ANNIE Takes the Stage at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 7/28-9/3

Annie, the irrepressible orphan of newspaper comics-fame who has been delighting audiences onstage since the 1970s, makes her return to Nashville's Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre this summer, running July 28-September 3, in a new production of Annie directed by Martha Wilkinson, with music direction by Jaclyn Brown and choreography by Bakari King.

Annie - by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin - stars Stella London and Haley Covington who alterate in the title role, with a veritable who's who of Nashville theater taking to the stage in Chaffin's annual summer musical extravaganza.

In the classic Broadway musical, plucky orphan Annie is given the opportunity to spend the day with billionaire tycoon, Oliver Warbucks. Annie believes her parents will be back for her, so Warbucks offers a reward to anyone who can find her parents. Miss Hannigan, the gin- guzzling orphanage matron concocts a wicked plan to collect the reward using her crooked brother and his dimwitted girlfriend as more than willing accomplices. Their scheme is foiled, and along the way Annie inspires FDR's "New Deal."

The show is directed Chaffin's Barn artistic director Martha Wilkinson. She has appeared in and directed numerous shows at Chaffin's. Most recently, Wilkinson directed Til Beth Do Us Part and was seen onstage in Tennessee Repertory Theatre's The 39 Steps and Pump Boys and Dinettes and most recently she starred in Tennessee Shakespeare Festival's The Comedy of Errors in Bell Buckle.

Jaclyn Brown, who has been seen onstage at Chaffin's Barn as the multi-talented Denise Sanders in the Smoke on the Mountain trilogy, as well as in the audience favorite The Bop She Bops, is music director. She directs The Nashville Caroling Company, a professional a cappella holiday caroling quartet (www.thenashvillecarolingcompany.com), and runs "Chick Singer Night" at the renowned Bluebird Cafe, the nation's longest running songfest for female artists. Brown sings in the recording studio for clients such as LifeWay Baptist, Hershey Park, Methodist Publishing House, Matt Davenport Productions, G4 Productions and countless songwriter demos. Her newest CD, Paper Doll, is available at www.jaclynbrown.com.

Choreographer for Annie is Bakari King, who performs, directs and choreographs for several venues in Nashville including Street Theatre Company and Lamplighters. He holds a B.S. from Faulkner University and is the theatre instructor for the middle school at University School of Nashville.

The cast for ANNIE includes: Willy Mayo, Rosemary Fossee, Amanda Lamb, Jenny Noel, Jenny Light, Jennifer Richmond, Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, Bryce Conner, Daron Bruce, Justin Pike, Ken Dale Thompson, Lane Wright, Laura Thomas Sonn as Lily St. Regis, Dietz Osborne as Rooster, Christina Spitters as Grace, Holly Shepherd as Miss Hannigan, Will Sevier as Daddy Warbucks, Dakota the Dog as "Sandy" and double cast as "Annie" is Haley Covington and Stella London.

Covington's recent theatre credits include Hume Fogg's production of Les Miserables (Little Cossette) and Oak Hill School's Seussical (Young Kangaroo). Haley has appeared in several regional television commercials and was the 2010-2011 Nashville Children's Theatre Spokeskid. London was most recently seen in the critically acclaimed, local premieer of 13 the Musical with Circle Players. In the summer of 2008 she made her theatre debut with Metro Parks Young Performers (MPYP) as Milky White in Into the Woods. Other credits include: Oliver and Titanic the Musical with Circle Players, Gotta' Be Broadway, Singing the '60s and Winter Song with MPYP, and Nellie in Annie Get Your Gun and Beauty and the Beast at the Keeton. In 2010 she performed at the Keeton as Susan in White Christmas, Tootie in Meet Me in St.Louis, and Jo-Jo in Seussical.

The orphans are double cast as well and those casts include: Diana Richards, Bryanna Richards, Cate Tucker, Riley Clemmons, Kaila Wooten, Karissa Wheeler, Robin August Fritsch, Suzanna Perri, Charlotte Staggs, Reagan Meyers, Zoey Marie Hutton, Faith Davenport, Yael Mead, Anna Strauss ,Virginia Richardson ,Hope Dyra, Mackenzie Roberts, Victoria Thompson, Addie Leonard, Jessilyn Warren, Emma Brugman, Abby Ekas, Cheyenna Johnston, Ruby Lotus, Katherine Light, Claudia Bennett and Madeline Bennett.

Annie is presented on the Chaffin's Barn mainstage Tuesday through Saturday evenings, with the buffet served from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with curtain at 8 p.m. Three Thursday senior matinees are planned for August 4, 11 and 18 (the house opens at 11 a.m., with curtain at noon). Two Sunday matinees are planned for July 31 and August 7.

For reservations, call the box office at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre at (615) 646-9977.