The little orphan Annie is coming to Sexsmith through a drama production at Sexsmith Secondary School.
The show is the first of its kind for the school, and Grade 12 student Adam Lozeron says the musical has been a long-time project between numerous fine arts programs at the school.
“This is our first year putting on a musical using the drama program so we’re taking the whole semester to pump out one big production that’s supposed to be as good quality as we can.”
Cherylin Garland, the 17-year-old lead starring as Annie, says the show is unique, as it will feature live music from the school’s senior band, which is uncommon for a musical. Garland says through joint practices with their fine arts colleagues, both the actors and musicians are confident in their experiment.
“It’s very classic Annie so you can expect the same classic songs- ‘Tomorrow,’ ‘Maybe,’ everything in there,” she says. “We’re using our senior high band to do most of our music instead of using the actual tracks for the music, and we’ve been working and practicing our songs with them to make it as good as we can be.”
“Our choreography is very 1930s, it brings out a lot of that character for a lot of us and I just really hope that all our hard work, especially with the music, pays off.”
In addition to the joint performance between the actors and band, other fine arts programs such as design and photography are involved through set and costume design and even taking headshots for the actors. Lozeron says the collaboration breeds a level of comradery between the arts.
“It creates a sense of family between the different fine arts groups, it’s kind of like everyone is coming together to create one cohesive project and it’s been incredible.”
The show is scheduled for January 14th at 2:00 p.m. and January 16th and 16th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 and children under five get in for free.