Hughson High School Drama Finishes Their Spring Production of Annie
Annie

February 10, 2026

On February 5, the Hughson High School Drama held their final performance of their spring production of Annie Jr., a musical adapted from the well-known 1977 Broadway musical of little orphan Annie, garish Miss Hannigan, a friendly stray dog, the fabulously wealthy Oliver Warbucks, an orphan troop, the faithful staff, and the cunning Rooster and Lily. Annie Jr. is a 60-minute adaptation by Music Theatre International.

With two periods of drama taught by Eric Anderson, Annie Jr. was performed with two full casts. Bailey Bilson and May Olsen starred as Annie; Bella Hall and Carmine Rodriguez as Ms. Hannigan; and Owen Nelson and Hayden Rytting as Oliver Warbucks.

Each production began with choral highlights from Into the Woods by Sound Investment under the direction of music teacher Katye Maki. The medley included the themes "Into the Woods," "I Know Things Now," "Giants in the Sky," "No One Is Alone," and "Children Will Listen"for a moving finish. Aiden Ramos and Jillian Barth narrated the introduction. Soloists Maci Fife, Allison Landaverde, and Piper McKee kept the music moving smoothly from solo to choral lines.

As a teacher and director, Anderson has focused particularly on teaching the students about “interdependence.” He explained that there are ideas of being dependent, independent, or interdependent. “If you have dependent behavior, it's never your fault. You're always whining, complaining, and I guarantee you'll have a pretty cheap performance. If you’re independent, you'll likely have a nice performance. But if you want to have a ‘wow’ performance, you should become interdependent.”

For example, during a morning performance for Fox Road Elementary School students, a scrub brush fell from the stage during the number, “Hard Knock Life.”

“One of my orphans noticed it and just scooped it up. Instead of going, ‘that’s not my job,’ she saw it and picked it up quickly.”

Anderson has also focused on teaching students to connect with the characters they play, imagining how they feel and what they think. The power of giving the student guidance on how to do this and permission to take the lead in how they present their characters led to fun differences between the two performances.

“My feeling is, there are the general things that need to happen that I direct, and I help them understand,” Anderson said. But to help them make it their own, he asks the students, “What story are you trying to tell, and does it work?”

Over the top, Miss Hannigan from Period 1, played by Bella Hall, who could yell with gusto, grabbed the radio with jealous sobs when she heard Annie’s voice. It worked, communicating something deeper about the character, and Anderson encouraged her to keep at it.

In the Period 2 cast, having taken to heart the journey of Annie from orphan to loving household to hear, Annie, played by Mae Olsen, displayed some deep pathos, learning she will have to leave Warbucks.

The two casts played the stage against the backdrops designed by Stuart Pierce, with dressing and props provided by the Hickman Honor Choir Moms. Their performances were illuminated and amplified with lighting design by Robin Anderson, Lightboard Operator Shane Lockwood, Soundboard Operator Ryan Stites, Landon Fife, and Ella Hamilton, and Music Technicians Sarah Forshey and Elias.

Choreographers Kindal Barstow, Jillian Barth, Bailey Bilson, Maci Fife, Allison Landaverde, Mae Olsen, and Hayden Rytting brought out well-known stage moments and introduced new ideas. Stage Managers Bailey Rose Vasquez, Stella Lawrence; Stage CrewBryce Rucker, Zane Schauer, Landon Frantz, Jacob Montoya, and Anthony Mendonca; and Vocal Coach Annalisa Winberg helped make it all possible.

Hughson High School Drama Presents: Cinderella
Cinderella

October 17, 2025

This semester, Hughson High School Drama is performing Disney’s Cinderella with a concert before the show featuring excerpts from Wicked by Hughson High School Sound Investment.

With singers dressed in black and gold, with Hughson Husky Choir shirts, the songs from “Wicked” are fast-moving and sung with heart, befitting its Broadway tradition. The students use risers in front of the stage, moving briskly between numbers and choreographed hand movements without detracting from the vocals that make up the heart of the show.

After a brief intermission, the main performance begins.

The play takes the story and, by telling it in flashback, shortens it to less than a class period. It features Cinderella and her prince, played by Ava Reynolds and Caleb Hoem from the Period 1 cast, as a seasoned married couple celebrating their fifteenth wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, the younger Cinderella, played by Sarah Forshey, sings her sorrows away while her Fairy Godmother (Bella Hall) makes magic with the laundry. Disney’s best sidekicks, led by Anthony Mendonca and Tyler Plum, make an appearance whenever all feels lost, sewing her ballgown, calling for a ride, and catching the previous slipper.

Perhaps most entertaining in this telling were Cinderella’s stepsisters, played by Genevieve Waddell and Bailey Bilson, who, along with all the humor of multiple movies, add a jazzy dance to their singing performance, livening up a mellower story with a bit of whimsy.

By the end of the week, the two casts of 65 performers will have performed two public performances and nine additional performances for school and community groups. That includes eleven elementary-level classes from seven different elementary schools. Altogether, approximately 1800 people from Hughson schools and surrounding schools will come out to see it.

Cinderella is Eric Anderson’s debut as Hughson’s High School Drama Teacher. As a long-time volunteer, Anderson and his wife, Robyn, who volunteers with lighting design during the show, are no strangers to Hughson High School’s talent. Following the retirement of Brad Thompson, Anderson stepped into the role, following the pattern of showcasing a Disney musical that includes a choral performance.

The director's chair is “exciting, scary, exhilarating, frustrating, and rewarding all at the same time,” he said. “It is wonderful to watch many students make their characters their own.”

Anderson has focused particularly on helping empower students to work independently and invest in what they do. “There are many parts of the show that I enjoy, but I have to say that I very much enjoy curtain call,” he said. “It's wonderful to watch the performers enjoy the recognition of their hard work.”

The show continues this week with two public performances on Saturday, October 18. The first period cast will perform at 5:30 p.m. with the second period cast at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $5 for children and youth, and can be purchased at the box office outside the Ella Webb Theater, at Hughson High School, 7419 E Whitmore Ave, Hughson.