Annie Illustrations: Comics And Stage Co-mingle!

You’re all familiar with the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, I’m sure…

…and how that was developed into a stage show (not to mention the classic 1982 film version, and others)…

…well, I was recently approached by an old friend from high school–Amy Becker Lauter–to do some illustrations for a stage production of Annie: The Musical, which she co-directed at The Farmington Players in Farmington Hills, MI this December (2013).

The idea was to acknowledge the show’s roots by incorporating comic strip elements, so they devised a large screen that would come down during set changes, upon which they designed comic panels that the actors would perform in front of, in-between scenes…

…and in one of those panels they projected the images I drew, as you can see in the examples below.

The bulk  of the images served as establishing shots, with a few character designs thrown in. Everything was done digitally in Photoshop, with the establishing shots being derived from photo reference.

It was a fun project, and the show was a sold-out hit! I attended the second-to-last performance with my family, just before New Years, and we were all very impressed. The casting, acting and directing (etc.) came together to produce a rendition of this beloved tale that easily rivals my fond memories of watching the movie as a child. For any of you’s who were fortunate enough to see the show, I’m sure you know what I mean.

I’m proud and very grateful to have been part of this production, and am excited to share the fruits of these labors with you!

Have a wonderful and happy New Years, and may 2014 be a little brighter for all of us!

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