All of Itawamba County is about to “get Annie.”

The IAHS Indian Players will present their production of “Annie” on Feb. 25-26 and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Fulton Grammar School auditorium. Tickets are $5 if purchased prior to the show or $7 at the door.

Last year’s performance of “High School Musical” was a huge success, selling out every seat for every show. In fact, last year’s success was so strong, IAHS drama teacher and the production’s director Victoria Blake added an evening performance to this year’s Saturday showing, which typically only has one show.

“We’ve had a lot of people asking about this year’s production,” Blake said, predicting sold out shows this year as well. As a way of trying to gauge the production’s success early, Blake cited the show’s program, which contains $3,000 worth of ads, approximately $1,000 more than were featured in last year’s program and double the year before that.

Blake said they will use the money to help further the recent renovations to the grammar school by purchasing a new sound system and speakers for the auditorium, which will be installed by Precision Communications for free.

According to Blake, the cast and crew are ready for the performance. Getting there, however, has been a challenge. The group of more than 70 performers started practicing in November and hasn’t let up, working hard to memorize dialogue, lyrics and complex dance choreography.

“It’s been challenging bringing 70 kids together on a daily basis,” Blake said with a knowing smile. “But, on the whole, everything’s going really well.”

Particularly challenging, she said, was working with the smallest actors and actresses, some as young as 4 years old.

“I don’t think I’ve ever worked with any 4- or 5-year-olds before,” Blake said. “That’s a challenge, to keep them focused and know what they’re going to do when there’s so many people out here in the audience. We want to make sure they don’t get scared and run off stage.”

Although the youngest children in the cast may be a concern, Blake expressed full confidence in the young star of the show, Itawamba Attendance Center fifth-grader Anna Robinson, who Blake says embodies the heart and soul of the spirited red-headed orphan perfectly.

“When she sings ‘I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here,’ I just feel her emotion in both her singing and expressions,” Blake said. “It’s great to see that kind of fresh talent. She’s just a natural actress, and we’re really glad we found her this year.”

Blake said Robinson is a born perfectionist and has quickly picked up on even the most challenging aspects of her performance, including memorizing the myriad dance routines.

Dancing, by the way, would be choreographer Leah Cayson’s specialty. Cayson, an ICC student, has worked with Blake on more than seven musicals but said “Annie” has been, in many ways, her most challenging.

“These kids have never really had any dance experience,” Cayson said. “Taking 70 kids who have never had any dance experience and trying to teach them choreography has been a challenge.”

According to Blake, the kids are also learning a bit of history. The production is being performed in the Fulton Grammar School auditorium, which was built in as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression, the time period in which “Annie” is set.

“It’s like a living history lesson,” Blake said. “The kids are learning history through this, which is neat. They’re learning that the ‘New Deal’ that Roosevelt talks about in the play is what caused this auditorium to be built. They are learning first-hand how their own community was affected.”

Adam Armour can be reached at 862-3141, by e-mailing adam.armour@itawamba360.com or by visiting his blog at itawamba360.com.

What: "Annie"

When: Feb. 25-26 and at 2 p.m.

Where: Fulton Grammar School auditorium

Info: Tickets are $5 if purchased prior to the show or $7 at the door.