By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: July 19, 2014
Broadway Or Bust students will present one of the most beloved musicals of all time, Annie Jr at the Eagle Eye Theatre. As many as 42 students will take the stage to present “Annie Jr.” on Friday, July 25th and 26th.
With pluck and positivity, Annie charms everyone she meets despite a next-to-nothing start in the Depression-era New York City of the 1930s. She is determined to find her parents, who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel, embittered, Miss Hannigan.
This one hour version of the timeless musical favourite features beloved songs such as “Hard Knock Life”, “Maybe”, and, of course, “Tomorrow”.
This year is a particularly exciting one for the cast and crew of Broadway or Bust. “This is our tenth year of summer camps, “ explains artistic director, Melissa Braun. “Annie Jr. was our very first show, ever, so I thought it would be fun to return to that script this year.”
“The program has grown a lot in the past ten years,” says Braun”. “We started with around 25 participants in the first year, and now we cap it off at 40.”
Broadway or Bust participants, she added, have gained a lot of great experience from the program, with several graduates going on to professional careers in the performing arts.
“Some of our earliest participants are now working as professional singers and actors, and two of our past participants are teaching at the camp this year,” she said.
Jamie Sweeney, who played Annie ten years ago, is teaching acting for us this summer and will be attending Simon Frasier University for theatre in the fall.
The show starts at the Eagle Eye Theatre, Friday July 25 at 7 pm and on Saturday July 26 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Tickets are available for $10 for children and students and $15 for adults and can be purchased in the store at the Squamish Adventure Centre.
Tickets may also be available at the door subject to availability. For more information, contact Squamish Academy of Music at info@squamishacademyofmusic.com.
