Local Students Among 66 in 'Annie' Musical Performances

For the past several weeks, students, other West County students and select adults have prepared a summer production of a family favorite musical: Annie. Six performances are available, starting Friday. The show is produced by Spotlight Productions, a self-funded community theatre created in 1997 and sponsored by Rockwood's Community Education program.

This summer's show will be hosted at , 2351 Clarkson Rd., Chesterfield. The production is 2 hours, 15 minutes, with one intermission.

Show times are:

7:30 p.m. July 13, 14, 20 and 21.
2 p.m. July 15 and 22.

Advance Tickets: Children 12 and under, $10/Adults, $15
At The Door Tickets: Children 12 and under, $12/Adults, $17

Children younger than 3 years old are free as long as they are in the lap of another ticket holder. Discounts are available if ordering 15 tickets or more, regardless of whether ticket order is for one performance or spread across multiple performances. Visit Rockwood's Community Education website to purchase tickets online.

The award-winning Broadway version of Annie was inspired by comic strips that ran for 86 years.

Annie is a spunky Depression-era orphan determined to find her parents, who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and finds a new family and home in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

This show features a cast of 66, and includes familiar songs, such as "Tomorrow" and "It's a Hard Knock Life."

Annie will be played by 11-year-old Leah Forst on July 13, 14 and 15, and then by 12-year-old Madison Lay on July 20, 21 and 22. Forst and Lay are both students at  , Ellisville.

The cast also includes performers Creve Coeur resident Phil Nuetzel as Oliver Warbucks; resident Michelle Farmer as Miss Hannigan; student Chase Shelton as Rooster; student Annie Zigman as Lily; Parkway South High student Brooke Fortner as Grace; student Madeline Hewgley as Molly; student Lauren Wood as Pepper; St. Clair of Assisi student Catherine Messina as Duffy; student Riley Walsh as July; St. Clair of Assisi student Emily King as Tessie; Holy Infant student Kaley Bender as Kate; and parent Jason Mehrtens as Franklin D. Roosevelt.

For a complete listing of the Annie summer cast, see PDF that accompanies this article.

The show is directed by Sherry Liliensiek, with the musical direction by Tali Liddell and choreography by Mary Fedak.