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Fairview seventh-, eighth-graders to stage ‘Annie Jr.’ at WCU
By Emily Elders
It’s been a little like a “Hard-Knock Life” for Fairview Elementary School’s seventh- and eighth-graders, giving up two months of their Saturday mornings and snow days for hours of play practice.
But it will be more like “Easy Street” when they take the stage this weekend at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10, to put on their version of the classic musical “Annie.”
Fairview’s production, “Annie Jr.,” is a condensed one-hour version of the popular story of Little Orphan Annie and her quest to find her real parents in Depression-era New York City. The score features well-known songs like “It’s a Hard-Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” and, of course, the ever-hopeful “Tomorrow.”
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Fairview seventh- and eighth-graders will take to the stage this weekend in “Annie Jr.,” a one-hour version of the popular musical, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10, in Western Carolina University’s Hoey Auditorium. The student cast and crew have dedicated two months of Saturday mornings to practice, and include, from left, Alyssa Walawender, Briana Preston, Devan Youmans, Ariel Malec, Allie Garrett and Angelica Yanez. The production tells the story of a Depression-era orphan on a quest to find her parents after her upbringing in a New York City orphanage. Tickets for this year’s production are $3 in advance and $4 at the door, and free for children under 3. For more information, contact director April Bryson or assistant director Sara White at Fairview at 586-2819.
This week, the halls of Fairview’s seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms aren’t quiet with studying students – at least, not all the time. Music, period costumes and scripts line the walls, while students sing, dance and read lines, packing in as much practice as they can get before this weekend’s shows.
Director April Bryson says “Annie Jr.,” which will be staged in Western Carolina University’s Hoey Auditorium, promises to be one of the highlights of Fairview’s years of theater.
“We’re really excited about doing ‘Annie,’” she said. “There’s a lot of interest and talent in this group of kids.”
A trio of student musicians, Jodi Bruegger (piano), Spencer Bradley (drums), and Ian Youmans (bass guitar), will provide music for the show under the guidance of former Fairview music teacher and violinist Amanda Stewart. Fairview teachers and parents have volunteered their time, including set designer Gayle Woody, choreographer Natasha Wilson, stage managers Kim Jones and Laura Terry, costumer Pam Cabe, tech crew leader Ken DeRico and properties managers Carleen Parham and Lisa Wilson.
The energetic crew of volunteers is what makes the production so much fun, according to Bryson.
“We couldn’t do it without everyone coming together this way,” she said. “Everyone’s got something to contribute, and they’re all so willing to help with everything.”
Volunteer work is how the show must be done, since Fairview doesn’t have a drama teacher, a class or a stage to play on. But Bryson thinks the lessons learned are worth the extra effort it takes.
“The best thing is that we get to teach through the performance,” she said. “Hoovervilles, families after the Depression, and the era itself aren’t concerns that today’s middle-school students can easily relate to. This gives them a great way to remember what they’re learning.”
The 25-student cast features Sara Larcher as Annie, Caleb Parham as Oliver Warbucks, Sheridan Wilson as Warbucks’ secretary Grace, Devan Youmans as the dog, Sandy, Sarah Cochran as Miss Hannigan, and Samantha Bryson and Matt Jones as the team of Lily St. Regis and Rooster Hannigan.
“It teaches the kids a lot about responsibility,” said Bryson. “To have an entire group depending on you to show up means that you learn how to keep your commitments.”
It takes these roles and several orphans, house staff and even a president to make the show work, said Bryson, and every one is important.
“The short amount of time and the fact that we don’t have understudies means that the kids not only learn responsibility, but that they get a lot of confidence out of it,” she said. “That feeling of accomplishment may not be there on Saturday mornings, but when it comes together this final week, they can really feel proud of something.”
More than the history lessons or the new knowledge of theater the students get from the show, Bryson hopes they enjoy the atmosphere the most.
“It’s something like being brothers and sisters, when you spend this much time with a group of people,” she said. “The bond formed in this kind of family atmosphere just can’t be found anywhere else.”
And for the teachers and parents involved? Bryson says it’s the same kind of feeling.
“It helps me remember what’s really important about being a teacher,” she says. “The impact on the kids outside of the classroom helps me not lose sight of the fact that I teach children instead of subjects.”
Tickets are on sale now and are $3 in advance or $4 at the door, and free for children under 3. For more information, call Bryson or associate director Sara White at Fairview at 586-2819.
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