At Woodside Primary Academy on 23rd and 24th March, a motley crew of talented school kids and adults put on a spectacular immersive production of the classic American musical Annie
By Marco Marcelline
The curtains rise on a chaotic scene in an orphanage, where Annie and other orphans live miserably under the tyrannical watch of Miss Hannigan, who spends her days drinking and giving gruelling chores to the children in her care.
Annie’s misery is somewhat shortlived, as she is brought into the care of millionaire Warbucks (played convincingly, in the show we saw, by Walthamstow local Penny Dampier, American accent and all). Longing to find out if Annie’s parents are still alive, Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward which sees them visit the dizzy heights of the White House.
The immersive nature of the production means each of the five scenes happen in different parts of the school; an assembly hall became an orphanage, while various classrooms were either Miss Hannigan’s smoky boudoir, a radio studio, Warbucks’ mansion, and the Oval Office.
As we traipse from room to room in between scenes, the production doesn’t stop and wait for us. At one point a gaggle of kids playing reporters standing outside the White House (a maths classroom) ask us if we’ve seen the president, while earlier on, the dynamic crew skillfully take on the challenge of playing salesmen trying to sell us toothpaste.
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With a total of 18 performances over two days, the effort took around 170 schoolchildren and adults as well as 50 crew all local to Waltham Forest to put together. Three different sets of leads enabled this ‘promenade’ piece of theatre to work.
The Walthamstow production was led by husband and wife team Max and Ruth Peters, who were inspired by their own experiences of taking part in community theatre when they were young.
Speaking about Annie, Max said: “The production really is a labour of love for everyone involved and is such a great opportunity for local kids and grown-ups to experience working together to put on something they can be proud of.
Many people don’t get the chance to take part in drama and music because of the cost, so it’s really important to us that our show is free for everyone involved.”
You can donate to the Walthamstow Community Production’s GoFundMe here
For more photos of the production, follow @pennydampier on Instagram
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