Every year at my acting studio I have chosen to participate in two productions, and this year has been no exception.  In the fall and winter, I performed in my first teen musical, The Addams Family.  And this spring, I’ve been a part of my last junior production at the studio: Annie, Jr. 

Rehearsals began in the first week of February, and after auditions ended, I was cast as Grace Farrell, who is Mr. Warbucks’ private secretary. She’s the epitome of elegance and poise, and Grace is one of my favorite roles. I love getting to sing and have more emotional depth to my character than I did as the Wicked Witch of the West, for example. I have three songs with solos, and lots of stage time, which has been such a privilege. This is the first time since James & the Giant Peach that I’ve had a quick change backstage, and this one is fast! 

The junior productions have a big age range, so we have actors as young as 9 years old–and it’s been wonderful working with these younger kids. It’s strange going from working with teens in an environment where I’m one of the youngest to working with little kids and being one of the oldest. These kids are so talented, and every time I see them, I think back to me four years ago in my first junior show with my theatre, making friends and having fun. I’m so excited to be able to support these kids in the years to come by coming to their shows.

We’ve been rehearsing at our local studio for the past three months, but this week we moved to our performance theatre, with a set built just for our production.  Our set is an NYC skyline that acts as the backdrop for the show, with set pieces added and removed for each scene transition. The costumes for this show are gorgeous, and I especially love my second dress, pictured below (I’m the one in red!). Annie is set in the early 1930’s, and all of our props, from Miss Hannigan’s radio to FDR’s wheelchair, are period-accurate. 

Opening night is always full of emotions, and this one was no different. Annie is such a spectacular show, and I loved that this was my last junior show with my theatre. Our cast is fantastic, and I made so many new friends, including some people also auditioning for our next teen musical! This opening night may have been my best show yet. Our audience was stellar, especially this one older man who laughed at everything. It’s bittersweet that this is my last junior show, but I couldn’t have wished for a better cast or show than Annie. 

This summer, I’ll be working as a TA (teaching assistant) at my acting studio for a summer camp in June, and I’m so excited to get to work with some of these talented kids again!