Annie Goes to China

Today it became official.  Annie, The National Tour is going international and will be traveling to China this coming spring!  We found out today that we will be playing in four cities in China for five weeks beginning April 17 when we fly from NYC to Shanghai, China.  We will be in Shanghai for two weeks and then travel to Tianjin for a week followed by a week in a city I can't remember but it is home to the Terra Cotta Army, and finally a week in Beijing before heading home on May 24th.

The entire company is of course very excited to be given this tremendous opportunity.  As I find out more information I will let you all know what will be happening.  That is pretty much all I know at this time.  The show will be done in English with super titles projected to either side of the stage for translation into Chinese.  I also know that due to travel restrictions and regulations we will be using a dog from China that our dog handler and Annie will travel over to train with.

In the meantime, We have begun our 2009-2010 Nation Tour of ANNIE.  Tomorrow we will travel to Burlington, Vermont for opening night on Tuesday.  We will then embark on three weeks of mayhem as we travel to 16 cities in 20 days!  This will be the toughest part of the tour physically as travel is always a little difficult.  It may also be some of the most fun as I have found that the company really pulls together during these trying times.

We will be playing in 42 cities in the US this season!  That is 42 places that will be exciting to see and exciting to perform in.  If you happen to live in one of those cities we hope to see you at the theatre.  I would love to meet you after show so be sure to stop by the stage door after the show.  For those of you from my neck of the woods, we will be in Atlanta in January.  I hope you will all make the short drive down to see the show!  I promise you won't be disappointed.

If you need tickets or information about the show be sure to visit www.annieontour.com.  It is a great web page with lots of information including links to purchase tickets.

Time to go pack so we can fly out TOMORROW!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I arrived in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday for our one week of rehearsals!  We had rehearsals Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then had Thanksgiving Day off.  Cay and Ashlea drove up from Hendersonville and we spent Thanksgiving together.  NetWorks catered a very nice dinner for everyone in the company and we had a great time relaxing together.  Today we had our final rehearsals before our first performance TOMORROW at 2:00.  So if you add it all up we have had about 40 hours of rehearsal!  That is very little compared to what is typical for a production of this magnitude.  Despite the shortened rehearsal period the show is in great shape and everyone is really enjoying working together.

Most of the cast from last season is returning for this shortened season of 14 weeks (maybe longer if they are able to book some more dates?!).  There are several new additions to our company.  We have 4 new orphans. "July, Kate, Duffy and Tessie" are new this season.  Our orphan "swing/wrangler" is also new this year along with four of the adult cast including a new "Grace."  They are all doing a great job and I am looking forward to getting to know all of them better as the tour goes along.  Our technical staff is mostly returning except for our lead carpenter and electrician which makes it nice since most of them already know the show.  It will definately be nice for me and all of my costume changes.  We have a new Production Stage Manager and a new Company Manager.  They both are really great people and I know they will do a great job.

We will do two "preview" performances tomorrow and then close out in Dayton on Sunday with a matinee before flying to Burlington, VT for our official opening night next Tuesday.  The first three weeks of this season will be difficult as we are in a different city virtually every night but it should also be fun seeing the northeastern part of our great nation during December.

It is hard for me to believe that over two years have passed since I began my "Annie" adventure.  It has been the thrill of a lifetime and I can't wait to see what lies ahead as we continue this amazing journey together.

Getting into the Holiday Spirit

I spent yesterday in beautiful downtown Milwaukee.  It was a great, relaxing day that concluded with a wonderful evening of holiday cheer.  I was flown into Milwaukee to do some publicity for "Annie" that will be in Milwaukee Dec. 18-19.  I was part of the annual "Tree Lighting" ceremony, the "Holiday Lights" kick off and then conclued this morning with a wonderful interview on "The Morning Blend," a local morning talk show.

I have to admit I was surprised at the turnout for the evening events.  There were hundreds of people at the tree lighting and thousands at the Holiday lights kickoff which included a pretty awesome fireworks show.

Traveling from city to city doing "Annie" I don't often get the chance to experience the local atmoshpere or to get to know the town and its citizens very well.  We typically drive in, go to the hotel, go to the theatre, do the show, and leave, often without every seeing anything else.  To be able to stand amoung the townsfolk of Milwaukee and experience their joy and excitement in kicking off the holiday season was truly a blessing.

I can't wait to get back to Milwaukee and exerience their good will from stage.

One Last Time

Well, I have started up with "Annie" again. Sort of. Today I flew to Milwaukee where I will be doing a day-and-a-half of press events including a couple of Christmas Tree lightings and a meet greet for a group of community planners.

It still floors me that they will by me plane tickets, pay for hotels and meals, all just so that I can do a TV interview or two and make some public appearances. I guess playing a famous role has it perks.

I will fly home on Friday and then leave again on Sunday to begin the 2009-2010 Annie National Tour. This tour will be much shorter than the two previous tours lasting for only 16 weeks from beginning to end. We will be playing all over the US again. Places of note include Atlanta, Chicago, Cost Mesa, Seattle, Tempe and more.

If would like information about the show or would like to purchase tickets visit www.annieontour.com. It is a great web site with links to buy tickets, videos, pictures and much more.

As I begin what I assume will be the final phase of my adventure on the professional stage playing "Daddy Warbucks" I am faced with many emotions. Excitement, joy, anxiousness, doubt, fear and great deal more. I am looking forward to be back on the road with show but find myself already worrying about what I am going to do next. Oh well, God will provide and one way or another "the show must go on."

I hope to see you on the road. If you come to see the show be sure to stop by the stage door and say I. Meeting all the fans after the show is one of my favorite parts of touring.

Peace and Grace,

David Barton