Evergreen actors in the spotlight

The message of “Annie” can be pulled from lyrics from the classic musical: It’s a hard-knock life, but the sun will come out tomorrow.

“It’s an upbeat musical with a great message: Good things happen to good people, at least occasionally in life,” director Jesse DeVine said.

“Little Orphan Annie ends up becoming part of a great family. She kept the faith and kept hope alive and ended up with a great father. If not in life, at least it happens in the plays.”

The 35 actors from Evergreen Junior High School who are putting on the show today are less concerned about that message than about the thrill of performing in front of a crowd. They promise “crazy” energy, with unexpected entrances and big numbers.

And after six weeks of hard work memorizing lines and practicing choreography, the Evergreen actors are ready to perform. They staged one performance Friday night and will put on two more today.

Earlier this week, the actors were eagerly looking forward to the show.

“It’s the thrill of being up on stage,” explained 12-year-old Jazmyn Austin, the seventh-grader who landed the title role. “Every time I’m up on stage, it’s exhilarating.”

Austin said she got the part of Annie after going through “a lot of tryouts and wondering, ‘Am I going to get it?’”

Although she’s excited about the play, Austin admits she still gets butterflies for at least a few minutes.

“It’s pretty nerve-wracking, but I get over it after the first couple lines,” she said.

This is the second year the junior high has put on a drama production with an outside director, Principal Kim Anderson said.

Evergreen used to run its own drama program, but turnout wasn’t very high, she said. So the school took students to plays at local high schools and the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish, which sparked their interest.

School officials thought it was important to give students an outlet other than sports — both for their time at the junior high and for their time at Glacier High School, Anderson added.

“Lots of kids who aren’t athletic have great things they can shine with,” she said. “The more they’re involved, the more they stay out of trouble, stay focused and do better in school.

“And if they’re involved in high school, it’s such a risky age. There’s so much stuff out there. [Drama] is something positive to do. If we can feed that, it’s a great thing.”

Last year the school put on “Alice in Wonderland” with help from director Rebecca Spear, an actor and director who has been involved in Alpine Theatre Project shows. Spear gave the school DeVine’s name for this year’s production, Anderson said.

“She’s a really good director,” said sixth-grader Quade Block, who is playing the villainous Rooster Hannigan. “I think she was the right choice.”

DeVine, a freelance director with Whitefish Theatre Co., has been working with students at the college, high school and elementary levels for 20 years. She said she prefers to work with college students, but she enjoys working with junior high actors.

“It’s very challenging, but they all have very good hearts, and they have lots of energy,” she said.

The most challenging aspect of working with this age group is the time constraint, DeVine said. Many Evergreen students already are involved in extracurricular activities.

“We’re very limited with play rehearsal time,” she said. “My preference is I would like at least three rehearsals a week. I would rather have five.”

Evergreen students were only able to practice twice a week — except this week, when they rehearsed every day.

Even with the limited time, the young actors have done well, DeVine said. “The kids have been working really hard.”

Memorizing the lines wasn’t too difficult, said fifth-grader Kedryn McElderry, who is playing Daddy Warbucks. He said he landed the starring role “because of how I sing and stuff.”

McElderry is looking forward to his time in the spotlight. He likes “the feel of being on stage in front of people.”

Learning the lines was one of the best things about the play experience, Block said. He was thrilled to land the role of Rooster.

“I like how I’m a con man. It says I was in jail — that’s pretty cool,” he said.

Hannah Tullet, a seventh-grader who plays Grace Farrell, Daddy Warbucks’ secretary, was excited for a chance to shine.

“The best thing is being able to show off your talent and sing solos,” she said.

The shows take place in the Evergreen Junior High gym and start at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Entry to the play is free, and snacks will be available for purchase.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.