Chris Wejr

Wow, what a great way to end another year at Kick It Up A Notch! The production of “Annie” did not disappoint with 2 amazing shows this past weekend.

The first show was the Saturday night show and starred Morgan R. as Annie. The performers arrived at 11:00 to set up props, organize costumes, and complete the last full rehearsal. By 6:00 the audience members started to trickle in as the performers tidied up the last scenes. The nerves were racing at 7:00 as the curtains opened to the orphanage scene in the first ever production by Kick It Up A Notch Academy of Dance. The little “orphans” started the show with some great confidence and energy and the cast continued this right through to the end. When the final curtain dropped, the entire cast cheered and hugged to celebrate a great accomplishment. The feeling to be part of a production like that cannot be written in words. In theatre, the actors have no choice but to work together... and when it is all over, the sense of achievement and satisfaction of completing the event together as a group is overwhelming; there were many tears and emotions of heartfelt joy to end Saturday night.

The Sunday show, starring Michelle E., lived up to the standard set by the first show and was performed in front of an even larger crowd. Everyone was bang-on in their performances and the crowd responded with the same high energy. As the curtain fell to end this performance, there was that same sense of satisfaction but also a sense of sadness as the show, “Annie”, had come to a close. This sadness demonstrated how close the cast had become during the past month; all the hours of dancing, memorizing, rehearsing, and singing caused the group to become more like a family... and during these final moments, everyone knew to look around and congratulate all who made it possible – because every single person involved in the production, from the director to the performers to the costume designers, made Annie what it was; something that will be cherished by all those involved.