Character's Bio: Rachel Lynde

Rachel is the local gossip and the self-appointed moral guardian to the town of Avonlea. Her character originally appeared in the Anne of Green Gables trilogy, at the end of which she had moved in with her best friend, Marilla Cuthbert. She continues to live at Green Gables until Marilla’s death at the end of the third season of Road to Avonlea. Eventually, Rachel will suffer a stroke and is forced to move in with Hetty King, with whom she doesn’t always see eye to eye. Now that Rachel is at Rose Cottage, she and Hetty will raise the twins that Marilla had previously cared for with Rachel - Davy and Dora Keith.

Actor's Bio: Patricia Hamilton

A dynamo with limitless energy, Patricia Hamilton performed the role of the self-righteous Rachel Lynde in "Anne of Green Gables". She continued to delight audiences with this character in Road to Avonlea, and recently in Kevin Sullivan's animated film Anne: Journey to Green Gables and Anne: The Animated Series on PBS. Over the course of her career she has worked with the American Shakespeare Festival, the National Shakespeare Festival and the Stratford Festival. She was the recipient of a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her role in I Am Yours with the Tarragon Theatre. Her film and television credits include Night Heat, A Bridge to Silence, Echoes in Darkness, Fight for Life and The Last Detail. Her role in A Bird in the House garnered her a 1975 Canadian Film Award. Hamilton has served as the Head of Drama at the Banff School of Fine Arts. She is also the founder and producer of Masterclass Theatre, and was honoured with a Brenda Donohue Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Toronto Theatre in 1987.

 

Character's Bio: Marilla Cuthbert

A strong-minded and independent spinster, Marilla Cuthbert lives at Green Gables farm along with her unmarried brother, Matthew. Although she is not known for usually expressing her emotions, she has a wry sense of humor and a loving heart underneath. Anne eventually manages to break Marilla’s frosty exterior and the two women develop a meaningful and lasting relationship.

Actor's Bio: Colleen Dewhurst

Born in Montreal on June 3, 1924, Colleen Dewhurst grew up in the United States and studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Colleen became an "overnight success" in 1974 after 27 years in the business due to her outstanding performance in the play Moon for the Misbegotten.

Although she became extremely successful in movies and television, her first love remained the stage and she often returned to it - not only to perform, but to direct as well. She was married three times – twice to actor George C. Scott, whom she divorced for the second time in 1972.

Colleen was the first choice of producer Kevin Sullivan when he was casting Anne of Green Gables. She accepted the role immediately, before even reading the script. Anne of Green Gables was one of the first books she remembered her mother reading to her.

As well as appearing regularly on Road to Avonlea as Marilla, Colleen had a recurring role as Candice Bergen's mother on the CBS series Murphy Brown, for which Colleen won her third Emmy. Over the course of her 45-year career, she won a total of four Emmys, two Tonys and two Gemini Awards. From 1985 to 1991, she served as president of Actor's Equity, the theatre union for actors in the United States. During the last years of her life, Ms. Dewhurst lived on a farm in South Salem, New York and had a summer getaway on Prince Edward Island.

On August 22, 1991, the beloved actress died of cancer at age 67. Active until the end, she was scheduled to do an episode of Road to Avonlea, the television series that had her reprising the role of Marilla Cuthbert.

 

Character's Bio: Nanny Banks

Nanny Banks is Sara Stanley’s governess who looked after Sara when she lived in Montreal with her father, Blair Stanley. However, when Blair is caught up in an embezzlement scandal, Nanny Banks travels with Sara to Avonlea, where tensions arise between her and Hetty over who should care for the young girl. Nanny Banks plots to escape back to Montreal with Sara, but is caught by Hetty. She returns to Montreal alone, but is later visited by Hetty and Sara when she becomes gravely ill. After Sara’s father dies unexpectedly during their visit, all three women return to Avonlea. However, Hetty and Nanny Banks continue to bicker over what’s best for Sara and it isn’t until the child they love seems to have disappeared that the two women begin to mend their differences.

Actor's Bio: Frances Hyland

Frances Hyland was an award-winning actress, perhaps best known for her role as “Nanny Banks” on the series Road to Avonlea. Born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan in 1927, Frances first took acting and elocution lessons as a teenager to try to overcome her shy and introverted nature. Since then, her acting and directing career spanned five decades, and included directing and starring in a number of Stratford and Shaw festivals. In 1977, she was awarded the Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role in a Play for her work in Long Day’s Journey into Night, which she performed at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Frances was also awarded the Office of the Order of Canada in 1970 for her contribution to the performing arts. Sadly, the actress passed away in 2004 at the age of 77.

Character's Bio: Aunt Abigail

As the prim spinster sister of Janet King, Abigail is very set in her ways. But when her old suitor, Malcolm MacEwan, returns to Avonlea from the Yukon and tries to woo her once more, her world is turned upside down. Abigail refuses his proposal at first, but the King children make her realize how foolish she is being and the two eventually marry. Abigail and Malcolm inherit an instant family when an orphaned baby is found in a basket by Felicity and Sara.

Actor's Bio: Rosemary Dunsmore

Rosemary Dunsmore is a Canadian award-winning actress who has appeared in countless film, television and stage productions. Named by Maclean’s Magazine as a “Canadian who makes a difference” in 1990, Dunsmore has also received awards for her acting. She won an ACTRA Toronto Award for Best Female Performance in The Baby Formula in 2009 and has been nominated twice for Gemini awards – once in 1988 for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress for Blades of Courage and then again in 2001 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for Blue Murder.

Dunsmore has directed and starred in several stage productions, including The Glass Menagerie, Wuthering Heights, The Attic, and the Montreal production of Wit, which earned her a Masque Award. She also teaches acting and has taught at the University of Toronto, the National Theatre School, the Canadian Film Centre, Equity Showcase and Shortworks Halifax.

Before playing Abigail Ward, Janet King’s sister, on Road to Avonlea, Dunsmore first appeared as the uptight headmistress, Katherine Brooke, in Kevin Sullivan’s Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel.

 

Character's Bio: Margaret Lloyd

She is presumed to be Avonlea’s wealthiest and most eccentric resident, but, as the King children learn, Miss Lloyd is not exactly as she seems. After a rocky first encounter with Miss Lloyd, Sara befriends the old woman and learns that she is more poor and lonely than she imagined. When a struggling singer comes to town – the orphaned daughter of Miss Lloyd’s ex-suitor - Sara is determined to build a relationship between them.

Actor's Bio: Zoe Caldwell

Born in Australia at the height of the Great Depression, Zoe Caldwell first demonstrated her talents at age nine when she appeared on stage as Slightly Soiled – one of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan. Hampered by a mild case of dyslexia, she felt that acting was the only way she could communicate, and by age fourteen she was appearing professionally in national radio soap operas. Caldwell spent the next ten years honing her skills as an actress before she was sent to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1958, where she began a Shakespearean acting career that would culminate in her stunning portrayal of Cleopatra.

Caldwell has also performed in major theatres around the world and has won four Tony Awards for Slapstick Tragedy, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Medea and Master Class. In 1994, Ms. Caldwell also starred alongside Nicole Kidman and Lauren Bacall in the feature film Birth. She is still acting today.

 

Character's Bio: Maude Craig

Maude Craig is the mother of the King family’s handy boy, Peter. In the episode “Conversions”, Maude rushes to the King home to care for Peter when he becomes ill with influenza. The boy’s health scare reminds the King family of how important he is to them. Later, when Janet becomes a spokeswoman for women’s rights, Maude’s inability to care for Peter, due to her poor economic and social status, only makes the importance of the cause more clear.

Actor's Bio: Fiona Reid

Fiona Reid has appeared in countless film and television productions, including the two Road to Avonlea episodes “Aunt Janet Rebels” and “Conversions”. Reid was a recipient of the Order of Canada in 2006 in recognition of her contribution to the performing arts. The actress, born in England in 1951, lived in several different countries, including the United States, Africa and Germany, before she settled in Canada in 1964. She first became interested in acting while attending Lawrence Park Collegiate in Toronto and continued her studies at McGill University in Montreal and at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta. Her recent credits include the films, “One Week”, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and the television series, “Men with Brooms”.

 

Character's Bio: Peg Bowen

Peg Bowen is Avonlea’s resident “witch”, who is feared at first by the King children. However, they soon learn that she is not to be feared and they often seek her counsel in times of uncertainty. Peg also helped save Avonlea’s woodlands from Archie Gillis’ strip cutting when she wins a hockey match, coached by Alec King, against Archie’s team.

Actor's Bio: Susan Cox

A native of Liverpool, England, Susan Cox trained at Manchester University and worked with such theatres as the Northcott Theatre and the Theatre Royal. Since coming to Canada in 1973, she has performed with numerous major theatres, as well as directed a variety of productions. Her more recent stage appearances include leading roles at the Shaw Festival, The Stratford Festival, The Royal Alexandra Theatre and in her one-woman show, Valentine Brown: Live. Ms. Cox was also the artistic director of the Vancouver Playhouse from 1993-98 and the National Arts Centre from 1982-83.

 

Additional Series Cast: Road to Avonlea: Season 1

Elva Mai Hoover: Mrs. Lawson

Maja Ardal: Mrs. Potts

Marilyn Lightstone: Muriel Stacey

Heather Brown: Izzy Pettibone

Barbara Hamilton: Mrs. Bugle

Ian D. Clark: Simon Tremayne

Roger Dunn: Bert Potts

John Friesen: Archie Gillis

David Fox: Clive Pettibone

Joel Blake: Andrew King

Kyle Labine: Davey Keith

Linsday Murrell: Dora Keith

 

Character's Bio: Sara Stanley

Eleven-year-old Sara Stanley is used to a luxurious lifestyle in her hometown of Montreal. Her mother, Ruth King, died of TB when Sara was only a baby. When Sara’s father runs into trouble, Sara is sent to live with her mother’s family - siblings Hetty, Alec, Roger and Olivia. When she arrives, Sara’s nanny is sent back to Montreal, and Sara must adjust to a simpler lifestyle in Avonlea while living at Rose Cottage with Hetty and Olivia. Throughout seasons 3, 4, and 5, Sara takes it upon herself to act as the Avonlea matchmaker. By season 6, her Aunt Hetty and her nanny, Louisa, begin planning her future without her. Sara, however, has other plans. She dreams of becoming a writer and attending a very prestigious school in Paris – alone. Hetty and Louisa agree to let her go, and Sara leaves Avonlea only to return in the final season for her cousin Felicity’s wedding to Gus Pike.

Actor's Bio: Sarah Polley

Sara Polley became a veteran of film and television while still in her teens, and grew up on Road to Avonlea - as did her character, Sara Stanley. Like her character, Sara is an intelligent, fiercely independent woman, and brought many talents and natural charm to the show. Sarah made her screen debut at age four, playing a street waif in the feature One Magic Christmas, starting Jan Rubes. She won North American critical acclaim at the age of nine for her performance in the PBS family series Ramona, and went on to win international recognition for her lead role in Terry Gilliam’s big screen fantasy adventure, The Adventures of Baron Manchausen. Polley’s portrayal of the only surviving child in a school bus crash in Atom Egoyan’s celebrated feature The Sweet Hereafter earned her a Genie nomination as best actress. Other credits include principal roles in feature films The Last Night, The Weight of Water, Exotica, Green Monkey, The Big Town and Pretty Kill. Most recently, Sara has demonstrated her abilities behind the camera as writer and director of the Canadian based feature Away From Her, which earned many nominations and won various awards. Her most recent film was the sci-fi thriller, Splice, starring Adrien Brody.

 

Character's Bio: Great Aunt Eliza

Eliza Ward is Janet King and Abigail Ward’s aunt. Eliza visited King farm several times throughout the series and would prove to be very eccentric and extremely overbearing. In later seasons, Eliza moves to King farm and becomes a more permanent member of the family. Eventually her wit and wisdom become an important part in the lives of the King family – one they cannot live without.

Actor's Bio: Kay Tremblay

A life in the arts provided Kay Tremblay with ample research for the creation of the indomitable Aunt Eliza Ward on Road to Avonlea. In fact, she won a Gemini award for her performance of Eliza in 1997.

Ms. Tremblay’s first professional appearance was with the George Balanchine Ballet at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. She subsequently played the major variety theatres throughout Britain and toured the capitals of Europe. Ms. Tremblay married a Canadian and settled in Montreal where she resumed work in the theatre in 1954. During her years in Montreal, Ms Tremblay appeared in thirty leading roles on Shoestring Theatre, Tele-Play and Tele-Theatre for CBC Television and in numerous radio dramas produced by Rupert Caplan and Earl Pennington. Her extensive list of film and television credits include: Renegades, Shadowdancing, Diamonds, Night Heat, Hot Shots, Street Legal, and Kevin Sullivan’s Wind at My Back. Sadly, the talented actress passed away in 2005.

Character's Bio: Hetty King

The eldest of five siblings, Hetty is the head of the King family and respected schoolteacher of Avonlea. She is a humourless middle-aged woman, who finds change difficult to handle. Hetty lives at Rose Cottage with her sister, Olivia, and her niece, Sara. In later seasons, Hetty King gives up being a schoolteacher in order to pursue her dream of being a writer. Once Sara leaves for Paris, leaving Rose Cottage very much empty, Hetty decides to have Mrs. Lynde move in with her, along with the adopted twins Davey and Dora Keith.

Actor's Bio: Jackie Burroughs

An actress of incomparable breadth and talent, Jackie Burroughs earned a well-deserved reputation as one of Canada’s premiere actresses both on stage and screen. She had won just about every conceivable show business award in Canada. Her performance as the well-intentioned, headstrong and domineering Hetty King has garnered her three Gemini Awards for Best Actress in 1990, 1992 and 1994. Jackie Burroughs had a reputation for being an encouraging and enthusiastic supporter of Canada’s young actors and playwrights. She was known to turn down leading roles at some of Canada’s most prestigious theatres to work for nothing on small ‘fringe’ productions introducing a new playwright’s work. Her participation in many so-called alternative productions has been responsible for drawing public attention to many an independent work. Indeed, like her character Hetty, Jackie Burroughs placed a premium on her independence, both creative and personal. Her body of work is extensive, but she is best known in recent years for the critically acclaimed A Winter Tan, which she both co-directed and co-wrote as well as starred in. Filmed on location in Mexico, A Winter Tan garnered her a 1988 Best Actress Genie Award, and gave her a new love. During the hiatus periods of Road to Avonlea, Ms. Burroughs spent her summers in Mexico, overseeing the construction of her home.

Sadly, the beloved actress died of cancer on September 22, 2010, at the age of 71.

 

Character's Bio: Olivia Dale

Olivia is the youngest of the King siblings, and Sara’s most affectionate aunt. Olivia eventually begins working as a reporter for the local newspaper. It is here that she meets the man who will eventually become her husband, Jasper Dale - a photographer for the newspaper. Once she and Jasper are married, Olivia leaves Rose Cottage and has a son named Montgomery. Olivia and Jasper later adopt a baby girl named Alicia.

Actor's Bio: Mag Ruffman

Mag Ruffman brings an enthusiastic innocence to her work on Road to Avonlea, lending vitality to the determined career woman, Olivia Dale. Her natural charms and professionalism help her give a loving push to her shy, inventor husband Jasper. In addition to be being an accomplished actress, musician, dancer and singer, Ms. Ruffman possesses the unique gift of being able to relate to children on their own level. She was sought out constantly by the entire junior Avonlea cast for advice on everything from how to tune a flute to how to smuggle newts into the girls’ trailer. Ms Ruffman’s television credits include Anything I Can Do, A Repair to Remember, Debbie Travis and Mag Ruffman Live. She also appeared in Kevin Sullivan’s Emmy Award-winning film Looking For Miracles, and played the part of Alice Lawson in the Anne of Green Gables series.

 

Character's Bio: Alec King

Alec King was the first born son of the King family. He owns and operates King farm, which is next door to Rose Cottage, where his sisters, Hetty and Olivia, live. He has four children (Felicity, Felix, Cecily and Daniel) and is married to Janet King.

Actor's Bio: Cedric Smith

Cedric Smith never thought he would have children – until he was cast as Alec King, the calm and insightful father of four. His portrayal of the easy-going PEI farmer earned him a 1993 Best Actor Gemini Award, and prepared him for his role as father in his private life. Cedric began his career as a folk-singer in Stratford and has been involved with film and television productions since his first role as Dr. Zvarich in the 1977 film adaptation of Who Has Seen the Wind? Since then his credits number more than one hundred various roles, including Kevin Sullivan’s Butterbox Babies and Sleeping Dogs Lie. He has also provided his voice for a number of documentaries and characters in animated features, such as "Tupper" in Sullivan’s film Anne: Journey to Green Gables.

 

Character's Bio: Janet King

Janet King is married to Alec and has four children. She is a very loving wife, but is also very independent-minded. In addition to her role as mother, Janet becomes a leader of the women’s suffrage movement in Avonlea. She has a sister named Abigail (played by Rosemary Dunsmore).

Actor's Bio: Lally Cadeau

Since winning the ACTRA Award for best newcomer in 1981, Lally Cadeau has received over a dozen nominations and awards for her work in television, film, radio, and stage, including the 1995 Gemini for Best Actress in a leading role for her work as Aunt Janet on Road to Avonlea. Other awards have included a Bijou and an ACTRA for her work in the critically acclaimed You’ve Come a Long Way, Katie. Ms. Cadeau also starred in the CBC series Hangin’ In for six years before performing on Road to Avonlea. Other television credits include guest-starring roles in Street Legal, Kane and Abel, Adderly, Twilight Zone and King of Kensington.

 

Character's Bio: Felix King

Felix is the eldest son of Alec and Janet. He is very mischievous and will often get into trouble. He eventually befriends Isolde Pettibone (Izzy) who is the daughter of Mr. Pettibone, the widowed schoolteacher who takes over the Avonlea schoolhouse when Hetty retires. In later seasons, a romance begins to develop between Felix and his good friend, Izzy.

Actor's Bio: Zachary Bennett

Like Gema Zamprogna, who plays his sister, Felicity, on Road to Avonlea, Zachary Bennett also comes from an acting family. His father teaches drama, his mother is his coach, and his elder brother Gareth, and sisters Marion and Sophie, all work in the field.

Zachary’s role as the irrepressible Felix King matured over the course of the show. The Felix of Season 1 - indefatigable tease, lover of adventure stories and shirker of chores - matured into a responsible young man who knows his own mind and always has an eye for a quick dollar.

Zach is already a veteran actor on an international scale. Aside from his work in Canada, Zach has worked in the United States, Europe, New Zealand, the former Czechoslovakia and Mexico with some of the best known names in the entertainment industry, including Leonard Nimoy, Sam Waterson, Diane Keaton, Liam Neeson and Jan Rubes.

Film credits include The Good Mother with Diane Keaton, Back to Hannibal with Megan Follows, The Muppets Christmas Special, the lead in the four-hour mini-series By Way of the Stars and Sullivan Entertainment’s Looking for Miracles, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Television credits include Shattered City, Blind Faith, Lantern Hill and Twice in a Lifetime. His recent credits include appearances on a number of television series.

Character's Bio: Felicity King

<>Felicity is Alec and Janet’s eldest daughter. She often takes on adult responsibility and feels superior to her four siblings and her cousin Sara.

 

Actor's Bio: Gema Zamprogna

A talented actress, a scholarship winning student and an accomplished dancer, Gema Zamprogna, like her character Felicity King, is one of those enviable young adults who can turn their hand at almost anything with brilliant results. Gema is a native of Hamilton, Ontario and comes from a stage family. Her parents operate a dance school, and her father Lou is a professional Director/Choreographer and director of a performing arts program at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquaris. Dominic and Amanda, Gema’s twin siblings, are also accomplished stage and screen actors.

Gema’s portrayal of the opinionated and frequently bossy Felicity King has brought her 1991 and 1994 Gemini nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

Gema’s other film credits include a co-starring role on Sullivan’s four-hour mini-series, By Way of the Stars, the leading role in the TV film The Challengers, as well as principal roles in Defense of a Married Man, Amerika, Friday the 13th, War of the Worlds and Forever Knight. Her stage credits include The Queen in Winnie the Pooh, Little Marie Antionette in the opera Andrea Chenier as well as productions of Into the Woods, Chess and West Side Story.

 

Character's Bio: Cecily King

Cecily is the younger and quieter daughter of Alec and Janet King. She is more interested in farm work than her brother. As a result, Alec considers leaving King Farm to her after his death, knowing he will be leaving it in good hands.

Actor's Bio: Harmony Cramp

Harmony Cramp’s first major role in a television series was on Road to Avonlea. Prior to that, she appeared in the feature film The January Man, in which she was saved from a burning building by Kevin Kline; and in an episode of the CTV series The Campbells. Eventually, Harmony would leave Road to Avonlea and be replaced by actress Molly Atkinson, who would complete the series as Cecily King and later appear in An Avonlea Christmas.

 

Character's Bio: Jasper Dale

Jasper Dale is perhaps the most eccentric resident of Avonlea. His shy awkwardness and fantastic inventions often make him the subject of ridicule by the other townspeople. But after Sara Stanley befriends the stumbling genius, and he gains the affections of Olivia King, Jasper becomes more sure of himself.

Actor's Bio: R.H. Thomson

R.H. Thomson is one of Canada’s busiest and most accomplished stage and film actors. He has won every major Canadian award – a 1989 Gemini Award for his portrayal of Dr. Frederick Banting in the CBC mini-series Glory Enough for All, a Genie Award for If You Could See What I Hear and a Dora Mavor Moore Award for his stage work in the Toronto Free Theatre production of Hand to Hand. Thomson’s incredible dramatic range is heightened by an extraordinary command of physical characterization, a skill he utilizes to great affect in portraying the awkward inventor Jasper Dale. His more recent credits include roles in Chloe and The Englishman’s Boy – for which he received a Gemini Award nomination in 2008.

 

Kevin Sullivan: Executive Producer, Writer, Director

Kevin Sullivan is the President of Sullivan Entertainment Inc. which he and his partner, Trudy Grant, founded in 1979. Internationally recognized as one of the leading producers of high quality entertainment and renowned for his directorial ease with children and top performers, Mr. Sullivan has achieved myriad accolades and awards over the past two decades. His ability to consistently produce top-notch entertainment as well as to attract big name stars has enhanced the image of Sullivan Entertainment throughout the world.

Under Mr. Sullivan’s guidance Sullivan Entertainment has developed a distinctive brand of story-telling. Lavish productions that are emotionally compelling and entertaining have become the hallmark of the company Mr. Sullivan founded more than 20 years ago.

 

 

Trudy Grant: Co-Executive Producer

Trudy Grant is the President of Sullivan Entertainment International, which she founded in 1981. Through her leadership, the company has emerged as a major player in the world marketplace and particularly in the television arena.

Her involvement in distribution prompted her to form Sullivan Entertainment International to better administer the Sullivan product. The company’s penetration into many of the world’s less accessible markets makes it one of the few companies that can truly be considered international, having developed key relationships with buyers and financiers for various co-productions. One of Ms. Grant’s main achievements is the sale of the mini-series “Anne of Green Gables” to more than 120 countries around the globe.

Ms. Grant has evolved into the guiding light behind the company’s financial success. By strategically maximizing financial opportunities, Ms. Grant has built a very successful international business around the Sullivan brand.

 

Fiona McHugh: Writer

In addition to writing a number of episodes in the first and second season, Fiona McHugh is credited with developing the series Road to Avonlea. An additional writing credit includes another film from the Sullivan Entertainment Library, Lantern Hill.

Don McBrearty: Director

Don McBrearty directed thirteen episodes in the earlier seasons of Road to Avonlea. He would then direct a number of titles from the Sullivan Movie Library including Butterbox Babies and a few episodes of Wind at My Back. Don’s recent credits include directing episodes of the Canadian television show Heartland.

 

Heather Conkie: Writer

Heather Conkie’s credits include the Canadian television show Heartland, and the Emmy Award-winning made-for-TV movie Beethoven Lives Upstairs. She has also been credited as a producer, actress and composer.

 

John Welsman: Composer

John Welsman has won four Gemini Awards in recognition of his compositions for Road to Avonlea, and has been nominated an additional six times for his work on the programs Borrowed Hearts, Marie Curie: More Than Meets the Eye, Stolen Miracle and Kevin Sullivan’s By Way of the Stars. Some of Welsman’s countless other credits include War of the Worlds, Lantern Hill and more recently, My Friend Rabbit, Nurse Fighter Boy and The Mighty Jungle.

 

Perri Gorrara: Art Direction

An award-winning art director and production designer, Perri joined the crew of Road to Avonlea in its earliest days to work on 13 episodes of the show. Having won a Gemini Award for Best Production Design or Art Direction in 1989 for the dramatized documentary Glory Enough for All, starring R.H. Thomson as Dr. Frederick Banting, Perri went on to win another one in 1994 for the dramatic program, I’ll Never Get to Heaven. Since then, Perri has been nominated an additional two times for her work on the series Emily of New Moon.

 

Harvey Frost: Director

Harvey Frost directed a number of episodes throughout the Road to Avonlea series, including the Season 7 episode, “From Away” that stars Ryan Gosling. He also directed a few episodes of Wind at My Back, as well as the original Beverly Hills, 90210 and the original Melrose Place.

 

Madeleine Stewart: Costume Designer

Madeleine’s authentic costume designs for the cast of Road to Avonlea have not gone unnoticed. In 1995, her work on the episode “Strictly Melodrama” earned her an Emmy award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Series. She was also nominated the following year for the episode “What a Tangled Web We Weave” and received two Gemini Award nominations for her designs in 1995 and 1996. Since then, Madeleine has worked as a costume designer for Earth: Final Conflict, The Murdoch Mysteries, Painted Angels and Custody.

 

The Journey Begins

When Montreal industrialist Blair Stanley is indicted for embezzlement, he sends his 10-year-old daughter Sara to the small town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, where she lives with her two aunts, Hetty and Olivia King.

 

The Story Girl Earns Her Name

Sara and the children of Avonlea public school try to raise money for new books for the school's library. After a traveling swindler runs off with the proceeds, it is up to the children to come up with the funds again. Jasper Dale, the town recluse who is painfully shy, comes to the rescue and Sara gets the donation of a lifetime.

 

The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham’s

Circumstances throw Rachel Lynde, the most disagreeable woman in Avonlea, and Alexander Abraham, the most disagreeable man in Avonlea, along with Sara and Felix, in close quarters while waiting out a Small Pox outbreak. Everyone learns not to take things on face value, and Sara teaches everyone a lesson in making friends.

 

The Materializing of Duncan McTavish

Fans of Anne of Green Gables will remember Marilla Cuthbert getting on Anne's case for her wild imagination. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. During a gossip session within the town's Sewing Circle, Marilla feels pressured into making up a tale about having a former beau. However, the tale actually seems to come true, much to her chagrin. And now the town gossips have a lot more to say about Marilla’s spotless reputation.

 

Old Lady Lloyd

The King cousins are walking through the woods when Felix throws a rock through the window of the Old Lloyd house. When Lady Lloyd springs out of the door in response, the cousins run away. However, Sara falls and is caught by Lady Lloyd and brought into her house. Here, Sara learns bits and pieces about the old woman and discovers that she is much more than she seems. Then, when Sylvia Gray comes to visit her old friend Olivia, Lady Lloyd sees something in Sylvia's face that reminds her of her past ... but what?

 

The Proof of the Pudding<

When Janet and Alec King, as well as Hetty, leave town for a while, Felicity is left in charge of siblings, as well as Sara. However, her “know-it-all” attitude provokes instant mayhem.

 

Aunt Abigail’s Beau

Instead of taking care of a husband, Janet King’s spinster sister, Abigail Ward, has funneled her energies into being a meticulous homemaker. But things may change when her former beau, Malcolm McEwan, returns to Avonlea after a seven-year absence. He has returned to make good on a promise: Abigail's father would not allow the two to marry until Malcolm made a fortune, which he has now made in Yukon gold. Malcolm now wants to marry Abby, as he calls her. But Abigail is in a quandary. She likes having the attention of a man, but realizes that she and Malcolm are extremely opposite in personality (he’s loud and brash, she’s overly meticulous). Abigail fears that she will lose her independence and that, if she truly does fall in love with him again, he may run off like he did seven years ago. Malcolm's return not only affects Abigail, but Alec, who is feeling restless about the choices he's made in life.

Special Guest Star: Rosemary Dunsmore

 

Malcolm and the Baby

A former pupil of Hetty's and her husband die, leaving a baby and plenty of property behind. However, the couple never wrote a will. Hetty and Rachael Lynde then battle over who will care for the child, but Sara and Felicity have a better idea. They have found the perfect couple to adopt the child. The couple just doesn’t know it yet.

 

Conversions

When two residents of Avonlea unexpectedly attend church, the town treats is as a scandal. Peter, who is the King’s handy boy and a Methodist, and the “Witch of Avonlea”, Peg Bowen, are treated with extreme hostility. This episode takes a look at the theme of intolerance and teasing, and the fact that people are not always what they seem. When influenza takes a hold on two children, it is the town’s outcast, Peg, who comes to the rescue.

 

Felicity’s Challenge

Judson Parker, a candidate in PEI’s provincial election, is passing through Avonlea a week before the election is behind held. He is trying to buy his way to an election win. Some of the Avonlea voters see through his tricks. However, there are those that get caught up in his manipulation. Meanwhile, it's Harvest Festival time, and the children in particular are looking forward to the party. Felicity is sure she will win best costume, as she does every year. Clemmie, who does like harvest time, has trouble enjoying the party because of her shyness. Sally and Jane have been talking negatively about Clemmie behind her back to Felicity and Sara. But Felicity doesn't stand up for her friend so she can stay in Sally and Jane's good books. Thinking she's doing Clemmie a favor, Felicity agrees to a bet with Sally about transforming Clemmie into the belle of the party. Despite Sara's vows that Felicity's plan will ultimately end up hurting Clemmie, Felicity goes ahead with her transformation without letting Clemmie know its real purpose.

 

The Witch of Avonlea

Felix is caught in a violent snowstorm and forced to take refuge in a cottage belonging to Avonlea’s witch.

 

The Blue Chest of Arabella King

The King's Aunt Arabella has just passed away. Her blue chest has sat in the King’s attic for fifty years and she asked that it be opened only after her death. She left it there when she left Avonlea for good shortly after her fiancé committed suicide the day before their planned wedding. There is great anticipation amongst the family members, who expect treasures in the chest. But what they find is primarily moth-eaten wedding mementos. Sara is certain that there is more - why would Arabella forbid the chest to be opened otherwise? And she indeed does find something hidden in the chest, something that most would not consider a treasure except someone with an imagination, like Sara. Meanwhile, Olivia, who has been badmouthed by Hetty for frittering away her life, applies for a job writing for the Avonlea District Chronicle newspaper. The newspaper is in financial straits, but Mr. Tyler, the newspaper's owner, hires her on a trial basis on the condition that she makes good on her promise to find exciting local stories and a photographer for her stories. Sara can see the interest that Jasper Dale is showing in Olivia and is certain he will do Olivia the favor of being her photographer, despite his shyness. Indeed, he does agree. Jasper thinks that Sara's discovery in the blue chest is newsworthy, but Olivia and Sara will have to do some more investigative work to uncover the full story. Mr. Tyler, however, seems to have a problem with this specific story. But he is reluctant to divulge the reason.

 

Nothing Endures But Change

Blair Stanley makes an unexpected visit to Avonlea. He brings good news: his trial has concluded and he has been acquitted. However, his business has to be rebuilt and he has much work to do. He plans is to take Sara back to Montréal the next morning - his haste being fueled by his strained relationship with Hetty. Upon meeting again, time has not healed any wounds between the two. Sara is happy to see her papa, but is saddened to leave Avonlea, especially since she will be missing the skating festival. But what's worse is that if she and Blair leave with Blair still on strained terms with Hetty, Sara will never return to Avonlea and never see her King relations ever again. Sara decides that she should have some say in what happens to her own life. Meanwhile, a bond seems to be forming between Olivia and Jasper beyond their professional collaboration at the newspaper. Hetty is afraid that she will lose both Olivia and Sara in one fell swoop.