Two Laurelhurs​t Youth Performing In Local Production of Annie

 Claire Colee and Whitney Nagle

Two Laurehurst girls, Claire Colee and Whitney Nagle, will be performing in Broadway Bound Children's Theatre's production of Annie starting Friday and running through Sunday, January 22nd at the Broadway Performance Hall on Capitol Hill..

Claire and Whitney, both 11 years old, have been involved with Broadway Bound for four years and became interested in acting after having seen other Broadway Bound performances, Jordan, Program Coordinator with Broadway Bound told us.

The girls, along with about two hunded other young actors from age five to sixteen, rehearse twice a week for two hours each day for about twelve to fourteen weeks. A month before the show, there are often week-end rehearsals. And the week leading up to the performances, the actors are "pretty much in the theatre all night, every night. They each get four performances," Jordan said.

There is also a condensed version of "Annie" for kids in Kindergarten through 4th grade called "Annie JR." Sandy, a Laurelhurst mom, told us her daughter Frances Thompson is in it,  along with Taylor Cravy and a few other kids from the neighborhood. Tickets for this show are only $12 and can be purchased here. 

Broadway Bound, founded in 1996, will be the last Seattle-area theatre to present Annie,  a classic musical set in Depression-Era New York City, before it makes its return to Broadway later this year, according to the Musical Theatre International website. Once it returns to Broadway, it will become unavailable to other theatres.

Tickets to Annie are $17.50 and are available through Brown Paper Tickets or by phone at 1.800.838.3006.

Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre serves more than 1,000 young artists each year (ages 5-18) from more than 100 public and private schools.  Any child who auditions becomes part of the acting company.  Professional theatre artists from Seattle’s arts community mentor Broadway Bound students.

Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre has received funding from several foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, John Graham Foundation, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Washington State Arts Commission and others.