| About Us |
The Raggedy Ann Revival Effort (or R.A.R.E.) is an online volunteer effort dedicated to preserving, archiving, and eventually reviving the 1986 Broadway musical Raggedy Ann.
R.A.R.E. began officially in Feburary of 2021, when our founder Gwyn discovered the video Looking Back on the Raggedy Ann Musical (On Screen and Stage) by Colin LooksBack. The show had had a small cult following for years, and this was not the first attempt to uncover it. Seasoned internet archivists Garrett Gilchrist and Vinnie Rattolle spent some time on the project, with previously unpublished demo tracks being uploaded to Vinnie's channel in 2013. These demos sparked interest in the show, and soon other fans began searching as well. Such as Mckenah Rose, who made early contact with the show's actors and is still an active part of the search today, along with Garrett and Vinnie. Other fans had discovered a script avaliable for request from a New York archive, but it seemed as more people requested they began to tighten their grip on the material.
In 2020, the Colin LooksBack video was released and soon another video was posted by another creator going over the script mentioned above. Many early members of R.A.R.E. can attribute their involvement due to these two videos alone!
Since its creation, R.A.R.E. has uncovered scripts, sheet music, photos, and video from various public and private archives thanks to the help of our dedicated group. We hope to use these materials to get people interested in the show itself, and are publishing as much as we can. Through the multiple scripts, as well as cast and creator interviews and numerous photos, we hope to pick out where the show went right and where it went wrong, to someday revise and put on a production ourselves!
I assure you we are serious, though patient, in our endeavor. We have created a good relationship with the Raposo estate, the Gibson estate, and members of the Raggedy Ann collectors communuty who are close with the Gruelle family, who we hope to gain approval from.
| Appearances |
Links to videos featuring RARE members or made with our input
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RARE Livestream - Organizer Q&A
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Revival Effort Speech at Raggedy Ann Rally Banquet 2023
Gwyn Gaunt and Brooklyn Williams were asked to give a speech about the musical, RARE-- how we began and our goals, at the Raggedy Ann Rally Banquet in Arcola, IL."
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Raggedy Ann Revival Effort Q&A - hosted by Garrett Gilchrist (3-3-2022)
RARE organizers Gwyn, Ronnie, and Brooklyn answer questions from Garrett and the chat about digging up lost media, the lesser-known details of the early productions, and the effort's plans for a revival script. Garrett is a lost media archivist and restorer who has worked on countless projects including the 1977 Raggedy Ann and Andy film. This work led to him researching the Raggedy Ann musical along with fellow archivist Vinnie Rattolle; together building the foundation for RARE’s beginnings."
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Update on the Raggedy Ann Musical: FOUND MEDIA!
An update to Colin LooksBack's video from three years ago, Looking Back on the Raggedy Ann Musical (On Screen and Stage), now that the full show has been found.
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Lost Media Found in 2021 | blameitonjorge
| Interviews |
Part of our reaserach into the Raggedy Ann musical involves contacting and interviewing any of the original cast members who are interested in talking to us!
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Interview with Gail Benedict by the Raggedy Ann Revival Effort (3-19-2022)
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Highlights from Michelan Sisti’s talk with the Raggedy Ann Revival Effort (3-11-2022)
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Tricia Brooks' talk with the Raggedy Ann Revival Effort (7-28-2022)
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Scott Schafer surprises us with info on the early "circus version" of Raggedy Ann (4-27-2022)
All interviews are casual conversations, edited down by us. This footage was recorded and released with express permission from everyone involved. Full recordings exist within RARE’s archives, kept private at the request of its attendees. More footage may be avaliable on request for those interested in documenting the show or our progress, please email us with inquiries.