By Olivia Bunter
After months of hard work and dedication, the students of John Paul College Kalgoorlie performed an effortless production of Annie, the musical of the little orphan red-head.
The school-wide production was performed from 17 to 18 May, with a cast of 39 students, who brought to life the classic story based on the popular Harold Gray comic strip, Little Orphan Annie.
A live orchestra supported the two-and-a-half hour show of singing, dancing, and acting.
John Paul College dance and drama teacher Teegan Dean told The Record that the production was a great success overall.
“Students and teachers found the experience to be a great learning opportunity and an outlet for creativity,” Ms Dean said.
“What really made the show was the live student band that accompanied the performances, it was inspiring to see both elements of music and performance come together.
“The majority of the cast were lower school, which is uncommon for whole school production. We hope that this means in the coming years these young students will continue to be a part of performance opportunities and they will only grow in skill and confidence,” she said.
The story is set in the 1930s, where young Annie lives in the Hudson Street Orphanage in New York City. The orphanage is managed by the cruel, amusingly tragic, Ms Hannigan.
After a visit from Grace Farrell, secretary to billionaire Oliver Warbucks, Annie is selected to live with Mr Warbucks, who later adopts Annie.
Ms Dean said the commitment and dedication of the students and staff at the College was admirable and shared her excitement to begin work on the next whole school production.
“At present we haven’t confirmed what we will be performing,” she said.
”However, High School Musical has been repeatedly requested by the students, so watch this space!
“Currently, students are working on NAIDOC week celebrations, which will be performed at our end of term assembly, where we are exploring the Stolen Generation in a series of spoken word poetry and dance. We are also rehearsing for the annual YOH Fest competition, in the areas of both dance and drama.”