ACS ushered in the Christmas season with a touching production of Annie Jr. on November 22 and 23 on the stage in the school gymnasium.  The musical classic set during the Christmas season amid the Great Depression tells the story of 11-year-old little orphan Annie, played by 4th grader Vanessa Rallo in her first-ever leading role in a musical.

Vanessa gave a heart-warming performance as Annie, along with 42  talented students (and a dog!) who comprised the cast.  Lead roles were played by 10th grader Hunter Jorgenson as Oliver Warbucks, 12th grader Ashleigh Martin as Miss Hannigan, 9th grader Soolim (Sue) Yoon as Grace, 10th grader Asher Dawkins as Rooster, and 12th grader Nell Daeleman as Lily.

Show Director and Producer Amy Culleny said she was so proud of the young and largely novice cast and how hard they worked to achieve a polished production in just 10 short weeks once rehearsals got underway in mid-September.

“The cast worked hard in every rehearsal and it paid off with a great show,” Culleny said. She also thanked ACS parents, friends, and businesses in the community who supported the effort by purchasing tickets, playbill and electronic ads, making it possible to meet and exceed all the production costs.

Culleny said the success of the “Annie Jr.” production was a team effort, thanking a talented crew for their contributions and for ACS parents – Stage Manager Kelly Flynn, Carrie Jorgenson, Arzum Sanchez, and Jessica Martin for supporting the cast and production behind the scenes.   Lee Martin was the Music Director and Technical Director who used digital imagery on a large background screen to enhance the setting of each scene.  Jennifer, Haley, Havilah, and Caleb Shorten of Sojourn Productions acquired the beautiful costumes and managed the backstage area, and Sean Griffith, also of Sojourn Productions, designed and constructed the set. Robin Shorten ran all of the music and light cues. Culleny would also like to thank Sojourn Productions for graciously donating use of sets, costumes, and props.

After the curtain call and final bows by the cast and crew, the “Annie Jr.” production concluded with a brief sermonette by Musical and Technical Director Lee Martin. He drew parallels between the story of Annie Jr., an orphan who eventually found someone to adopt her, and how God takes care of us as His children.

ACS ushered in the Christmas season with a sparkly, jingly production of “Elf the Musical, Jr.” on November 16 and 17 on the stage in the school gymnasium.  In his first-ever leading role in a musical, 13-year-old 8th grader Hunter Jorgenson gave a heart-warming performance as Buddy the Elf, along with the talented and seasoned young actress 11th grader Ashleigh Martin in the role of his love-interest Jovie.

One of Buddy’s most memorable lines — “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear” — was carried out throughout the musical as the cast of 42 students from the 1st to the 12th grades energetically and enthusiastically sang and danced in eleven musical numbers that even included a Broadway-style kick-line.  In addition to Jorgenson as Buddy, other standouts and newcomers to the stage included 10th grader Joshua “JJ” Jacoby, playing the role of Buddy’s real father and children’s book publisher, Walter Hobbs, and 5th grader Caden Kim, as Buddy’s younger brother, Michael Hobbs. Memorable and humorous cameo appearances were given by senior Imohimi Unuigbe as Santa, and senior Mikai Browne as fake Santa. 9th grader Destiny Brewer gave a solid performance as Mrs. Hobbs, along with two young actors from Sojourn Productions, Sean Walls as book publisher Mr. Greenway, and Michael Mercadante as the Macy’s store manager.

“This musical was a real crowd pleaser and we were thrilled to see over 700 people come out to see the production and give our students a well-deserved standing ovation at both performances,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. Show Director and Producer Amy Culleny said she was so proud of the young and largely novice cast and how hard they worked to achieve a polished production in just 10 short weeks once rehearsals got underway in mid-September.

“Most of the cast had never been in a show before, but they worked hard in every rehearsal and it paid off with a great show,” Culleny said. “They had a lot of fun and now both the students in the cast and many who watched in the audience are asking about being part of a future production.” Culleny, who is director of the Sojourn Productions Theater Arts Academy in Galloway, said it has been seven years since the last ACS drama or musical production, which she directed, and with the success of this fall’s show she hopes to direct another show next fall.  Culleny also thanked ACS parents, friends, and businesses in the community who supported the effort by purchasing tickets and playbill and electronic ads, making it possible to meet and exceed all the production costs.

Culleny said the success of the “Elf the Musical, Jr.” production was a team effort, thanking a talented crew for their contributions and for ACS parents Kelly Flynn and Carrie Jorgenson for supporting the cast and production behind the scenes. Emily Perkins of Sojourn Productions served as choreographer. ACS staff member Lee Martin was the Music Director and Technical Director who used digital imagery on a large background screen to enhance the setting of each scene, from Buddy’s walk through the Lincoln Tunnel and the glittering lights of Times Square to creating snowfall in Central Park and images of Santa flying through the sky on his sleigh.  Thanks to creative set design and props overseen by Havilah Shorten, the story-line moved along seamlessly, with memorable scenes set in Santa’s workshop and Macy’s department store. Faculty member Shirlene Perini contributed her talents as a seamstress to create colorful costumes hand-made to size for each of the 20 elves, bringing the scenes in Santa’s workshop to life. The elves also brought the show to an exciting close as they came down into the audience, smiling and laughing as they handed out candy-canes.

After the curtain call and final bows by the cast and crew, the “Elf the Musical, Jr.” production concluded with a brief sermonette by Musical and Technical Director Lee Martin that focused on the true meaning of Christmas. He drew parallels between the fantastical story of Buddy the Elf, who left Santa and the North Pole to find his real father, Walter Hobbs, and the need that every person has to get to know their father in heaven. “Christmas is all about a God who loves his children unconditionally and who gave the gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ,” Martin said. “This is the true spirit of Christmas that we hope you will carry with you throughout this season.”

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