Dakota Chanel can’t wait to take on the role of orphan Annie
The stage is Dakota Chanel’s ‘happy place’, so she’s delighted to have been chosen as one of four children to share the lead role of Annie in the Broadway musical by the same name, set to open at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney from 25 March.
The 12-year-old, who splits her time between her Balgowlah Heights home and the Gold Coast, Queensland, can’t wait to get started on her ‘first ever professional musical.’ “I love performing in front of an audience, it makes me feel really happy,” Dakota says.
Dakota will hit the stage as Annie
The young talent began dancing lessons at the age of two at the National Academy of Performing Arts on the Gold Coast, and will start lessons this year with Dance Prescription, which is online dance training. Her older sister, Bella, 22, helps out too and is a singer, dancer and actress. Singing lessons started for Dakota when she was seven, and she is still with her vocal coach.
When asked to pick a favourite: singing or dancing, Dakota ‘cannot choose.’ She has been in smaller theatre productions, playing Marta von Trapp in The Sound
of Music; and Baby June in Gypsy. Annie will be her first time on a big stage, singing in front of thousands over a few months, taking turns with her colleagues.
Since finding out she had scored the role of Annie, which she will share with Beatrix Alder, Matilda Casey and Stephanie McNamara, Dakota has been busy doing character development, which means watching videos of the Broadway musical, and learning her script. “It’s a very big script – Annie has 157 lines!” Dakota says, confirming she’s counted them all.
She had seen the 1982 original film Annie prior to her audition. Based on the popular Harold Gray comic strip, Little Orphan Annie, which debuted and ran for more than 80 years, the musical Annie came to popularity in 1977 when it opened on Broadway.
This production will feature well- known hits like It’s a Hard Knock Life, Easy Street and Tomorrow, and Anthony Warlow will reprise his role of Oliver ‘Daddy’ Warbucks, the role he has played twice before in Australia and in which he made his Broadway debut. Debora Krizak, who has starred in The Producers and A Chorus Line will play Miss Hannigan.
Once Dakota started delving into her character, she felt an instant connection to the role. “I love how strong she can be,” the young performer says of the orphan Annie. “She can be fierce and she also dreams so big.
“When I was auditioning I dreamed big and I was very optimistic and I got the role!”
Preparation helped too, with Dakota saying she wasn’t nervous before her audition – despite hundreds vying for the role – as she was ready. “But when I do get nervous, I count back from three and take ‘three, two, one’ deep breaths and tell myself I’m going to be okay.”
When she’s not performing, Dakota enjoys solving jigsaw puzzles and completing ‘hard Lego,’ and she’s soon to start Year 7, which she will do at home via the Cairns School of Distance Education. It gives her time to fit in singing, dancing and performing.
“My big dream has always been, since (I was) a little girl, to be on Broadway one day,” says Dakota. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in the ensemble or if you’re a lead, just to be on stage is so amazing.” Annie runs from 25 March to 1 June at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney. For tickets, visit anniemusical.com.au