Students at the Traverse Bay Community School have gone from a "Hard-Knock Life" to "Easy Street."
With the public opening of a new 200-plus seat auditorium yesterday evening with a production of "Annie, Jr.", the school no longer has to cram performances into the library or lunchroom. Gone are the days of worrying about too many people coming to a show because they could not fit in the small space.
After ten years in action, the charter school now has a community gathering place that reflects its fundamental commitment to music, fine arts and drama. The 200-student school, which includes students in kindergarten through eighth grades, uses the arts to inspire each student to find and foster their own creative spark.
"We would cram into the lunchroom and move all the chairs and tables out of the way," said Mark Child, the founder and director of the school, adding of the school's arts emphasis: "We feel like whether they go on to do these sorts of things or not, it's good for them to explore their interest and build confidence — the arts are a great way for them to do both."
"A lot of kids, if they were in a bigger school, might not have a chance to do this," he added.
After dreaming of a theater for four or five years, the school green-lighted the project last year and broke ground in June. The new space is approximately 5,000-square feet and includes a large stage with curtains, comfortable theater seating, two dressing rooms, extra wing space and office space.
"It's been great for them to watch it being built," said Child of the past year of construction. "When we brought them in for the first time, most people had no idea it was going to be like this."
Debuting "Annie, Jr." yesterday evening and putting on three performances today, the cast of 30 in this Broadway classic welcomes classmates, family, school staff and the community to check out their new digs.
"The theater is great, fabulous, it will definitely serve it's purpose," said Claron Alldredge, an eighth grade student who plays Daddy Warbucks.
The trio of teachers who have led students through theatrical presentations since the school opened ten years ago had a strong hand in creating the facility. Students at the school typically present two or three different productions every school year.
"We really designed the theater, we had such ideas," said theater and choral music teacher Marilyn Tilley, who along with teachers Reiko Lewis and Mae DeBruyn spearheaded the project for the school.
"We made them add wing space, each dressing room has a bathroom and we had to have the backstage space blocked off," she continued.
The students have been working on "Annie, Jr." since January, weaving their rehearsals into music and other class times. They scoured Goodwill and other used clothing stores for many of the period costumes.
The plan to present the show before spring break had to be shifted to afterward to allow workers to complete finishing touches on the auditorium. This is the second time students have performed the show since the school opened in 1996, but the first time in a professional setting.
"This is my first major production and my first year here," said Sage Deagro-Ruopp, a fourth grade student who plays Annie. "I like the moving around and saying the lines and pretending to be someone else, it's fun."
Show times for "Annie, Jr." will be at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12. The community is welcome and tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students. The Traverse Bay Community School is located at 7224 Supply Road.