Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Annie and friends shine spotlight on area

By LAURA STEWART
NEWS-JOURNAL FINE ARTS WRITER

If anyone was born to play "Annie," the sunny title character of the musical that opens Seaside Music Theater's Summer 2004 season, it would be Ormond Beach's own Gracie Winchester.

Just ask family friend Betty Smith; a few years ago, when Gracie was just 7 or so, Smith would drive her daughters and Gracie to the dancing school then owned by Gracie's parents.

"Gracie would get in and start singing 'Tomorrow,' and I'd say, 'Oh, girl, you are going to be Annie.' And now she is."

Still, the call from Lester Malizia, SMT general manager, came as a big, happy surprise, said Gracie and her mother, Alice.

"I'm sure this is going to be a much bigger role than I had in my other big show, the national tour of 'Annie Get Your Gun,' " said Gracie, now 11 and a sixth-grade honors student at Ormond Beach Middle School.

"I'm already learning my lines -- normally my dad helps me with that," said the actress, whose credits include "Street Scene" with Seaside in 2002 and "Annie Get Your Gun" on Broadway, filling in as Little Jake, Jessie and Nellie.

"I do my homework and then, late in the night, we memorize more of 'Annie'."

Her friend Samantha Jane Smith (Betty Smith's daughter), who calls herself Sammy and won the role of tough-kid "Duffy" in the show, hasn't started learning any lines yet -- she's still basking in the joy of hearing from Malizia.

"For the audition, I picked out two songs -- a happy song and a slow song -- and I did a monologue. They asked me to stay afterwards, to dance.

"They called me back, and then called me back a third time -- I knew something good was happening," said Smith, a 13-year-old who is in eighth grade also at Ormond Beach Middle School. "I didn't know which part I might get, but I really like Duffy -- she's one of the oldest, and the meanest kid in the orphanage.

"Duffy is so mean; everybody wants to fight with her. I saw 'Annie' on television way before I knew I'd be auditioning for it, and I thought the kids in it were really great," she said. "Rehearsals start May 25, the last day of school, and I can't wait."

Neither can Megan Stillson, a home-schooled 12-year-old from Jacksonville.

"I'm going to be July -- she's one of Annie's friends. July is Duffy's sister, and they're about the same age. July is supposed to be 14. She is nice, but gets into fights with Pepper a lot -- but only because Pepper gets mad at Molly, who's only about 6," said Megan.

"I was really excited when I got the call from Seaside. I didn't know if I'd get any part at all. I was hoping for Annie, because this is my last chance to play her, but I'm too old and too tall."

Gracie is still an inch shorter than five feet, but that's not the reason for casting her as Annie, said Malizia: "I called each personally; this is just so exciting. All of them were excited -- at their age, there's just such unbridled enthusiasm."

"I think every actor is excited about getting cast, but at a young age there's just no facade -- they're just right out there, and it's really exciting to get that call. It reminds me of how really wonderful and exciting it was for me as a young actor," said Malizia. "At this age, it's really special."

It really is, Gracie Winchester said.

"There were so many people auditioning for the parts. I just didn't know, but I liked the show so much," she said. "It's the story of an orphan, Annie, who's supposed to be 11 -- and that's just my age!

"She lives in an orphanage and always dreams about her mother and father -- she says, 'Maybe someday they'll come back and get me'," said Gracie.

"Mr. Warbucks wants to adopt her, so he offers a $50,000 reward to find Annie's parents and a lot of bad things happen -- but Annie is always hoping.

"That's kind of my personality too," said the young actress. "I don't want to start interpreting 'Annie' too soon, because Donna Drake, the director, will work with us all on that. But I'm always singing and dancing and my hair is kind of reddish-brown and really curly. I am so excited. This is going to be fun."

Seaside Music Theater's Summer 2004 season opens with "Annie," June 10 to 27 at the DBCC Theater Center. Call (386) 252-6200.