Quaker Valley Middle School students prepare to bring 'Annie Jr.' to the stage

Quaker Valley seventh grader Skylar Egbert bets her bottom dollar that the middle school’s upcoming performance of “Annie Jr.” will be a memorable one.

“We have a live dog and have a lot of amazing people in our cast, really focused people, kind people as well,” said Skylar, who plays Annie. “I think it will make it all the better of a show.”

The show is a condensed version of the full Broadway musical, which tells the story of “little orphan Annie” and her ordeal in Miss Hannigan’s 1930s New York City orphanage.

Some of the songs and dialogue are edited to make the show a little easier on a younger cast.

Skylar, 12, has performed in 10 shows in her young career, including some at Pittsburgh Musical Theater.

She said she really connects with Annie and it is a joy to perform with her fellow students.

“It’s a little stressful at times because you have a lot of lines, but it’s really fun,” Skylar said. “I don’t really get stage fright anymore because I’ve been on stage so much. It’s just so enjoyable to me to be on stage and see the people around me enjoying it as well. I always like to be really joyful and (Annie) is always the most joyful in the hard times.”

Evan Donaldson, 12, plays billionaire Oliver Warbucks. He is another young veteran of the stage, having performed in nearly 20 shows, including several at The Edgeworth Club.

He said Warbucks is a bit of a challenge due to his assertive nature. Evan said he is learning to act more authoritatively from his father, Doug Donaldson, who also performs at the club.

“I have to be the most demanding person on stage and command everyone,” Evan said. “I don’t really usually get to do (that). That’s kind of my dad’s job, an adult’s job. I go over the lines with my dad. It gives me a third opinion and someone who can really be open with me and tell me what I’m really doing wrong and what I’m doing really good. He gives me lots of suggestions.”

Annie is introduced to Warbucks by his secretary, Grace Farrell, who is played by seventh grader Elizabeth York.

“She is portrayed as a kind, graceful person,” Elizabeth said. “She helps everything with Annie in welcoming her into his lifestyle and making sure she’s having a great time. I love the music in the show, and we have a great cast this year. Everything is going really well. We’re getting everything done with the show that we want to.“

Musical director Tom Forrest said the show selection was announced in May and auditions took place in spring.

There are 60 students in the cast and more than 40 students in the crew.

This is Forrest’s sixth show as middle school director. He said the potential cast made it the performance decision easy.

“I knew who was coming back, and I knew we had the talent,” Forrest said. “You need so many strong girls in this show. Most shows you can get away with having one strong feature girl or two strong feature girls.

“This (show), all six of the featured orphans need to be able to do the thing. You need strong dancers. You need a strong Annie. You need a strong Grace. You need a strong Hannigan. You need someone who can sing the little feature at ‘NYC’ at the end. You need at least a dozen girls who are strong.”

Co-producer Megan Mueller, a 2002 Quaker Valley grad and stage veteran, has watched the cast and crew gel through the many rehearsals.

“Everything’s going great,” she said. “The kids are working really hard and putting in a lot of hours. It’s going to be a great show.

“I did musicals at the high school when I was there. I really enjoy bringing my acting experience to working with the kids here at the middle school. I get excited because of their excitement. ‘Annie’ is a classic and a lot of people know it. It’s a heartwarming show. Our kids have really stepped up to the challenge of bringing this to life.”

Students have helped with everything from costume creation, set construction and live streaming.

They were also assisted by their parents and other volunteers.