October 11, 1996
'Annie' opens tonight
Turning a flurry of energy
into a polished production
ROBERT MOHL
News Editor
LITTLETON-- Ruth Morgan thrusts out a handful of dresses to carry back into
the theater.
"These are very hard to find," says the busy production manager as she
strings them up on hangers. The vintage clothing was donated to the Lakeland
Cultural Arts Center, whose newest play "Annie" opens tonight.
Director Doug Wright arrives and immediately goes into Lakeland promotion
mode, listing the virtues of the theater non-stop as he preps the stage for
tonight's dress rehearsal.
Moving quickly through the building he unlocks doors, zips up to the lighting
booth and checks the set. The theater does one dozen shows a year.
"We do what sells, that's mostly musicals and comedies," says Wright as he
starts a tour of the center, including the leaking storage building with the
collapsing roof.
"We are in dire need of repair," says Wright. "But we struggle on."
It's 6:45 p.m. and the orphans are coming in. Lots of orphans.
"The script calls for eight orphan girls," Wright says. "We have about 30."
Wright says he likes working with kids. Recruiting lots of children gets
parents involved in the arts center, and prepares a new crop of actors for shows
decades down the road.
The dressing rooms fill with a cacophony of young voices, punctuated by the
loud, mysterious thumps children always seem to make behind closed doors.
Each dressing room door has a dozen stars, made of yellow cardboard, adorning
it. The huge cast has overwhelmed the existing dressing rooms and a storage room
has been drafted to handle them.
The male actors stand around grousing about makeup, putting the necessary
step off to the last minute. Orphans in nightshirts sprint up and down the hall
while women cast members exchange costuming tips.
Jeff Daucher of Lawrenceville, Va. intently irons his shirt amidst the chaos.
"I just did laundry after a week of dress rehearsals," he explains. Among
Daucher's eight roles is, ironically, a laundry man.
Keep quiet, stop running
Cast call. Everybody is assembled into the hallway while Wright gives
instructions. Don't move off stage until the houselights are off. Don't mess with
other people's props. And stop running or somebody will get hurt.
And the girls have gone overboard on the makeup. The ruby red lips of the
orphans need to be toned down.
Thomas King of Henrico holds Breeze, who plays the role of Sandy, Annie's
dog. King and his family play supporting roles in addition to moving sets, but
this is Breeze's first role.
"He's a mutt, but he's smart," Thomas says. Should Breeze get stage fright,
there's a stuffed dog waiting in the green room as a stand-in.
The orphan girls, makeup tissued down, pass the time playing intricate
patty-cake games.
"It's real easy to make friends here," says Heather Shearin, 12, of Roanoke
Rapids. Heather is in her fourth show.
The worst part of acting? "I don't like messing up your hair to make you look
grungy and all," says Samantha Gregory, 9, of Emporia, Va.
Places. In single file the orphan girls walk to the stage. Not all of them
can fit on the wings, so those appearing in later scenes are kept in the green
room. Riding herd on them is Ben, Thomas King's son.
Showtime. There's singing and dancing on stage, but in the wings all is
quiet. Stage manager Pam King methodically reads the script, talking to the sound
and light crew on her headphones.
The scene changes and wayward bystanders are quickly moved so Anne Tomlinson
of Roanoke Rapids can strip and change backstage unobserved. Her daughter Katy,
4, is the youngest cast member.
Katy and the other orphans file off stage and a band of hobos move in for the
next number. After he's done herding the orphans, including his sister Hanna, 8,
Ben goes to fetch Breeze.
Acting families
Lead actors don't spend much time backstage during the show. Their time is in
the lights. Amber Fishel, 11, makes a brief appearance to get her Annie wig
adjusted and then rushes to her next scene.
Backstage belongs to the supporting cast. Intense, fast-moving extras dash in
and out of dressing rooms for quick changes. Girls from the orphanage scene mill
in the hallway, waiting for the next big number.
Warbuck's ten servants have now spent half the evening in formal wear,
waiting for their scene. Michael Kelly of Roanoke Rapids, who plays Daddy
Warbucks, dons an unconvincing bald wig.
"The real one is on order. I hope it gets here by tomorrow or it's BZZZT," he
says pantomiming a razor.
The $2 RevCo wig brings the house down. Warbuck's servants can't stop
laughing until he takes it off. That's why they hold rehearsals.
The director and Kelly discuss the missing wig. Kelly promises to shave his
head if it doesn't arrive in time.
Backstage his wife, Anna, wears a pained expression.
"I don't know if he'll go through with it," she says. "But anything for the
show."
Her daughters Kirsten, 8, and Sara, 10, are also in the play, making "Annie"
a family show in more ways than one. Seven families will be performing in "Annie"
Wright says.
Finished for now, the Warbucks staff goes to wait in the green room. Glenda
Hadden, 17, of Roanoke Rapids does stretching exercises in her French-maid
outfit.
"I play Annette, the maid and I'm also one of the Boylan sisters," says the
first-time actress. "Am I Ronnie, Bonnie or Connie?"
"I think you're Connie," replies Richie Portella, 17, of Roanoke Rapids.
Portella, in his third show, recruited Glenda for Annie. What roles does he play?
"None of my characters have names," he says in mock sobs. "I'm nameless!"
Not so La Nae Grimes of Roanoke Rapids. She plays Mrs. Greer, the
housekeeper. Her daughter Alicia, 8, is one of the ubiquitous orphans.
Why are so many mothers in the play?
"Mom gets stuck out here, so Mom goes and does something," says Grimes, who
is in her first play. She plans to do more. "It's a lot of fun," she says.
Stage fright?
"Ask me again on Friday," she says. "Fortunately you can't see much of the
audience."
Much of the hard work was done by costume designer Kathy Dikeman. How many
costumes in the play?
"Thousands," she says with a laugh. Her more precise count: 31 orphans, most
with two changes; 22 adults, a dozen of whom have three or more changes; Annie
has four, even the ventriloquist dummy got a new suit and tie.
Finally it's over. And the cast bursts into "Woos" of delight and chatter
while they wash off the makeup and change into street clothes. It's over.
The easy part. With no audience. No pressure.
The show opens at 8:15 tonight. Then the actors in amateur theater will pour
out their hearts. Project their lines. And, when it's over, bask in the applause.
(
geocities.com/rjmohl)