“I auditioned for Annie, and there were a couple of others that also auditioned, and you had to do dancing, singing and reading.”
Singing rehearsals kicked off on June 9, which marked the beginning of an intensive six-week period dedicated to learning all the musical numbers that make Annie such a timeless classic.
Now with opening night less than a week away, Ava said she had mastered most of her lines by watching all the different versions of the production and movies - her favourite being the 2014 remake.
“There are a couple of lines that I get muddled up with, but I’m getting better.”
She said her favourite part of playing Annie was the time spent with the kids who played the orphans.
Ava said she found similarities between herself and her character such as all the dancing, but said it made her grateful for her life and not having to eat “hot mush and live with Miss Hannigan”.
She said practising the American accent helped to transform her into the iconic character, as well as wearing the dresses, but she would not be wearing a red wig.
“I’ve got one costume that I don’t really like and that’s my orphan costume, but the other dresses are really pretty.”
Directed by Lisa Higginson, choreographed by Amy McDonald-Te Huki, with Shasta Pene as musical director and Cindy O’Sullivan as vocal coach, the show promises to be a vibrant and polished rendition of the classic musical.
Amy Macdonald-Te Huki, Ava’s mum, said she was proud of her daughter who had worked hard on perfecting the character to “switch from Ava to Annie”.
“I had never really realised how huge it was until we got into the rehearsals and I’ve been quite impressed with how easily Ava has retained all the lines and slipped into the role.”
Macdonald-Te Huki had choreographed the dances for the cast of 35.
She said the musical had started to take form over the last week and was excited to show audiences all the hard work and talent that had gone into it.
“It’s a feel-good show, it’s something everybody will leave feeling quite uplifted from.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
