Local girl looks forward to Tomorrow in Annie national touring company

For Madison Kerth, “Tomorrow” is here. Kerth, a fifth-grader at Tchefuncte Middle School, will leave at the end of October for Florida to begin rehearsals for the national tour of “Annie,” with her national tour debut beginning Nov. 18 in Raleigh, N.C. The tour will end in June.

“I want to be an actress, and now I am finally fulfilling my dream,” Kerth said. She said she started singing and dancing when she was 3 years old. The main drawback is that the closest the tour will come to south Louisiana is Chattanooga, Tenn.

Kerth will portray Kate, one of the orphans. However, a bigger role awaits as she is the only understudy for the starring role of Annie. After January, she will get her chance to find her real parents and get adopted by Daddy Warbucks during matinees.

Her big chance came in true Hollywood style. A fan of Bailey Hanks, who portrays Elle Woods in the Broadway production of “Legally Blonde,” she had traveled to New York for auditions and had just seen the play for the second time. Finally getting to meet her idol, she was in Hanks’ dressing room when the magical call came on her mother’s cell phone.

“The worst part was, I couldn’t tell anyone for five days,” she said. She had only just auditioned that morning. She and her parents celebrated at a restaurant on Times Square with Sprite and cake.

No stranger to theatre, she is in both the gifted program and the talented theatre and music programs at school.

In fact, while she’s being tutored on tour, she plans to remain in touch with her teachers at Tchefuncte so she doesn’t fall behind, and she will keep up with her classmates via e-mails. She currently follows the sixth-grade curriculum.

Brian Strain, her talented music teacher at Tchefuncte, said, “She is a very talented young lady with a great natural ability. I have enjoyed having her in my class.”

Meredith Long, her talented theatre teacher, agreed.

At her young age, she already has an impressive resume, including a two-month stint as Annie with Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans. She also appeared as the character Duchess in St. Timothy United Methodist Church’s production of Disney’s “The Aristocats.” She has also performed in a television commercial for the Louisiana Tourist Commission.

Her grandmother, Mary Lee Boynes, will accompany her on the tour. Only allowed two suitcases and two carry-ons, she is leaving her four American Girls dolls at home and will take her Build-A-Bear named Monkey with her.

The production is non-equity, meaning they will not be members of the prestigious theatrical actors’ union. However, sometimes equity status is given to national tours.

Her mother, Cheramie, is the special education supervisor for the St. Bernard Parish School System and has been her agent throughout the process.

Her father teaches talented music in St. Bernard and plays the trumpet in two bands, including The Bucktown All-Stars.

What does tomorrow hold for the local Annie? Kerth said when the tour is over, she will continue to audition for more roles.