The cast and crew of Creative Grounds Fine Arts Academy will be busy in the coming weeks, with a pair of musical performances planned this weekend and throughout November.
First up is “Annie Jr.,” the immensely popular musical featuring such hit songs as “Hard Knock,” “Little Girls” and of course, “Tomorrow.” The show will run Oct. 27 to 30 at the Studio One Theater, 1251 U.S. 31 N., Greenwood. Performances will be 7 p.m. each day, with 2:30 p.m. shows planned for Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.
Students aged 8 to 18 have been hard at work since July preparing to bring “Annie Jr.” to the stage. While learning music, choreography, lines, and growing as artists, these young thespians have also been encouraged to become a light in their community, recently performing in the Greenwood Park Mall food court.
“The beloved story of ‘Annie’ has been passed down through the generations in various forms from print media to film. It is an honor to pass on this story to this next generation and bring this story back to the Creative Grounds stage again — a revival performance of the 2015 show,” said Margie Hamm, Creative Grounds’ director for “Annie Jr.”
No sooner than “Annie Jr.” closes that Creative Grounds turns right around for a two-weekend blockbuster presentation of “Newsies,” the Broadway musical well known for its inspiring music and awe inspiring dancing.
The performance will be Nov. 10 to 14 and Nov. 17 to 20 at Studio One Theater. The shows will be 7:30 p.m. each day, with additional stagings at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 13, 14, 19 and 20.
The cast started work on the show in July, with most donning their iconic newsboys hats on day one of rehearsal, absorbing themselves in the story and history of the characters they’re portraying. Most recently, the students staged their own mock strike in the form of a flash mob in the Greenwood Park Mall food court.
Being able to do so, in light of the tragic shooting at the food court in mid-July, was cathartic for the Creative Grounds family and hopefully the community, said Katie Landis, youth development director and co-founder of Creative Grounds.
“One of my favorite lines from ‘Newsies’ is ‘Courage can not erase our fear, courage is when we face our fears.’ Being able to hear those words ring throughout the food court was such an encouragement and a reminder that we can not live in the events of the past but we can move forward,” she said.
Tickets will be $10 for adults and $8 for students, and can be purchased at onthestage.tickets/creative-grounds-fine-arts-academy-inc. Concessions and merchandise will also be available for purchase at the performances.
