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Terrace Ridge School presents Annie

They sang, they danced, they warmed audiences’ hearts with the classic tale of Annie.
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TOMORROW – Annie

They sang, they danced, they warmed audiences’ hearts with the classic tale of Annie.

The production may be over with, but Terrace Ridge School’s latest musical theatre production Annie was truly magical.

The students from Grade 6, 7 and 8 earned a valuable experience in not only performing in the musical production, but also behind the scenes in lighting, props and sound.

Annie, a theatre classic beloved by those of all ages, follows the journey of Annie, an orphan, who does not know her parents. She runs away from her orphanage, returns by police presence, only to be whisked away to spend Christmas with Oliver Warbucks, a millionaire.

“It really was an amazing show,” said co-director and production manager Pat Jenkins. “The audiences were so appreciative and all the students were very professional.”

Jenkins said the students received a standing ovation after each performance, something that made the students beam with pride.

The students auditioned this past December, in both singing and acting categories.

The directing team then analyzed who they thought would be the best fit for the roles. After selections were made, scripts were distributed before Christmas break and practices began early in January.

The cast was then divided up into two groups, A and B, which both performed four shows for the general public from March 9th to March 14th.

“We wanted more children to be able to showcase their talents, so that’s why we had two casts,” said Jenkins.

With a total of 70 students involved in the production, each student played a very important role, either as a cast member or in the background, in makeup, backstage set up, lighting or sound.

A community volunteer helped set up the sound and lighting equipment and then provided the students with training on how to operate the system for the shows.

Annie was the ninth musical theatre production put on by the school, a tradition dating back to the early 2000s.

The first production the school produced was A Christmas Carol, but they switched over to the spring season for planning purposes.

Jenkins said the selection committee sat down and previewed a few scripts, and after a vote, settled on Annie, even though the school had produced Annie previously. “This is the first one we’ve redone,” she said.

The school had a majority of the props and costumes still available for the students to use.

Jenkins said it’s possible the school may revisit some of the other classic musical theatre productions they’ve shown over the past few years.

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