When opening night for Annie! The Musical arrives, the community-at-large will have made a huge impact on one of the world's best-loved musicals.
More than 30 actors and technicians from the Marietta community — ranging in age from 6 to 60 — will be involved in the production. And it only seems fitting.
“The theme of our season this year is ‘Of, For, & By Our Community.’ We invited the public to be a part of our academic production season to strengthen our ties with local community theatre groups, to make new connections with our neighbors, and to share in the dynamic learning that happens each year in the Hermann Fine Arts Center,” said Andy Felt, Associate Professor of Theatre. “Community members have been featured in all of our productions this year, and Annie is no exception.”
Felt added that local theatre-goers will recognize Mitch Mazaher as Daddy Warbucks and Lyanna Smith as the titular orphan.
“Marietta College’s campus community can expect to see Professor Marshall Kimball as FDR as well as Director of the Legacy Library Dr. Douglas Anderson in a cameo role,” Felt said. “We want all community members to know that we consider them an integral part of our department and sincerely hope they understand that The Theatre at Marietta College is theirs as much as it is ours.”
Annie opens at 7 p.m., Friday, April 6, at Marietta College’s Friederich Theatre. There will also be performances at 1 and 7 p.m., Saturday, April 7, and again at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 8. Ticket prices are $15 for general admission, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for students.
The final performance will be held at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 14th, at the beautiful Peoples Bank Theatre, 222 Putnam St., Marietta. Ticket prices range from $15-$25.
Joelle Loeber ’15 is one of the community members who will be performing in Annie, and she is excited to be on the Peoples Bank Theatre stage.
“I had the privilege of performing at PBT during the show Oklahoma. Being a Marietta native, it’s such a cool experience to be able to perform in such a historic venue," Loeber said. "The main reason (I’m doing Annie) is because my dear friend Aurora Held-Dodd is the director. “I have worked with her on a few shows in the past, and it's always been a great time. She is an incredible director, choreographer, and performer and it's an honor to be in anything with her name on it. Another reason I was interested in returning is because Annie is SUCH a great musical, I love the music and the story as a whole.”
Loeber is confident the audience will love the mixture of the College and community on stage.
“It’s always exciting to hop back into a performance after you haven’t done it in a while,” Loeber said. “Learning lines, music and choreography always keep me on my toes. Not to mention, my boyfriend (Dakota Cornett) has also been cast in Annie, so it’s always a blast being able to perform with him up on stage.”