by Georgia H. — Class 801
As you have probably heard, or seen, the Annie Jr. play was a great success! It was so so fun to be a part of as the audience reacted, laughed, gasped, and (I hope) enjoyed!
In the beginning, the auditions seemed so scary. I remember forgetting the words at first and my legs were shaking the entire time. But, everyone was so supportive, and after every song, no matter how good you were or how you felt about how you did, everyone would clap up a storm.
After auditions, everyone had their guesses of who would be who, and everyone was just so excited to see. Then, maybe a week or two later, we got the list! My email had some problems with the company, so I heard from Thalia Gerloff (Annie). She said “Congrats!” And I had no idea what she was talking about, but she sent me screenshot and my heart skipped a beat. I was Ms. Hannigan! So, immediately, rehearsals started. It was so exciting to be in a room with so many talented people! Some, I had known for 3 years and had seen their work, and some I had barely met and had blown my mind. To me, practices went by crazy fast and each one was more fun than the last! Everyone really grew into their character and it was amazing to see orphans, thieves, millionaires and more come to life!
Now, the last couple practices were very hectic. Not only did we have piles of homework and projects, but we were very nervous about the performance. But we got through it and people were louder, funnier, and bigger than ever! Then, the first performance came. We were ready, prepared, in character, and still really nervous. Right before the performance, we even made changes to a couple scenes! When I first got on stage, I had a problem. I smiled because all these people were staring at me. In that scene, and almost all scenes, I was supposed to be very angry. But I took a deep breath, and continued frowning. With everyone just backstage and singing along to all the songs, most of my fear went away and I turned the rest into energy. Almost in a second, the play was over. Which was insane because it was an hour and a half long. But then, possibly the best thing happened. When the play was over, people from the audience were allowed to come on stage and talk to us. Immediately, I saw this group of kindergarten girls walking towards me, and they were all dressed up and exited! They came over and took a picture with me, then one of them said “you were a really good orphans’ teacher.” No other compliment matched that one.
The second night was supposed to be the worst. But I thought that even with a smaller crowd, it was still so amazing. Taking pictures with all the kids and talking to people who I’d never met before was the reward for all the work that we had done, and it was worth it.
Thinking back to the play from now, I would absolutely do it again. So I really hope that I will be able to see next year’s and see how they can top it.
