Yesterday Den and I spent a most amazing afternoon at the matinee of Annie, Jr., put on by the Christian Youth Theater Chicago, (CYT)… Our oldest (and so far, only) granddaughter was in the production…and let me just say, it was a very professional production!! These kids put on a performance of major adult theater quality! It was held at Oswego High School East auditorium, which is one of the newest schools in the area, and is like being in a Chicago theater. The lighting, costumes, stage sets….sooooo beautiful and impressive. The programs they handed out were amazing too, with photos of every single child who was in the production, which were 93 amazing kids, and 1 well trained Labradoodle as Annie’s dog, Sandy.
This theater group is made up of kids from the Fox Valley area, age 8 through 17. They have to audition for their parts, and have to be able to sing and dance fairly well. They all get drama, voice and dance lessons when they join CYT. We were not allowed to take photos once inside the auditorium, though I was really tempted to get a few clicks with my Kodak during the performance…But that would have gotten me thrown out of the place, (which was filled to capacity), embarrassing my granddaughter,” Who was that old lady who got tossed out , screaming , kicking and clutching her camera?”…you get my drift. I did get some pictures at the “meet and greet” afterward…
The above very talented young lady in red played Annie…Her real name is Lucy, and, believe it or not, she is only 12 years old…sings like a bird and acts like a veteran, and she dyed her brown hair red for this role. Taylor is 11 and had 2 smaller roles. She was part of the Hooverville dancers and singers, and also the NYC dancers and singers…She is her first year in this theater group, but loves the “stage” thing, and I’m sure she will continue…
The next photo is the young man who played Daddy Warbucks…awesome!!
His real name is Alex. He is 17 years old, and he actually did to have a head of thick , black curly hair..He shaved his head for this role..talk about dedication! And the next character is the young girl who played Miss Hannigan, the crabby, mean headmistress of the orphanage…Her real name is Ashley, and she absolutely carried the show!
I am quite sure we will be seeing her on the Chicago theater stage someday..She was great as a frumpy, mean, spinster-like character who hated her job as head of the orphanage and made their lives miserable…”It’s a Hard Knock Life!”..
At the end, they whole cast ended up onstage to sing “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow”, and grandma (me) ,was a snot nosed, teary eyed ,mascara running mess. Actually, I blubbered, (quietly), several times..The talents of these kids moved me more than I had ever planned..They got 2 curtain calls with standing ovations…What a wonderful experience for these kids…
Tonight the same theater group is having what they call Showcase..This is where each class of kids, drama, vocal, dance, puts on a little production showcasing their talents…This is free and for family only….I can’t wait to see this!!! I think it is a smaller venue, and I HOPE I can take pictures…..As you may have guessed, I will blog tomorrow about that! Hey, bear with me…I am a proud Grandma!!!
We sure can not tell how proud you are grandma!!I think its great and you should be proud you and Dennis are very lucky and blessed..
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