- April 5, 2025
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The cast of "Annie" prepare to take a bow. Photo by Paige Wilson
Ellie, played by Autumn Mcleer; Annie, played by Brooklynne Tietje; Molly, played by Giulianna Gutierrez; and Tessie, played Sara Coello, sing "It's the Hard Knock Life." Photo by Paige Wilson
Annie, played by Brooklynne Tietje, and Mr. Warbucks, played by Byran Martinez, talk about Annie's locket. Photo by Paige Wilson
Annie, played by Brooklynne Tietje, takes a first look at Mr. Warbucks' mansion, as Grace, played by Alaina Skeie, stands by. Photo by Paige Wilson
Annie and the orphans sing "It's a Hard Knock Life." Photo by Paige Wilson
Evaneline Labadie as Miss Hannigan, Brooklynne Tietje as Annie, and Aurianna Flowers as Sandy smile as the curtains close following the performance. Photo by Paige Wilson
PIT members and the cast of "Annie" gather in the dressing room before the show. Photo by Paige Wilson
Annie, played by Brooklynne Tietje, and Grace, played by Alaina Skeie, embrace after Mr. Warbucks rescues Annie from a couple pretending to be Annie's parents. Photo by Paige Wilson
Miss Hannigan, played by Evaneline Labadie, and Annie, played by Brooklynne Tietje, square off in the orphanage. Photo by Paige Wilson
Like Mr. Warbucks to orphan Annie, it was Flagler Palm Coast High School to the rescue.
As part of its efforts to instill a love for theater in children, Performers In Training, a Community Problem Solvers group at FPC, directed “Annie” with a cast of 17 aspiring actors and actresses in Wadsworth Elementary’s after-school theater program. With the PIT members backstage running the behind-the-scenes work, the WES students took the stage on Wednesday, Jan. 31, for a performance to remember.
FPC senior Gerald Kitt started Performers in Training four years ago as a group that teaches and mentors younger students in Flagler County about theater, but this is the first year the group connected to CmPS.
“We do acting games along the way so it’s not just memorizing lines,” Kitt said. “We also learn different techniques and such, so that they can grow. But also, they learn about teamwork and how they can depend on others for being able to work together.”
Five PIT members volunteered twice a week since October to help WES students gain self-confidence and learn their parts for “Annie.”
“A lot of these kids were actually shy in the beginning, but we’ve seen them grow so much,” said PIT member Austin Branning. “It’s the coolest thing to see them come out of their shells and become these balls of energy.”
Annie was played by fifth-grader Brooklynne Tietje, who is also involved in the engineering part of WES’ Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics flagship program.
She said she loves seeing the smiles on the people’s faces after a performance.
“I’ve learned a lot about acting,” Tietje said about her time with PIT members. “And I’ve always wanted to be an actress since I was really little. I make my own scripts. When my friends come over, we make our own plays and stuff.”
PIT is working on helping establish an after-school theater program in Bunnell Elementary next, with the goal of reaching every Flagler County elementary school over time.
“I just believe that it’s very important, especially at this age, to have theater in your life,” Kitt said. “Arts are very important.”
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