Performance Now Presents ANNIE At The Lakewood Cultural Center

Performance Now presents "Annie" September 7-23 at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway in Lakewood. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 - $36 and are available or online at www.performancenow.org or by calling 303-987-7845.

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations... and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, "Annie" has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, features some of the greatest musical theatre hits ever written, including "Tomorrow."

The cast includes Hazel Kachline as Annie, Michael O'Shea is Daddy Warbucks, Jennifer Burnett as Mrs. Hannigan, Cory Wendling as Rooster, and Stacey D'Angelo as Lily.

Besides onstage training there are many opportunities for new artists, young and old, to acquire different skills associated with the theatre, including set design and construction, stage management, costumes, and make-up. Our training programs help to give the apprentice a better understanding of theatre in general, while providing them experience in the different areas associated with the production. Performance Now dedicates at least one show each year to this purpose.