this play, Forrester said,"This play spoke to me. Alcott spoke about the frustrations of having to be pretty, be married, be tame, be well mannered and all the other rules and regulations women had to comply with if they would be accepted in their restricted world. She wanted to live a real life, everything she could see the men in her society could aspire to, but, she could only watch. I am the third of four daughters and can completely empathize with the daughters' relationships. I read the book at least ten times and as a child could quote pages of it from
memory. So, I was quite pleasantly surprised when I was approached by the Guild to direct it as part of the 60th season. How could I say no?"

In our 60th Anniversary Season, the Belleville Theatre Guild is producing five plays that have been huge hits for us in the past. Little Women was originally performed in November of 1959. The script was an adaptation by John D. Ravold. The director was Mrs. J.R. Sadler and the producer was Don Thomas. Our current production is being produced by BTG president Dave Henderson.

Our second Diamond Anniversary play opens on December 1st and runs through to the 17th, with 13 performances, including 2 Sunday matinees.

Tickets are just $18.00 and can be purchased through our box office
(613-967-1442) or ordered online | ORDER |

The Belleville Theatre Guild offers elevator service right in to the theatre, a barrier-free washroom and room in the front row for wheel chairs and other mobility devices. Join in the Celebration! Don't miss this heartwarming story, just in time for the holidays!

Submitted by
Debra Tosh