Acting Naturally

Richard's Writings > Acting Naturally > Annie

Synopsis of Annie

At first I didn't want to be in Annie. I didn't audition for the show because I loathed the video - which turns out to be quite different from the Broadway play. But in the end I was so glad I joined the cast, which included nine cast memebers from Scrooge, and kept growing the friendships born in my last play. It was lots of fun, and I had five terrific roles that kept me busy throughout.

Excerpt from Annie

Annie was easy for me, compared to Scrooge. I didn't feel like my characters were carrying the show; I didn't feel the same responsibility as I had before. I enjoyed my parts; I had no need to be the lead. I got to play a song and dance man, which was new for me, and a bit of a stretch. And in the rehearsals I was just one of the gang. I also had much more down time, time when I was not actively in the scene being rehearsed, which means I had time to hang out and get to know my fellow cast members better.

Once again, we had a great group of people, in what I will have to call the core group, plus another 30 little girls from age 6 through 12 who were the orphans. Most of these girls didn't seem to care much about the play, nor want to work hard, nor have aspirations to become actors; for them, this was just another organized activity, like cheerleading practice.

There were exceptions, of course, and those three or four exceptions were featured in the group dances and promoted to more important roles. For example, Becky decided to make Wacky, of the Burt Healy Show, a living manikin, and tiny little Rachel won that part, in addition to her "featured orphan" duties; in another case, the girl who played Pepper, one of the eight "main orphans," was dismissed for missing too many rehearsals, and she was replaced by Alisha.

Among the orphan ensemble it was easy to see who was pulling away from the pack, by virtue of work ethic and talent, and those such as Rachel and Alisha seemed to enjoy the whole experience more than the other girls, as well

 

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