The New Tampa Players close out their 2017-18 season on Friday with a play dedicated to Doug Wall, the late co-founder of the community theater organization.
The Doug Wall Awards also will be established and presented during a performance of Annie, which the group premiers this weekend. The first award - to be presented to Wall posthumously and accepted by his parents - will be a Lifetime Achievement recognition for him, said Nora Paine, president of the New Tampa Players, an all-volunteer organization.
Future awards will be for recognitions such as Best Featured Actor, Best Featured Actress, Best Director and more.
Paine said Annie, directed by Kari Ann Stamatoplos, held special meaning for Wall, who was active with the organization for nearly 20 years and died in November at age 55 from pancreatic cancer. He played Daddy Warbucks in the New Tampa Players 2004 production and he directed the theater group's 2011 production of it.
"Doug was always about the big summer show," Paine said. "It is the multigenerational one. He liked the children and adults working together."
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip, "Little Orphan Annie."
Carrollwood resident Annie Sardouk, 12, an eight-grader at Corbett Prep, will play the title role.
"I love everything about Annie," she said in a recent phone interview. "It doesn't feel like I am working."
Sardouk, who has been acting since fifth grade, said she enjoys the camaraderie of the adult and child performers.
"Everyone is really nice and supporting; the adults are really good to the children," she said.
The New Tampa Players also announced the 2018-19 shows this month.
The fall show is a Volunteers Choice show in mid to late October, Paine said.
"Volunteers earn votes for things like backstage crew, distributing flyers, selling presale tickets, lighting, sound, and strike. This year the choices are Parade, Next to Normal and Violet. Voting will take place on opening night of 'Annie'," she said.
The Spring Show will be Alladin Jr., which will be in conjunction with the Penguin Project, matching special needs student performers with peer mentors about their same age.
"The program was founded in 2004 by Dr. Andy Morgan. The children are the stars," Paine said. "Their mentors are on stage with them in rehearsal and peer can be on stage with them if needed in the performance."
If that is not needed, the mentors are in the background and can step forward to remind a special needs performer of the lines or steps in the production.
"This also helps special needs children to create a network," she said.
The production will be April 5-7
The 2019 summer show will be Little Mermaid, in late July and early August.
While shows are presented now at the University Area Community Center, the New Tampa Players eventually will move to the New Tampa Cultural Center, a 20,000-square-foot, $12-million facility on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard at Hunters Green Drive.
The center could break group as early as 2019.