It's Showtime

Three county schools team up to present Annie at Onekama Cafetorium

Manistee News Advocate
Published: Wednesday, April 14, 2010

 

ONEKAMA -- When the curtain pops open on the production of “Annie” at the new Onekama Consolidated Schools cafetorium on Friday evening at 7 p.m. it will start a three-day run of one of the most popular musicals to ever grace the stage.

This production is another combined effort of the Onekama, Kaleva Norman Dickson and Bear Lake School systems that has been met with so much success over the past several years. Directors Amanda Harthun (Bear Lake), Kathy Joseph (Onekama) and Jackie Karnisz (KND) have put together another stellar production.

“There are so many people to thank who are responsible for the success of this show...who simply stepped up, stepped in, and delivered in big ways when we needed them,” said Harthun. “We have three adult guest actors who agreed to help us out by filling in some of the male roles. “Our high school actors simply could not be more personalities, and in some cases multiple genders throughout out the show. Students took on four or five roles, which make for fast costume changes and long hours studying lines and blocking.”

Playing the role of Annie is Claire Harvey, an eighth grade student at Onekama Middle School. She has participated in all the tri-school productions. Claire has also been in Ramsdell Theatre productions and has attended the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for choir for several years.

Dr. Ben Hengy is one of the three adult actors filling in a male role as Daddy Warbucks. He is a long time theater veteran and has appeared in numerous Ramsdell Theatre productions.

Taking on the role of Grace Farrell is Alicia Berryhill, a senior at Onekama High School. She has been on the stage many times in the tri-school productions and at the Ramsdell Theatre.  She is best remembered in the role of Glinda the Good Witch in last year’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

 

 
The role of Miss Hannigan will be played by Bear Lake High School senior Kaydee Swanson. She played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” last year and plans to major in musical theater/fine arts at Oakland University starting next year.

Bear Lake senior Molly Mansfield-Yaple will be portraying Rooster Hannigan for the show. Mansfield-Yaple has been in many plays and musicals at Bear Lake and the Ramsdell including the role of Lumiere in “Beauty and Beast” and the Lion from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Kaitlin Matesich, a senior at Bear Lake High School, will take on the part of Lily St. Regis. Her resume in theatrical productions is long including the part of Lefou in Beauty and the Beast, Mushu in Mulan and Mrs. Gultxch in The Wizard of Oz.

Taking on parts of the orphans will be Maci Podbilski, Madeline Smeltzer, Anna Brown, Alyssan Clarke, Kassie Hook, Louise Barnard, Yuki Babinec, Emily Hippensteel, Katelyn Feil, Kayla Feil, Makayla Feil, Makayla Spearman, and Katie Harrison.

Other parts are played by Devin Newsom (Bundles the Laundryman and Lt. Ward), Madalyn Harvey (Apple Seller), Aiden Mertes (Assistant Dog Catcher), Jonathan Wertheimer (Dog Catcher), and Jasper Hengy (Sandy the Dog).

Hooverville citizens include Joey Simo, Travis Mckenney, Jordan Lovell, Dane Mertes, Mariah Hunt, Becky Cunningham, Emily Barnard, Madaline Harvey, Jonathan Wertheimer, Yuki Babinec, Natalie Brown and Aiden Mertes.

Warbucks employees are Madalyn Harvey, Emily Barnard, Elizabeth Bergren, Katelyn Adams, Meredith Hengy, and Travis Mckenney.

The New York City Ensemble will be made up of Breann Buckner, Rachel Makowski, Kayla Feil, Taya Piscopink, Emily Hippensteel, Makayla Spearman, Travis Mckenney, Elizabeth Bergren and Katelyn Feil.

Other roles will be played by Emily Barnard (Star to Be and Harold Ickes), Elizabeth Bergren (Usherette and Cordell Hull), Travis Mckenney (Off Stage Radio Announcer), Byron Joseph (Bert Healy), Devin Newsom (Jimmy Johnson and FDR) Mariah Hunt (Henry Morgenthau), Becky Cunningham (Howe), and  Travis McKenney (secret service).

The show will also be held on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and children under the age of five are free.

Links to Past Tri-School
Musical Performances

Act 1 / Act 2 / Additional Photos / Annie, Off Stage / Rehearsal, page 1 / Rehearsal, page 2
 Biographies of Characters & Directors' Notes
Reviews by Fifth Graders

Onekama School Pages for 2009-1010:   Elementary  / Middle School  & High School

http://www.onekama.k12.mi.us leads to all pages since 1997