Annie opens our 3rd season of youth theater productions, and we could not have gotten this far without your continual support. From performers, to parents, to patrons, to the philanthropic community, the love has been real and palpable, and honestly, has provided the drive for us to keep on going in the face of financial hardships, and the occasional setbacks. Annie’s themes of hope, optimism, and resilience in the face of adversity is an accurate reflection of Momentum’s journey over the 9 years of its existence.
Our 2025 version of this beloved story, gives us an opportunity to elevate and modernize the script in order to make it more relatable to the audience, and certainly the cast. It is extremely important to our operation that this cast of 44 youth from all across the city of Alexandria, and from all walks of life, could see themselves adequately represented in the story.
Momentum has used each production as a vehicle to strengthen musical theater elements with our cast, some of whom have been with us since our inception. Through Annie, we sought to add layers and complexities to musical numbers which required the cast to have a deeper appreciation of how effective blocking can add to rich storytelling. Another thing we pride ourself in doing is creating dance-rich productions. There are over 13 dance numbers throughout the show, and we have stretched the cast to elevate their artistry in the process.
My hope is that coming away from this production, you will not only appreciate the overall performance quality, but also recognize the artistic growth and transformative work of the arts on the lives of the cast. These youth are building community, breaking barriers, growing in confidence and self-esteem, dreaming big, and taking ownership of their own success. Anything worth celebrating is worth fighting for. We fought through 3 months of rehearsals to get to this point. Let’s celebrate together!
Jason A. Ellis, MPA, Ed.S
Executive/Artistic Director
@ellisja876