Gesa Power House Theatre launches the new Walla Walla Summer Stage Series with two musicals scheduled for Summer 2018. First up is Annie, with performances July 27 through August 5. The production will include modernized choreography and other updates to that will give audiences a fresh perspective to the well-known tale. The cast includes a crew of Walla Walla’s youngest actors as Annie’s orphan friends, as well as local and regional talent in other roles.
Annie is directed by former New York director and Walla Walla native Tyson Kaup (The Last Five Years, Cabaret), who graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has acting and production experience in film, television, Off-Broadway, and many regional theaters around the country. Kaup says he gravitated towards Annie because of its youthful optimism and hopes that seeing young children being hopeful about the future will help the audience move towards a more positive mindset.
Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, "Annie" has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The book and score by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse, and Martin Charnin includes popular hits such as "Hard Knock Life" and "Tomorrow."
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC, and finds a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.
The cast of Annie is as follows:
ANNIE - Abigayle Rolfe
OLIVER WARBUCKS - Thomas Beebe
MISS HANNIGAN - Jimmy Vaughan
GRACE FARRELL - Cari Wilton
ROOSTER - Daniel Rose
LILY - Chanel Finnie
MOLLY - Mae Blethen
KATE - Frances Lastoskie
TESSIE - Sydney Bridgeland
JULY - Claire Marr
PEPPER - Catie Allen
DUFFY - Libby Drabek
GERTRUDE - Caroline Blethen
ENSEMBLE:
Nathan Loomer
Anthony Ochoa
Peter Hoffman
Romey Drabek
Amanda Loney
Lola Bloom
Alyssa Shenefield
Musicians:
Bryson Jacob (VIOLIN)
Collin Iedema (REED)
Skyler Mendell (TRUMPET)
Rachel Prull (BASS)
Carson Schmidt (KEYBOARD)
Paul Vandervort (TROMBONE)
Thorin Zanger (DRUMS)
Performance schedule:
July 27 - 7:00 p.m.
July 28 - 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
July 29 - 2:00 p.m.
Aug. 3 - 7:00 p.m.
Aug. 4 - 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Aug. 5 - 2:00 p.m.
Reserved seating tickets ($35-$25 Adults; $20 Students; $15 Youth 17 and under) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500. For group ticket sales, please call 509-876-1662.
Beer and wine will be available for purchase, and may be taken into the theater. Outside food and beverages are not allowed.
