Dunn Brings Experience to the Stage for Season-Opening Musical
Stephanie Dunn, the new Theater Teacher at Worthington Christian, will direct Annie with a cast of 50 actors, ranging from fifth to twelfth grade, and a crew of ten students for a four-show run.
“Annie is just a big, feel-good musical,” Dunn said. “Everybody knows it. I picked it to pay honor to my director (Eastland-Fairfield Career Center director Doreen Dunn, no relation), who believed in me. I wanted to go with something I love, and that means something special to me. Annie has been my go-to musical.”
The story of Little Orphan Annie, who emerges from the darkness of Miss Hannigan’s orphanage to find love, family, and acceptance with Daddy Warbucks, stars Emilia Nicodemus (Annie), Noelle Doyel (Miss Hannigan), Matthew Kovich (Oliver Warbucks), Alondra Degen (Grace Farrell), Ellie Speakes (Lilly), Hope Spires (Star to Be), and Jacob Thomas (Rooster Hannigan).
The show is hardly unfamiliar terrain for Dunn, who has directed Annie six times. She played the Star to Be and directed a children’s ensemble in high school productions.
“(Doreen Dunn) had ‘orphans’ come from the local area elementary schools, and once we started rehearsals, I volunteered to go sit with the kids. I stayed over there and began helping them with their choreography.
“My director really poured into me with that and gave me all sorts of pointers. I realized how much fun it was to be the director, and I fell in love with it.”
After high school, she majored in theater performance at the Ohio State University. After directing church and high school productions in Columbus, Dunn spent two years in South Korea teaching English through acting and leading an after-school theater club.
Her first show there was, of course, Annie. Every year a group of judges would come to schools and judge performances and the top clubs were invited to a competition with the top finishers performing at Lotte World, an amusement park in Seoul. Dunn’s troupe made it to the finals both years, qualifying with Annie and Hairspray!
The experience influenced Dunn’s teaching style.
“I didn’t know Korean very well, and they couldn’t understand every word I said in English,” she said. “The experience gave me the awareness to teach it in such a way that you didn’t always have to understand the words that were coming out of my mouth. I could show you what you needed to be doing and how you were supposed to say lines or dance.
“By the end of the year, you could really tell the kids who were in my program because they would start to talk like me.”
Dunn faces a different challenge at Worthington Christian, replacing long-time drama teacher David O’Roark, who directed performances at WC for 25 years.
“(O’Roark) was a wonderful set designer, and I’m still figuring out my way around the stage to make things doable for the way I want to present musicals,” she said. “I had a meeting with some of the seniors at the beginning of the school year, and I asked them what traditions they wanted to continue.”
One tradition she strives to continue is the family atmosphere O’Roark created within the program. That was one of the things that attracted her to the theater in the first place.
Dunn wasn’t always involved with theater. Growing up, she played volleyball and basketball, but she became disenchanted with the competitiveness of sports at the high school level.
“Everyone was always yelling, and every game had such high stakes,” she said. “I thought, ‘I don’t know if I really want to continue with this.’”
While on a field trip to the Eastland-Fairfield Career Center, she found a flyer for the drama department.
“We were improving scenes, and I immediately fell in love with it,” she said. “It was definitely stepping outside my comfort zone. I was an introverted, shy girl, but I realized when I was on stage, I wasn’t as shy. I could be bold, make choices, and have fun.”
Dunn hopes the WC theater program can continue to provide a community for students.
“Acting is not the only skill students can gain from theater,” she said. “Students can learn how to be bold, speak up for themselves, and be themselves.
“I would love for the program to be a space for all types of people. I want it to be a place where people can be seen and try something new.”
Ticket Details
Friday, October 16 | 7 PM (Only a few seats remaining!)
Saturday, October 17 | 2 PM & 7 PM
Sunday, October 18 | 3 PM
The auditorium is located in the K-2 Building of the Lower School at 6675 Worthington Galena Road.
Reserved-seat tickets are now on sale for $12.
Current Worthington Christian students may attend for free. Students may reserve a complimentary ticket for one performance.
Worthington Christian staff may attend for free using the staff promo code provided to them via email. Staff members should still reserve a ticket to secure their seat. This promotion is for current WC staff members. Staff may reserve up to two complimentary tickets for one performance: one for the staff member and one for their spouse, if attending.