Ever since she was 4 years old Stephanie Kasel wanted to play Annie.

This summer she got the part.

"I have the hair and I love to sing," Kasel said.

The redhead is one of 50 Summerset Theatre cast members putting on the musical, "Annie"

starting at 7 p.m. tonight in the Frank W. Bridges Theatre.

"It's kind of a nice family show," said director Jerry Girton. "And it gets the kids involved."

"Annie" is about an optimistic orphan girl in 1933 who hopes to find her parents. Her search for a family begins when she runs away from an orphanage run by Miss Hannigan. Along the way she meets a billionaire and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Suzie Schmidt of Austin plays Miss Hannigan, a mean, bitter character who always has a bottle of alcohol on hand. Playing Miss Hannigan is fun for Schmidt because the character is "so out there." One of the best parts about playing Miss Hannigan is that she gets to work with the children in the cast.

"We've got a talented bunch of little girls," Schmidt said.

Twelve girls play the other orphans at the orphanage. Girton said working with a large cast of children is fun.

"Kids are really fast," he said. "They learn the music faster than anyone. They learn their lines faster."

About 250 people auditioned for the 50 parts in "Annie." The cast has been rehearsing for about four weeks, five days a week. The 13-member orchestra, directed by Brian Johnson, had three practices to learn the music before rehearsing with the cast. The first time they met was an adjustment because the cast has to adjust to different sounds, he said.

"The singers are very accustomed to doing it without the orchestra," Johnson said.

Johnson arranged the orchestra by calling talented musicians he knew. Playing Broadway music is hard because the keys change often and the musicians have to adapt to what is happening on stage.

"Almost all Broadway musicals are challenging for instrumentalists," Johnson said.

Balancing rehearsal time with other commitments is challenging for everyone involved in the musical.

"You're schedule gets unbalanced," Schmidt said. But she said she enjoys it and loves meeting new people.

Kasel agreed. "It's about meeting all these different people," she said.

The first performance tonight should go well. After rehearsal Thursday Girton shared improvements he had noted with the cast.

"I'm pleased with the progress we're making," he said. "Everything is pulling together even more and more."

"Annie" opens tonight at 7 p.m. and continues at 7:30 p.m. June 17-22. Tickets can be purchased for $10 at the Summerset Theatre Box Office or at Nemitz's Black Barts.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at :mailto cari.quam@austindailyherald.com