Donald Hugh Harron (1924– 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. He’s best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running country music series Hee Haw, on which he played his signature character of Charlie Farquharson. In 1956, Harron co-wrote the script for a television musical Anne of Green Gables. He later adapted the production for the stage in 1965 as Anne of Green Gables, The Musical, which continues to be performed annually during the Charlottetown Festival at the Confederation Centre. According to Harron in a 2008 interview with the Calgary Herald, the stage show has provided work for more than 10,000 actors since its inception.

Chilina Kennedy (b. 1978) was born in Oromocto, N.B. She’s the daughter of Vince, a lifelong army man, and Wendy, “a military wife who dabbled in theatre.” Chilina studied musical theatre at Sheridan College in Ontario. Before graduation, she won her first big role - the lead in Anne of Green Gables, The Musical, at the Charlottetown Festival. Kennedy says the role was “a gift.” In a Toronto Star interview in 2010, Kennedy says she threw herself into the role. “There was so much of my growing up in that role: the loneliness, the moodiness, the dramatic affectation, the desire for love. All me.” Her commitment caught the attention of Don Harron. He would call Chilina “the finest actress to ever play the part.” Kennedy made her Broadway debut as the lead in Beautiful - the long-running musical tribute to singer-songwriter Carole King. Kennedy has also appeared in numerous productions at the Stratford Festival in Ontario.