For the first time ever, local area talent will come together to present a concert version of the Tony award winning musical, ANNIE, at Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium, located at 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst. This family friendly, heart-warming, toe-tapping show will star, Ted Blaisdell as Oliver (Daddy) Warbucks, Heather Williams as Grace Farrell, Becca Greene-Van Horn as Miss Hannigan, Bill Miller as Rooster, Kate Nicolaou as Lily St. Regis and Sarah Van Horn as Annie. The other talented orphan roles will be played by Sonai Donnell, Tal Schmerling, Samantha Van Horn, Delaney Lynch, Trudie Seterdahl, Emma Nicolaou, Ava Mendelsohn and Lucy Fitch. They are joined by a superb ensemble: Doug Eveleigh, Kate Green, Christopher Eveleigh, Hannah Murphy and Benjiman Durfee as Bert Healy.
ANNIE is directed and choreographed by Becca Greene-Van Horn, a former professional actor from New York who relocated to Amherst. Becca has been featured in numerous plays and musicals through Amherst Leisure Services Community Theater (ALSCT), Exit 7 Players, and the Pioneer Valley, teaches drama classes locally, and works as a drama therapist. Becca is a professor of drama therapy at Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. The musical director for “ANNIE” is Benjiman Durfee, a 2014 UMASS grad, an accomplished Tenor Soloist, Director of the NCMC Children’s Choir, and singer with the Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble. The sponsor of “ANNIE, The Benefit Concert” is the Town of Amherst Department of Leisure Services, whose director is Linda Chalfant. Tickets for “ANNIE, The Benefit Concert” are available by calling 413-259-3065, or at the Jones Library in Amherst. Ticket prices in advance are $12 for adults, $6 for children/students/seniors. Tickets at the door are available for $14 for adults and $8 for children/students/seniors.