The irrepressible comic strip heroine takes center stage in one of the world's best-loved, award-winning musicals.
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. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.
At Wisconsin Theater Arts, we inspire curiosity, engage our young actors to make connections, and educate them through the transformative power of musical theater.
Kids, tweens, & teens between the ages of 9-18 of all experience levels are welcome and encouraged to join our three-week camp that offers a high-energy, engaging, and memorable summer camp experience! We know they'll walk away having built a new repertoire of performance skills.
Does your child/teen already have A LOT of theatrical experience? WONDERFUL! This camp is the perfect opportunity for those with experience to continue their theater journey and challenge them to step beyond their current experience and expand their knowledge through deeper character study and development to enhance their acting, hone their vocal skills through the classic musical theater songs this show encompasses, and further their dance training in the musical theater style.
Would this be your child's/teen's FIRST experience being in a musical? AWESOME! Those campers who are at the beginning of their theatrical journey will learn all the basics of acting, singing, and dancing and be mentored by our incredible interns. They are sure to learn a ton and thoroughly enjoy the experience.
No matter the experience, EVERY camper is an integral part of this production.
All summer camp enrollees will experience the entire production process from audition to performance.
Auditions will take place on the first day of camp and casting will follow. There are roles for everyone and plenty of acting, singing, and dancing for all throughout this musical. While some campers will be cast in a singular role, many of the campers will be cast in a number of roles where they will switch costumes throughout the show and become different characters. This is how we're able to fully create a show onstage.
Want to learn more about all the characters needed for ANNIE JR? Click HERE.
Throughout the rehearsal process campers will work on musical theater basics, character development, improvisation, stage movement, singing, and dancing. Some singing and dancing experience (school music class, school choir, prior musical theater experience, dance classes, etc...) is very helpful, but not required.
Summer Theater Camp culminates in a 60-70 minute ticketed production open to family and friends to attend. With classic songs, fun dances, and kid/teen-friendly material great for performers of all ages, Annie JR is sure to be an unforgettable experience!
Director/Choreographer: Patti Punzi
Director/Musical Director: Peter Punzi
**We will also have at least 2-3 interns (18 & older) in addition to junior interns (juniors & seniors in high school) to assist the directors throughout the three weeks of camp. Interns will also become stage crew for the performance and participate in the show itself as additional ensemble. Our lead interns are young adults/college students who have years of experience doing theater and currently pursuing theater arts in college.**
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CAMP DETAILS
Youth Ages: 9-18
Dates: July 7, 2025 - July 25, 2025
Time: Monday - Friday from 10am - 3pm
Location: East Troy High School (3128 Graydon Ave, East Troy, WI, 53120)
Performance Date/Times:
Saturday, July 26, 2025 @ 6:00pm (campers will arrive by 4pm)
Sunday, July 27, 2025 @ 3:00pm (campers will arrive by 1pm)
JUNIOR INTERN/CAMPER
If your teen will be a junior or senior in high school (ages 16-18) next school year and would like to still participate in camp, they can apply to become a Junior Intern/Camper. They will audition just like all campers and will receive a role in the production based on their vocal, acting, and dance abilities. They will also have the role of junior intern and assist our regular interns and directors in the day-to-day process of camp, help with sets, props, and costumes, and basically help wherever needed. Junior Intern/Camper positions will also receive a half-price camp discount for taking on the responsibility of becoming an intern. If you are interested in this option for your older teen please contact Patti at patti@wisconsintheaterarts.org prior to registration.
**ATTENDANCE IS ESSENTIAL. Theater is a team based activity, and absences impact the whole group. Only one conflict is excused during the first two weeks of camp (with the exception being illness or an emergency). If you have any conflicts with the final week of camp and/or the performance date then please refrain from registering.
CAMP CASTING
Please note that all casting is based on the following criteria:
1) talent (singing/acting/dancing abilities)
2) attitude
3) chemistry with other cast members
4) is the actor right for the role that aligns with the vision of the
show itself
**If you and/or your child are not happy with the role(s) the child has been cast as in the camp production and you choose to stop attending camp, no refund will be given per the payment and refund policies you agreed to during camp registration.
Being a part of a theatrical production takes all size roles. If the role wasn't important the author wouldn't have included it into the production. Please refer to the Wisconsin Theater Arts philosophy regarding casting and size of roles in a production. This philosophy is at the bottom of this page.
Registration
All registrations are processed in the order they are received. Only payment in full will secure your spot. Registrations will be accepted until the camp is full or until the registration deadline, whichever comes first. (Registration closes one week prior to camp and all payments must be made by then to secure a spot in camp.)
Once your registration is processed, you will receive confirmation and further camp details via e-mail. Please ensure you check your spam folder or promotions folder(Gmail users) for these emails so you're not missing out on important information.
Waiting List
A waitlist is enabled for summer theater camp. If the camp is full, make sure to sign up for the waitlist. Cancellations sometimes happen OR we are able to add a few more campers if we have enough interns to ensure everyone's safety. If there are any cancellations or have additional space available, we will add students from the waitlist in the order they were received.
Cancellations
Camps fill up quickly so please ensure that all camp dates/times work for your child and your schedule. A $25.00 cancellation fee will be charged if a camper is unenrolled 31 days or more prior to camp starting, and a $50.00 cancellation fee will be charged if a camper is unenrolled 30 or fewer days prior to camp starting. Prepaid tuition, less fees, will be refunded. No refunds will be given after the camp session begins. For more detailed information, please view our policies section during the registration process.
Participation
When students join any of our programs, they will be expected to participate in a safe manner, demonstrating respect for others and for property. If a student violates any rules or creates an unsafe situation for staff or other students, we reserve the right to remove the student from the class/summer camp. Wisconsin Theater Arts is not responsible for any lost, damaged, or stolen personal belongings.
Performances
All camps will culminate in TWO live, ticketed performances. Performance date and times are listed above. Friends and family are encouraged to attend one or both performances. All audience members must purchase tickets. Parents will be given a total of four (4) comp tickets (per registered camper) as a part of registering their child(ren).
Ticket information for performances will be sent home during the first two weeks of camp.
Camp T-Shirts
Camp t-shirts with the ANNIE JR logo will be available for pre-purchase (during the registration process) and students will receive their shirts prior to show weekend. T-shirts are fabulous for the campers to wear on the day of performance to and from and any other day they choose. These become wonderful mementos and just plain fun to wear! Pricing is listed in the registration section.
Costumes & Camp Attire
Wisconsin Theater Arts will provide most costume elements, however we may ask you to send your child in a particular color “base layer” for their performance (ex. green top, black leggings). Parents/guardians will be informed of any costume recommendations with ample time to plan, and there is no expectation of having to purchase costume pieces. However, we may require your child to wear a certain type/color of footwear for the production. This production will most likely require some campers to have 2 different pairs of shoes to accommodate the different characters they'll be portraying in the production.
Students must wear comfortable clothing that is easy to move in since they will be learning choreography. Clothing options could be: t-shirts, shorts, yoga pants, leggings, athletic pants, etc.. Ladies, no revealing clothing items, please. Even though it'll be summer, we'll be working in an air conditioned environment so bringing along a sweatshirt or long-sleeve shirt is always a good idea. Open-toed shoes, flip-flops, crocs, nor bare feet are NOT permitted while attending camp.
Jazz Dance Sneakers work best for musical theater rehearsals. Regular tennis shoes/sneakers are also acceptable for rehearsal as long as they are not the slip on style as those do not provide enough foot support. If you are in need of dance sneakers or dancewear, feel free to visit our page at Discount Dance Supply: https://www.discountdance.com/search/teacherid:140746?tp=140746
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More about the audition and performance process....
“There are no small parts, only small actors” (Konstantin Stanislaviski)
Stanislavski was the “father of modern acting”. He revolutionized the craft of acting. Not just for lead performers, but for the actors with small parts and for background actors and ensemble. Prior to Stanislavski, actors who were cast in small roles or in the ensemble often gave “smaller” performances. This means their acting lacked a sense of purpose. Their characters lacked depth and commitment and it was more like they were spectators versus performers.
Stanislavski found this unacceptable. When he arrived on the scene he expected his actors to truly engage in their roles with “equal commitment” regardless of the role size.
When Stanislavski’s company, the Moscow Art Theater, toured around the world, spectators immediately noticed the change he had made. Audiences now saw ALL the actors, even those with smaller roles or those in the ensemble, move with a sense of purpose and perform their characters with depth and truth. There was a full commitment by every actor on the stage to achieve their character’s objective no matter if they had hundreds of lines, a handful of lines, or none at all.
Wisconsin Theater Arts follows this same philosophy. No matter the size of the role, we expect our actors, our performers, to be true to their characters and create realistic representations on stage. Every single role in a play or musical has purpose otherwise it wouldn’t be there. We expect every cast member to have full commitment to their performance regardless of the size of the role they’ve been cast in.
(Stanislavski info from: https://actingmagazine.com/2018/07/there-are-no-small-parts-only-small-actors-konstantin-stanislavski/)
