By Kat Bryant

The Daily World

It was a packed house, standing room only, as the troupe of 32 actors took the stage last Thursday for a production of “Annie.”

They’d been working on their choreography and lines for months. The sets were built, the costumes perfected. They were miked up and made up and fully dressed (smiles and all). They were ready to go.

The young woman in the title role belted out her lines and her songs at full volume, creating a strong presence on stage. She was utterly fearless.

Pretty impressive for a fifth-grader.

In fact, Sierra Fuquay was one of the senior actors on stage in the North River School’s gym that evening — save for the teacher who played President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The cast comprised all 32 kids from pre-K through fifth grade at North River, and many of the crew members were high school students. (All attend classes on the same campus.)

“It is probably the best small school play ever,” asserted Karen Furth, a North River teacher who acted as an unofficial PR director and helped with makeup during preparations for the performance.

Might she be just a little biased? Maybe — but she certainly wasn’t the only one beaming with pride that evening.

This tiny school has a Cosmopolis address, but in fact it’s about 24 miles southeast of central Cosi, in Pacific County. Its total enrollment, pre-K through high school, is 64 this year (three seniors are graduating this month); so its class sizes allow for plenty of one-on-one attention from the teachers, who average 15 years of experience each, according to the Washington State Report Card.

Given these and other attractive features, parents choose to send their children to North River from as far away as Aberdeen and Central Park.

“I guess they think it’s worth (the trip), because they keep coming,” said Heather Johnson, who teaches grades 2 through 6 and high-school French at North River.

She also plans and directs the school’s annual plays. Under her guidance, they have evolved far beyond simplistic skits.

“The success of our elementary drama production is due to our professional drama teacher, Ms. Heather Johnson,” said David Pickering, superintendent and principal of the North River School District. “She has been able to rally other teachers, the community and parents to support our productions.”

It all started 10 years ago, when Johnson directed a 15-minute Christmas play in late fall with the elementary students. “They did so well at it, and since we all liked it we just kept going with it,” she said.

Eventually, the Christmas theme was dropped and the options were broadened. Recent selections have included “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “The Phantom Tollbooth.” This year, the production was moved to the spring for “Annie Kids,” an abbreviated version of the classic Broadway play. (Its run time is about 45 minutes, with fewer songs and scenes, making it easier for children to handle.)

Participation has expanded through the years as her young students have advanced.

“It’s kind of fun, because when they graduate out of the elementary, then they head into the middle school and high school — but they still want to stay involved in it,” said Johnson. “So it’s fun to see what kind of opportunities we can give them.”

Those opportunities range from set design to choreography to production management. Georgia Clark, a ninth-grader with an obvious passion for theater, served as assistant director for “Annie.” She’s been part of the annual productions since she was in preschool, with a notable turn several years ago as the lead in “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”

“I helped pick out the play,” Clark said proudly as the younger kids scurried about preparing for last week’s presentation. “We started casting and doing read-throughs with the kids in February or March, and I’ve been working with Mrs. Johnson since then.”

Johnson was happy to accept Clark’s offer to help this year. She’d never had an assistant director before. “Georgia rocked being AD,” she said. “Now that she’s spoiled me, I don’t want to go without her next year.”

For her part, Clark was giddy over the news that the high school will offer an elective theater course next fall — a direct result of the popularity of the elementary school plays.

“We had a lot of requests from parents and students to have a drama class,” said Pickering.

In addition to the student body, many others come together each year to support the elementary production. The school’s parent group hosted a spaghetti dinner before last week’s show. Costume elements were donated by parents and others all over the Harbor. And a crucial set piece — the rolling laundry basket Annie dives into to escape the orphanage — was loaned by a dry cleaner in Hoquiam, 30 miles away.

“I think it means a lot to the kids when they see how many adults are willing to work with them on something they are a part of like that,” said Johnson. “That’s been a fun plus for me, for sure.”

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Be sure to click through the photo gallery with the online version of this story.

North River teacher Heather Johnson shows a photo of her first second-grade class in 2013-14. All four of them played major roles in this year’s production of “Annie.” (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

Gina Holmes, North River’s paraprofessional for pre-K through first grade, puts the finishing touches on Kailey Greiner, who played Annie’s dog, Sandy. Holmes supported the play in numerous ways, including “getting the kids to their places on time and keeping the wild ones quiet backstage,” according to Heather Johnson. She’s also the mom of Kate Holmes, the high-school student who served as choreographer for “Annie.” (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

Clockwise from lower left: Karen Furth, a North River teacher, and Kristen Anderson, a friend of Heather Johnson’s who helps out every year, apply stage makeup to fifth-grader Sierra Fuquay (Annie) and Anni Devine-Carter, a second-grader who played the orphan named July. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

Heather Johnson reddens the lips of Destinee Greiner, who played Daddy Warbucks’ secretary, Grace Farrell. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

Bridget Greiner, mom of Kailey (Sandy) and Destinee (Grace Farrell), applies blush to Micah Devine-Carter, a kindergartner who played an orphan. She also helped with the spaghetti dinner beforehand. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

Ninth-grader Georgia Clark, who served as assistant director for “Annie,” paints a beard on Fischer Cain, a fifth-grader who played Lt. Ward. “He started using a police hold on Lily and Rooster from Day One,” laughs teacher Heather Johnson. “We’ve found this calling.” (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

North River teacher Karen Furth helps kindergartner Joey Denton with his microphone. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

Heather Johnson leads the young cast members in calisthenics to loosen them up before curtain time. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

All 32 of North River School’s students from pre-K through fifth grade had roles in the play. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

The play was staged in the school’s gym. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

North River students attend classes at the old Brooklyn School campus 24 miles southeast of central Cosmopolis, in Pacific County. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

North River students attend classes at the old Brooklyn School campus 24 miles southeast of central Cosmopolis, in Pacific County. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)

North River students attend classes at the old Brooklyn School campus 24 miles southeast of central Cosmopolis, in Pacific County. (Photo by Kat Bryant | The Daily World)