Rehearsals for the Blaine Lake Annie production are underway and the acts are beginning to come together. The musical rendition is directed and choreographed by Gillian Pearson and Michelle Dunning of Blaine Lake.
Excitement is brewing, not only, within the directors and cast but also the community as weekly rehearsals continue to grow the talents of the actors. The cast of approximately 15 adults and 12 children work cohesively to express the individual characters in the musical production. The costumes assist the actors in portraying the parts effectively. Orphans don torn and ragged clothing while adults zip into a variety of scene related attire.
The harmony of voices and personalities are incredibly impressive often sending shivers down one's body as one witnesses the unfolding of this spectacular production scheduled to be performed in July in Blaine Lake.
"The amount of talent within Blaine Lake and surrounding area residents is phenomenal," says Michelle Dunning, co-director. "It continues to grow weekly beyond our expectations."
"We have gone with a modern day Annie production," commented Gill. "We found a lot of parallels to the old 1930s rendition, so we just modernized the characters and settings," added Michelle.
Annie, played by a young girl from Hafford, is a fiery young orphan living in a miserable orphanage. She is selected to spend a short time at the residence of a wealthy man, Oliver Warbucks, played by a local adult. As the story unfolds, Annie charms her way into the hearts of many, creating a course of events that is sure to entertain the audience. Cast members include individuals from Leask, Marcelin, Hafford and Blaine Lake.
Gillian and Michelle are a dynamic duo taking their musical and drama experience to another level by sharing their skills with their cast and crew and creating this once-in-a-lifetime performance in Blaine Lake.
The lively duo will be accompanied by Jen Burton, who will be props and costume manager and Paula King as the stage manager. There will be numerous volunteers required for backstage, hair, makeup, lighting and sound.
Both Gillian and Michelle acknowledge the many elements of the production from stage design and acting to singing and choreography.
Evening performances of the Annie musical will be held July 11 through 14 in Blaine Lake.
