Annie sells out for S.O.N.G
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A cast of 77 young singers and dancers and a dog are set to bring the story of little orphan Annie to life on the stage of An Táin Arts Centre next week.
‘Annie The Musical’ has been sold out for weeks and such was the demand for tickets that when an extra night was added, it too sold out.
It’s a clear indication of the reputation which S.O.N.G (Stage One New Musical Group) have built up since their first production back in 2006.
There’s a waiting list for returns at the box office and Terese Dunne, producer and director, says that the show sold out so quickly that some parents missed out on getting tickets.
Having been responsible, along with Rosemary Winkless, for S.O.N.G’s run of successful show, Terese finds herself in a new role this year - that of proud Mammy as her daughter Sarah shares the lead role of Annie with Caragh Mailley. The girls will take alternate nights in the spotlight in the demanding role of little orphan Annie.
Not surprisingly, 13 year old Sarah, a pupil of St Vincent’s Secondary School, has been a member of SONG for several years, first appearing in The Pirate Queen in 2013. Since then she has performed in ‘Oliver!’, ‘Evita’ and ‘ The Wizard of Oz’ as well as several of S.O.N.G’s concerts. Sarah is also a mem- ber of The Carol Leavy School of Irish Dance and has competed at both national and world level. Her voice coach is Irene Dunne and she also plays piano.
Although this is 11 year old Caragh’s first time with S.O.N.G, she has been an active member of Freda Hearty’s Dance Kids since she was just six years of age. She has taken part in their productions of ‘ The Wizard of Oz’, playing the leading role of Dorothy, and also in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Caragh, a pupil of St Malachy’s Girls School, also attends the Dundalk School of Music where she studies singing and speech and drama.
Both girls are delighted with the opportunity to play Annie and are looking forward to appearing on stage. Sarah says her favourite song is ‘ Tomorrow’ while Caragh’s favourite is ‘Maybe’.
Joining the girls on stage is Toby the dog, who plays the role of Sandy, having wooed audiences as Toto in ‘ The Wiz- ard of Oz’. Toby owes his stage presence to local dog trainer Joanne Byrne of Problem Paws.
Jane Stanley, who has numerous S.O.N.G productions under her belt plays the part of Miss Hannigan who runs the orphanage while Tom Maher is Oliver ‘Daddy’ Warbucks, having previously appeared in Evita and Sweeney Todd. Sheena Duffy, who joined the group last year, returns as Grace, with Lucy Robinson as Lily and Tom Doonan as Rooster.
The cast also features 22 young girls as the orphans, as well as a 27 strong senior choir and 19 strong junior choir. They will be joined by an eight piece orchestra for the show.
‘We started rehearsing last October,’ says Terese. ‘It’s a lot of work and it builds up nearer the production.’
There’s a tight hard-working team behind the scenes including musical director Pat Dunne, Chorus Mistress Irene Dunne, cheorographers Terese Dunne, Tara Gill, and Laura Bella, with Bronwyn Walsh and Rosemary Winkless in charge of costumes, and there’s also the technical crew in charge of sets, props, lighting and sound.
It’s an expensive undertaking, but with tickets selling like hotcakes, and fundraising events during the year, they have been able to stay out of the red for their last few shows.