ELY — Some traditions stick around because they matter. This spring, Ely marks a milestone as the Northern Lakes Arts Association presents “Annie” for its 70th annual community spring musical.
For seven decades, local performers have gathered each spring to build a show from the ground up. Sets get painted. Costumes come out of closets. Students rehearse alongside longtime community actors. By opening night, something real has taken shape.
This year’s production features 46 performers — high school students, college students, and community members from across the area. Nineteen of them are stepping onto an Ely stage for the first time.
Ian Francis Lah, executive artistic director of NLAA, said the turnout reflects years of deliberate work rebuilding the program.
“Five years ago, we began rebuilding the Ely Community Spring Musical, and this year’s production of “Annie” shows how far that work has come,” Lah said. “When you invest in the experience for the people involved as much as the experience for the audience, people show up. They bring their friends. They return the next year. The production becomes something the community builds together.”
That investment is visible in the cast. Lah points to Lily Schroeter, who leads the production in the title role, as an example of the kind of young talent the program is cultivating.
“What we found with both Lily and Moxie (Lily’s understudy) are wonderful raw voices with a lot of potential. Part of the joy of community theater is being able to work with young artists like them, help develop those voices, and give them the musical and performance opportunities that help them grow.”
Moxie will perform as Annie during two scheduled performances — the Saturday evening show in Week One and the Saturday matinee in Week Two — giving a young performer a real taste of how understudying works at the professional level.
Audiences can also look forward to Bailey McLinn-Belehar’s portrayal of the conniving Miss Hannigan.
“She leans into the character’s humor and mischief in a way that makes people laugh out loud,” Lah said. “It’s a performance that steals scenes in the best possible way.”
The show itself is familiar territory for most audiences. Set in New York City during the Great Depression, “Annie” follows a relentlessly optimistic orphan whose spirit changes the lives of everyone around her. The score includes some of Broadway’s most recognizable numbers — “Tomorrow,” “Maybe,” and “It’s the Hard Knock Life” — but Lah says the show’s emotional core is what makes it right for this moment.
“Right now, the world can feel pretty heavy,” he said. “Sometimes what people need most is a room full of neighbors and a story that reminds us tomorrow might be brighter than today. If we’re being honest, it’s a little propaganda of joy. But that’s not a bad thing.”
With a 46-member cast taking the stage in full-company numbers, Lah expects those moments of collective joy to land hard.
“With a group this large, those moments feel joyful and energetic, which fits the spirit of “Annie” perfectly,” he said.
“Annie” runs two weekends at the Vermilion Fine Arts Theatre, 1900 E. Camp St. in Ely. Opening night is March 20 at 7 p.m. The March 21 matinee at 2 p.m. is a Pay What You Can performance, sponsored by the Vermilion Campus Foundation.
Tickets are available at www.northernlakesarts.org or at the door beginning one hour before each performance.