Get the Inside Scoop on "Annie"

Meet Our Annie Bloggers
Guy McEleney, age 16, from Long Beach. Guy started acting when he was just five years old and has been studying acting at SCR for eight years. In Annie, he portrays Franklin Delano Roosevelt. "My favorite thing about [FDR] is his voice. As, an actor it brings a challenge."

Jamie Ostmann, age 14, from Los Alamitos. Jaime has been acting since she was four years old and began studying acting at SCR in 2007, at age eight. In Annie, she portrays Frances Perkins. "[Frances] is just such a strong person. In a time when women were expected to stay home, she became the first woman to enter the presidential line of succession."


Rachel Charny, age 15, from Irvine. Rachel began acting at SCR when she was eight years old and has been here ever since. In Annie, she is a part of the ensemble and portrays Bonnie Boylan. "[In the ensemble] I have room to take big risks and make strong choices. [All of my] characters are all so unique."

Tejas Dhindsa, age 13, from Irvine. Tejas started acting around the age of 10 and has been studying acting at SCR since 2010. In Annie, he portrays Harold Ickes, a member of FDR's cabinet. "This character is…very passionate about everything he does. He always goes above and beyond."

This year an unprecedented 34 students make up the cast of SCR's Summer Players production of Annie. They all love the show and are learning more about acting and working together everyday. We recruited four cast members as bloggers to get the scoop about what's happening backstage and in rehearsal and what they're learning from this experience.

We caught up with our bloggers and got some behind the scenes tidbits:

SCR: What is happening right now in rehearsals?

Jamie: "We just had a sing and dance through of the show." 

Rachel: "...cleaning up choreography." 

Guy: "...building character choices." 

Tejas: "...and really tightening up the music." 

Jamie: "It's really coming together now!"

The cast of Annie getting notes in rehearsal.

SCR: What is your favorite song in Annie?

Guy: "'NYC' because every time I sing it I envision the beautiful streets of Times Square." 

Tejas: "Probably, "Little Girls" sung by Mrs. Hannigan. The actor, who plays Mrs. Hannigan, Shane Iverson, does a great job projecting her emotions in a way that always makes me laugh while simultaneously scaring me."

SCR: Do you have any fun backstage stories?

Rachel: "All the dancing is so much fun…[it's] been a blast." 

Tejas: "During our first sing through of the final song, "Bows," everyone sang different words and the sound ended up being very odd indeed." 

Jamie: "I get to watch Oliver (the dog who plays Sandy) a lot and one day he discovered how to open the door to the [rehearsal room]. I had to almost tackle him to keep him from escaping!"

Guy: "Oliver just freely roams the [rehearsal] room and will make his way into every scene."

Oliver the dog, spontaneously gives a kiss to Tejas (top left).

More next week with our Annie bloggers!

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