For the past years, the Middle School Drama Production has always been a part of Chadwick International’s annual rituals. Sometimes musicals and sometimes plays, the productions always brought memorable experiences, numerous challenges, and inseparable bonds for the directors, actors, staff, and audiences. On the 24th of August, it has been officially announced that 2023’s drama production will be ‘Annie Jr.’!
‘Annie Jr.’ is a world-wide famous musical performance, originally from Broadway. This production is the story of a bright and positive 13-year-old orphan, Annie, raised under an evil orphanage supervisor, Ms. Hannigan. Annie is invited by Grace, the secretary of Mr. Warbucks, a cold-hearted billionaire, to spend Christmas at Mr. Warbucks’s house in New York City. However, Mr. Warbucks starts to open his heart to Annie, and after numerous tries to find Annie’s parents, the musical ends with a heart-warming scene where Mr. Warbucks and Grace become Annie’s adoptive parents.
Mr. Wenny Masinde, the director of the MS Musical and the Middle School theater teacher, says that he was considering ‘The Little Princess’ as the MS musical, but decided on Annie Jr. because it included more music and performance. The most loved numbers of this musical are ‘Maybe’, ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Hard-knock Life’. ‘Maybe’ is a touching song the orphans sing, imagining life with their parents some of them have never even seen. ‘Hard-knock life’ is an energetic and humorous song that the orphans sing while cleaning the orphanage, showing fun and childhood even in the dark environment. Last is the all-time favorite of many audiences, ‘Tomorrow’, a hopeful and heartwarming song that conveys a message that no matter what challenges happen today hope for a better tomorrow will always exist.
The information session took place in room B107 (The MS Drama classroom) on August 30th, and auditions for the production were held from September 5th to 8th. The tech crew will work on aspects such as stage design, costume, makeup, lighting, and sound. Students who are interested in joining the pit band will audition in front of Mr. Sherd and play live for the soundtracks in the musical.
The auditions have happened and many middle schoolers have auditioned not only for the cast but volunteered to join the tech crew and the pit band. Students who are willing to take part in the musical but not on the stage have auditioned for the tech crew or the put band. The directors-in-training who are working with Mr. Wenny and Mrs. Brough to direct the best musical possible are Claire Kim (G8), Gabriel Kim (G8), Jeannie Kang (G8), and Sarah Kim (G8).
The musical production Annie Jr. will be performed from January 31 to February 2 in the following year, 2024. The cast, crew, and musicians will rehearse and practice after school and even on the weekends to perform the best production possible. Much attention and encouragement is being shown toward the actors, crew, and musician members, and the Middle Schoolers are looking forward to enjoying and being a part of the musical Annie Jr.!