Striking redhead a great match for Annie

240415PBShaila1 SHAILA-ANNE Hawkins has become a redhead for the title role in this year's Wanganui High School production of Annie. PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS

Wanganui High School is heading to 1930s New York for its stage production this year.
Co-directed by Colin Hedivan (HOD Drama) and Nola Todd (assistant principal), Annie, the Musical features a cast of 97 and a crew of 41; no easy task to co-ordinate and polish into a stage show.
"The show is fully appropriate for families," says Colin, "and it's probably the most family-oriented show Wanganui High School has ever done. It is also a full community effort; it's not just High School."
Yes, Wanganui High School is producing the show but outside help - time, resources and people - has been forthcoming from the Royal Wanganui Opera House and the orchestra comprises mostly community members with just a couple of High School students.
"These are people who give up their time just for the love of the theatre," says Colin.
The school has a reputation for quality stage shows and extraordinarily talented students, all of which has been enhanced by high calibre assistance from outside the school.
Annie is something that Colin has wanted to do for a long time.
"As a production team we get together early on in the process and shortlist from the hundreds of musicals that are out there. We think, 'What is this community most in need of at this time? What do we think we are able to cast in the upcoming year? And what do we have a particular passion to do?' We knew we had such strength coming through in current year 12, so we wanted to find something that catered to a very strong group of female performers coming through. The top three roles in Annie are all females.
"There's no sense in choosing a musical then finding there's nobody able to play the lead role."
Colin says the school has deliberately been trying to build up the performing arts at a junior level.
"Annie is a show that makes use of a lot of younger kids so we were able to get a good group of juniors involved. A lot of our 'orphans' are in Year 9 and 10."
Shaila-Anne Hawkins auditioned and won the title role. "I've been singing since I was 11; I started with Dee Gray and I'm with Lynn Whiteside now." The role demands a lot of singing.
Shaila, at 16, is playing the part of an 11-year-old, but is relishing the role. "She's so all over the place," she says. It takes her down memory lane, trying to remember how to behave as someone five years younger, a substantial chunk of time at that age. Now with her hair the appropriate colour, Shaila admits to being a little bit "Annie" even off-stage.
Other roles too call for age adaptability.
"Our orphan girls are only meant to be between six and 13, as indicated in the script, our orphans are 13 to 17, all playing six to 13-year-olds," says Colin.
For Shaila, this is just the beginning. "I want to do this when I leave school."
Shaila's mother, Mel Hawkins, has a strong reputation in Wanganui showbiz, so it's no surprise that Shaila wants to continue the performing arts tradition.