Annie: The Broadway Musical Shuts The Door On Racial Type Casting

Colorblind Casting Utilizes South Florida’s Growing Number of Hispanic Actors

With the Seminole Theatre Players finding immense success with their production of ‘In the Heights: The Musical’ last month, they’re confident that their next production of ‘Annie: The Musical’ will close out their 2018 Summer Season with an enormous victory!

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a NYC orphanage operated by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

Misty White (Seminole Theatre Players Artistic Coordinator and Annie: The Musical Director) set out from the get go, to put a different spin on a beloved classic. “Annie is one of those shows that has stood the test of time. From multiple runs on Broadway and numerous film adaptations to countless parodies and Community Theatre/School productions. America absolutely loves Little Orphan Annie! Although aside from the latest film remake (2014’s Live Action Movie Musical), all versions traditionally stick to the same ‘looking cast’. Yet this is a story that isn’t at all affected by switching around the character’s ethnicities. So we went ahead with colorblind casting (the casting of ethnic minority actors in roles where race or ethnicity is not germane).

This paved the way for a total of 23 chidlren, teenangers and adults of Latino descent (ranging from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru) to join this production. 14 of those were South Florida performers who were casted in the musical: Alannis Arce as ‘Pepper’, Sofia Miranda as ‘Tessie’, Alejandra Sofia Marshall as ‘Kate’, Alexandra Gonzalez as ‘Molly’, Veronica Ortega as ‘Connie Boylan’. Kristen Hoffman as ‘Perkins’, Luis Diaz as ‘Drake’. Sasha Guerra as ‘Usherette’, Yanessa Morillo Delerme as ‘Grace, Andrew Paul Soboron as ‘Bert Healy’, Alcides Rosasio as ‘Jimmy Johnson’, Jennette Perdomo as ‘Mrs. Pugh’, Alex Ruiseco as ‘Hull’ and Heylicken Hueck as ‘Cookie’. As well as nine who were hired to work behind the scenes: Sofia Suro as Stage Manager, Janice Arguello as Assistant Stage Manager, Jhonny Mendoza as Costume Designer, Frank Navarro as Set Designer and Dillon Flores, Natalie Pierre, Valeria Miranda, Deanna Green, Michael Sanchez as Stage Hands.

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‘Annie: The Broadway Musical’ opens tonight at 8 pm, with additional shows on July 28th, July 29th, August 3rd, August 4th and August 5th. Ticket prices are $15. To reserve your seat(s), visit www.seminoletheatre.org/annie or call their Box Office at 786-650-2073.

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