Like “Annie,” Local Theater Group Overcomes Adversity

Watertown Daily Times, 01 13 2003

It is appropriate for the Watertown Players to begin their 2003 season with the musical "Annie." The group celebrates 15 years of bringing live community theater to Watertown audiences as the curtain goes up on the current production.

In the upcoming show, Annie, the main character, is an orphan in 1933 at the height of the Depression who overcomes every sort of adversity. ,

While the group has flourished over the past few seasons with successful productions of large musical plays including "My Fair Lady," "The King and I," "Bye-Bye Birdie" and the "Sound of Music," the recent visibility may give some the impression of overnight success. But persistence of early efforts overcame the adversity that most fledgling performing groups face.

In 1987 the group started with smaller undertakings with non-royalty plays, and some locally written works. The group's founder, William Jannke III, noted that rehearsal locations ranged from the public library, church basements to the homes of the actors. The first play by the group was an adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and it was performed at the Octagon House. Jannke has directed several productions over the years, and worn several hats on and off stage as the troupe matured.

And while the group had bursts of interest, participation and audiences were unpredictable. "It just seemed that Watertown wasn't ready to support ongoing local live theater," Jannke noted.

In 1997, then high school student Brandon Thomsen directed a Watertown Players' performance of "The Secret Garden" followed by "Hello Dolly" during the next season. "This launched the group into larger productions and greater interest," Jannke said, pointing toward a trend that would support community theater.

Of course the term support does not imply that community theater is making a profit, and that is not its purpose. But people working with the group for years note that the efforts seem to indicate a continuation of the trend in the Watertown area. And it is illustrated when the work of 50 to 75 amateurs and trained professionals in a large production over a 10 to 12 week period has yielded an increasing num-ber of performances per show, and a growing audience.

"The student matinee is already sold out," director/choreographer Annette Strege pointed out. Strege is a Watertown native holding a combined degree in theater and dance. This is the first production Strege has directed with the Watertown Players. She is also the director of choreogra-phy and she has provided the choreography for several previous productions.

In recent years the group has rented the Watertown High School auditorium, and it has become a home base for their larger productions. Since then, it has also become a tradition for the group to offer a student matinee as an opportunity for classes from area schools to attend a large scale musical production.

The characters in the current production of "Annie" are based on those who appeared in the Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie. First appearing in the Chicago Tribune during the mid 1920s, the strip reflected the adventure and humor of Annie, her dog Sandy and her billionaire friend "Daddy" Warbucks. During, the Depression the comic was a newsprint mainstay, providing a glimpse of social humor and distraction in the orphan's adventures. As the nation entered World War II, Annie's adventures included tricking and defeating Nazis and spies.

While the characters are similar, the musical play is not cartoon-like. Written by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1977. The character Annie escapes from the sweatshop-like conditions of a girls' orphanage which is operated by the surly Miss Hanagan, a role initiated on Broadway and on film by Carol Burnett. In attempts to find her parents the play presents many situations and places that have become icons of the Depression and. the 1930s. But Annie brings a positive common thread to the soup lines and Hoovervilles, and even to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She befriends billionaire Oliver Warbucks, who offers his resources to help Annie find her parents.

"The young people have been incredible in their commitment to the show," Strege said, referring to the young actors/singers/dancers who also play orphans and other characters. But Strege's enthusiasm appears to be contagious as the actors from elementary age to the adults maintain attention and energy during the four-hour rehearsals held every evening during the final weeks of a production.

Strege also credits musical director Lanelle Tanudjaja and accompanist Patty Zulli with the musical strengths of the show and Dan Bates for his work as technical director, as she lists all of the talented contributors who aren't necessarily on stage.

An early sample of the show will be provided as a contingent as the cast returns to Wisconsin Public Radio's Higher Ground, hosted by Jonathan Overby. A radio program showcasing Wisconsin talent, the Saturday show will again feature the Watertown Players, this time performing portions of "Annie."