Annie Jr ran for 2 days (19th and 20th of January) and was put on by BTA Schools. BTA Schools runs auditions for children to enter a chosen play. Selected children are then invited to weekly rehearsals for a term and at the end perform the play. Attracting a crowd of almost 500 in the Camberley Theatre, Annie was clearly a very popular performance. Annie Jr was a musical performed by actors and actresses ranging from the age of 6 to 16. 

The story of Annie is as follows: Living with an innocent sense of both positivity and love for all, Annie is an orphan living in 1930s New York City.  Despite being brought up in the orphan ran by evil Miss Hannigan for almost her entire life, Annie remains adamant that her parents left her at the orphanage by accident. After a failed attempt at escape, the wealthy billionaire Oliver Warbucks takes Annie in over the Christmas period. Despite her now living a life of luxury, Annie still couldn’t help her own desperate curiosity to discover who her parents were and so asked Mr Warbucks to find them for her. After searching across the entire country, it is revealed to everyone that Annie’s parents are dead, however Mr Warbucks steps in and becomes Annie’s father creating a happy ending for everyone. 

A personal highlight for me was the groups performance of the popular song “It’s a hard knock life.” The choreography matched the song perfectly as well as great voices from the cast. Another memorable moment of the performance was the incredible performance of a young child playing one of Annie’s friends at the orphanage. Her love of acting was evident throughout the musical as she brought a whole new level of energy to the performance. Amy (AT) acted the role of one of the servants who worked for Mr Warbucks said that “despite many weeks of hard work and preparation, the sense of relief and pride after the show, as well as the fun of being on the stage itself, made the work well worth it.” Audience members were “impressed by the young casts ability to pull off the musical with important topics such as growing up without parents, with such maturity.” The performance was performed with a high level of enthusiasm which perfectly captured the audience’s attention. The obvious enthusiasm really helped the musical come together and therefore made the time well worth it.