Lights! Camera! Action!: 'Annie' at STE

Annie is the fall musical at St. Thomas’ Episcopal and the cast can’t wait until opening night, Nov. 13! The musical is playing nightly at 7 p.m., Nov. 13-16 with a special Friday afternoon performance.

Diana DeLeon, freshman at St. Thomas’, has been in many plays and musicals at STE including Guys and Dolls, Oliver, Mary Poppins and The Liar. This is not her first rodeo. In Annie, Diana is once again in the hard-working ensemble, but she also has the break-out roles of Cordell Hull, the Secretary of State, and “Star to Be.” Diana has experienced many new challenges including playing a guy this year.

“I’ve also never played a person who has actually existed in real life, so I feel a little bit of pressure to make sure that I’m portraying Hull correctly,” said Diana. “But doing research on him helped me figure out his tics and made making acting choices much easier.” On the flip-side, she also enjoys playing ensemble roles because she can make up her own character by giving her a name and a back story like what she has done with “Star to Be.” One of the most difficult challenges for DeLeon was her solo as “Star-to-Be” as parts of the song are at the top of DeLeon’s vocal range but other parts of the song are in a more agreeable part of her range. When asked whether she was nervous for the show, Diana commented, “Who isn’t? But the adrenaline rush is so exciting, and it gets me so hyped for the show.”

Also a freshman at St. Thomas’ Episcopal, Sara Demian plays Mrs. Pugh, the maid in Mr. Warbuck’s home, as her main role in her debut with STE’s stage. Sara’s character is “pretty much an entire nutcase” and absolutely hilarious, she said. The biggest difficulty she faces as a new student this year is adjusting to the busy-ness of practice every weekend. Although some are nervous onstage, Sara found that, “once I got into the dress rehearsal, my instinct kinda just took over and I wasn’t scared.” The scene that she has enjoyed the most is the Mudges and servants’ scene. Sara has been an amazing addition to our theatre department and we are excited to have her at STE.

Lauren Pastorek, STE’s theatre department head, has put so much work into this year’s musical and the play has really come together. With wonderful dancing, uplifting songs, and a Sandy who is sure to steal the show, it’s a night not to be missed. Tickets on sale now at STE.