On Tuesday, April 22, Hawthorn’s Upper School ventured out all together to North America’s largest classical repertory theatre company, the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, to see the beloved musical Annie.
We arrived in Stratford shortly after 11 a.m. and split up into groups according to grade to explore the town and its beautiful natural environment.
Students played in the playground, meandered along the river, climbed trees, sat silently by the water, and admired the swans, ducks, and geese.
We went into shops downtown and some of us bought souvenirs, bubble tea, and ice cream. We then enjoyed our packed lunches before the show began.
Music, dancing, acting, costume and set design, a dog!, a story of belonging – we loved it all!! As the indomitable orphan Annie famously says, knowing in her heart that the sun will come out tomorrow, no matter how dark it gets today, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile”.
After enjoying this outstanding musical, some of us went to a side door of the building where many of the actors exited. We met the dog who played Sandy, and clapped when we saw all the children who had performed. We were especially honoured to meet the principal actor who played Annie – incredible!
The actor who played Drake the butler, one of the funniest characters in the musical, came out to speak with us, too!
After the show and meeting the cast, we all went out to enjoy dinner, with each grade group choosing a different local restaurant, before boarding the bus to return to Toronto.
Everyone enjoyed the musical – the singing, dancing and choreography! Thank you, Hawthorn, for providing wonderful cultural opportunities like this for all of us – they bring us together, they inspire us, and they light up our imaginations and our days!