South Peace Historical Society

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  • Table of Contents

    • Part 1: First Nations of the Peace River Region
    • Part 2: The Fur Trade Era
    • Part 3: Transportation and Communication
    • Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land
    • Part 5: Dawson Creek: The Story of the Community
    • Part 6: Mysteries, Adventures and Indian Legends
    • Part 7: Arts, Crafts and Recreation
    • Part 8: Agriculture
    • Part 9: Church Histories
    • Part 10: Schools
    • Part 11: Health Care
    • Part 12: Industries and Enterprises
    • Part 13: Policing the Peace
    • Part 14: Pouce Coupe, Rolla, and Other South Peace Communities
    • Part 15: Chetwynd and the Fort St. John Area
    • Part 16: The Alberta Peace
    • Part 17: Natural History of the Peace River Region
    • Part 18: Interviews with Old Timers
    • Part 19: Remembering Our Veterans

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BN07-39: Power of Music Alive in Annie Production

Recent History – 2001

June 29, 2001

By Mark Nielsen, Daily News Staff

It’s a drama. It’s a comedy. It’s even something of a spectacle.

But above all, Annie is a musical.

So when director Jennifer Gorton is asked about the value of the show’s musical director, Dawn Taylor, her appreciation knows no limits.

“She’s a lifeline in the show,” Gorton said. “She’s done so much work and she’s made them all sound awesome.

“It’s a really, really hard score and I didn’t realize that when I chose Annie, but she’s done such an amazing job.”

Taylor, a teacher at Ecole Frank Ross, who moved to Dawson Creek in August after teaching for eight years in Ontario, has been working with the cast for the last two months.

With her help they’ve learned to sing such tunes as It’s a Hard Knock Life, Maybe, Hooverville, and the signature song Tomorrow. They’ll have also learned their melodies and harmonies from someone who possesses a strong belief in the power of music.

“Song can convey so much emotional content, more than dialogue can any day of the week,” Taylor said when asked about the importance of music. “Music can really, really make an emotional impact on the audience.”

Providing the music for Annie came with its own set of challenges. For one thing, thanks to the Kiwanis Community Band’s trip to Europe, there’s been a shortage of musicians in the city.

It’s meant that Taylor has had to turn to technology to fill the void.

“Basically I had to rethink the whole orchestra and I sort of came to the decision very early on, that I was going to be dealing with a synthesized orchestra,” she said.

Taylor is not alone. While she plays the digital piano, Liz Hastie is on the synthesizer and Don Hall is on the drums. (Blessed with a velvety voice, Hall also does the radio voice-ins as well.)

There was also the matter of getting the singers in key as well. The effort varied with the person

“Some people have some musical training perhaps or they have a natural good ear, and they picked it up in a snap. Other people, it was difficult for them to get the song in their ear,” she said.

There was also an added challenge for Shawnese Trottier and Mallory Grant who sing Andrews Sisters-like harmonics in a scene that involves a radio studio.

“I know the girls have had some measure of struggle with that because it’s really hard singing Ñ that’s the hardest singing in the show,” Taylor said.

But on the evening before the opening night, Taylor was confident that all the musical ducks were in a row.

“It’s always so much fun when people in the community get together and put something on like this,” she said, adding that she enjoying life in Dawson Creek.

“There’s a big arts presence here, which I am really enjoying a lot. There is so much going on.”

This article is taken from the Peace River Block Daily News, Dawson Creek, with the permission of the publisher. The Daily News retains all rights relating to this material. The information in this article is intended solely for research or general interest purposes.

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BN07-40: Special Olympians Pumped and Ready »

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