“Annie” production features cameo from Carmel mayor
It’s been almost 622 days since Kaelyn Harvey was cast as Annie in Christian Youth Theater’s (CYT) production of the beloved Broadway musical in March 2020. The show was originally supposed to take the stage in June of 2020, but then COVID-19 happened.
The Noblesville teen won’t have to wait much longer to sing “Tomorrow” – the production is finally taking place Nov. 19-21 at The Shelton Auditorium on Butler University’s campus.
“It’s been hard to wait so long for Annie to happen, but I kept reminding myself it would happen at some point,” said 14-year-old Kaelyn. “Annie and I have some things in common – we’ve both waited a long time for something we wanted but, in the meantime, have been able to look forward to the good things to come.”
“I’m so happy I finally get to do what I was meant to do for so long,” said Kaelyn, who is homeschooled. “I love the entire show, but really the song “Tomorrow” is my favorite because it’s such an optimistic song. It’s a happy song about the good things Annie is sure are going to happen.”
Also among the cast is Carmel’s own Mayor James Brainard, making a cameo in CYT’s Annie by providing the voice of a radio announcer.
Making her CYT debut is the dog, Lilly Mosier, who will portray Sandy, Annie’s faithful canine companion. Lilly is 15 years old, loves meeting people and playing with her favorite red ball. Lilly’s owner, Jaimie Mosier, is also the Musical Director for Annie.
Annie is an award-winning Broadway musical which tells the story of a plucky orphan whose adventures lead her to being adopted by billionaire Oliver Warbucks. Set during The Great Depression, CYT’s production features more than 40 children from Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield and Zionsville.
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Directed by Laura Baltz, Annie is CYT’s first musical since the onset of the pandemic. To celebrate the production, CYT is offering complimentary tickets in exchange for a donation amount of the attendee’s choice toward CYT’s educational programming. $15 a ticket is the suggested donation amount.
“We’re so excited to finally be able to bring Annie to the stage!” said CYT Managing Director Julie Dunlap. “Our cast has been waiting so patiently, keeping the faith that the show would happen even after all these months. We’re thrilled to be at The Shelton Auditorium, a new venue for CYT that we think our audiences will really appreciate.”
The remainder of the CYT 2021-2022 season includes four more shows: Puffs (also known as Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic) in February 2022 at The Cat in Carmel; The Little Mermaid Jr. (February 2022), Junie B. Jones: The Musical (May 2022 at The Cat), and Newsies (May 2022 at Marian University Theater).
Christian Youth Theater is a nonprofit children’s theater offering theater classes, professional quality shows and summer camps across the northern Indianapolis suburbs. For information on tickets or upcoming classes, visit cytindy.org.