The Curtain May Have Closed, But the Applause Hasn’t Stopped!
Thank you for being part of something truly extraordinary.
Whether you were in the audience, backstage, or supporting from afar, Annie at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts wasn’t just a show, it was a movement.
Here’s what YOU helped make happen:
60 cast members — including children and adults with disabilities, professional actors, and rising stars from across our community.
18-piece live orchestra bringing every note to life.
15 creative team members guiding the vision.
25 crew members behind the scenes, making the magic happen.
2,800+ audience members experienced the #InclusionRevolution live.
200+ tickets donated to children and families who wouldn’t have otherwise had access.
Over 7 Million individuals indirectly reached by the show.
Coverage from every major news outlet in Kansas City.
This wasn’t just another top-selling production at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, it was a bold step toward a future where every young person sees themselves reflected onstage.
From joyful rehearsals to standing ovations, you helped us prove that inclusion isn’t just possible, it’s powerful.
We’re not done. Stay tuned for what’s next, and until then, thank you for helping us turn the spotlight toward a more inclusive tomorrow.
#InclusionRevolution #VarietyShowKC
In the Media
ANNIE CAST LIST
Kyndall Carson
as ‘Annie’
Pam Sollars
as ‘Miss Hannigan’
Damon Bradshaw
as ‘Daddy Warbucks’
Leah Swank-Miller
as ‘Grace Farrell’
Layne Roate
as ‘Rooster Hannigan’
Aileen Quinn
as ‘Lily St. Regis’
Ron Meyer
as ‘FDR’
Ruby Comfort
as ‘Molly’
Evan Daggett
as ‘Pepper’
Sophie Arend
as ‘July’
Sutton Hamm
as ‘Tessie’
Ivy Sollenberger
as ‘Kate’
Makayla Manning
as ‘Duffy’
Stella Davidson
as ‘Peaches’
ENSEMBLE
Eddie Andrews
Elliott Bartow
Tim Bartow
Ruth Bigus
Timothy Boykin
Elliott Daggett
Jordan Fox
Sebastián González-Layton
Maggie Hutchison
Jessica Michael
Charlie Nulton
Elizabeth Phillips
Blythe Renay
Ashley Jones Rivers
Natalie Rush
Simon Schupp
Shane St. James
Morgan Lynn Sterrett
Halie Strickler
YOUTH ENSEMBLE
Molly Affleck
Julia Moreno Akins
Ryker Allen
Piper Beatty
Stella Bruns
Matthew Calel
Morghan Chrisman
Harper Collier
Aubrey Corbin
Avery Cunningham
Landon Dahmer
Lucas Dahmer
Ollie Fannin-Hughes
Bonnie Golson
Sammy Grayman-Parkhurst
Sophia Hochanadel
Harrison Kaufmann
Lola Kernell
Anthony Kimani
Isabella Kimani
Azaria Martin
Rory Neidrich
Sophia Payton
Ivy Schupp
Annie Sornson
Cole Wood-McKeown
Liam Welzenbach
Bogey
as ‘Sandy’
About Variety Show
For children with disabilities, participation in the theater serves as an invaluable tool, helping them grasp concepts and develop skills in a way that honors their unique learning needs. Inclusive theater not only provides therapeutic benefits but also fosters confidence, nurtures friendships, and creates a space where joy and creativity flourish.
This event exemplifies Variety KC’s commitment to inclusion by showcasing the talents of individuals with diverse abilities and promoting a sense of belonging within the community. Variety KC also hopes to provide opportunities for children who dream of performing on stage by allowing them to see themselves represented by another actor who looks like them. Variety KC aims to inspire these children and show them that their dream can come true.
In addition to the professional cast, Variety KC hopes to include a minimum of 20 children with a wide variety of disabilities, both cognitive and physical, in the stage production of Annie. These children will appear on stage as part of the actual musical production. Furthermore, an additional 20 children with various disabilities will have an opportunity to participate off-stage in roles such as lighting, set design, stagehands, costuming, and front-of-house operations.
Variety KC will provide apprenticeships covering various aspects of theater production, ensuring that children of all abilities have a place in the show. In total, this production aims to serve a minimum of 40 children with diverse disabilities, offering them a unique and enriching theatrical experience.
Variety KC is pleased to welcome the original film Annie to the cast
Aileen was introduced to show business by her mother, Helenann, who was doing theatre when Aileen was growing up. Aileen begged to audition too, and she began to get parts near her home of Yardley, Pennsylvania. Her first show being, ironically “Annie Get Your Gun.”
Aileen’s first movie part was one line in Paternity (1981), starring Burt Reynolds. At the time Aileen was picked for the movie, she was in the Broadway show, “Annie” as the “swing orphan.” The Swing essentially understudied various Orphan roles in the show and knew all their parts and had to go on stage at a moment’s notice if one of the actors was sick and couldn’t perform, averaging 2 or 3 times a week.
A year later, she was chosen to be Annie in the film version from over 8,000 girls throughout the world. The announcement was made in January 1981 by director John Huston, who introduced Aileen as his Annie to the world on nationwide TV. Annie (1982) was filmed from April to September 1981. Aileen was under contract for 6 years to make “Annie 2,” and possibly “Annie 3,” but those projects never materialized. When the contract expired, Aileen was then approached to star in a new film version of –The Frog Prince (1986) – which they aired on The Disney Channel often. While Aileen was under contract, she continued to perform and went back to her theatre roots. She starred in a variety of productions in Fort Bragg, North Carolina including Dorothy in ‘The Wizard Of Oz’, Kim in “Bye Bye Birdie,” Jenny in “Shenandoah,” and Annie in “Annie,” opposite Harve Presnell as Daddy Warbucks. She also starred in “A Day In Hollywood, A Night In The Ukraine” in Bristol, Pennsylvania as Harpo Marx.
Read full bio
Aileen decided to take a break from show business and attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. She received a B.A. with honors in Spanish and minored in Political Science. She spent 6 months living with a family in Chile as part of an exchange program at La Universidad Católica with all of her classes in Spanish. She considers it one of her life’s most rewarding experiences.
After graduation from Drew, Aileen once again took to the stage playing Bette in “Oliver!” at the famous Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. She then begin a 5 year stint doing Broadway National Tours including “Fiddler On The Roof,” “Peter Pan,” and “Saturday Night Fever.” In between touring, Aileen starred in two off-Broadway shows, “Dreamstuff,” and “Yiddle With a Fiddle.”
Starting in 2007, Aileen returned to film getting roles in various projects, including independent and studio backed. So, she decided to leave her East Coast roots, and moved to Los Angeles in the Fall of 2011, where she resides, but keeps a home in New York. The following year she formed a Rockabilly, Swing, Blues Band appropriately named “Aileen Quinn and the Leapin’ Lizards.” The band released their debut album in 2015, “Spin Me,” which includes 10 tracks of all original material. Aileen has gone back into the recording studio as she did when she was 9 years old, recording the double platinum “Annie” soundtrack as well as her solo album, “Bobby’s Girl,” and is enjoying it as much now, as she did then. Her current band performs all over California in hopes to tour throughout the US and the world.
In addition to performing, Aileen teaches Master Classes all over the US in drama and musical theatre, and has directed and co-directed various children’s theatre productions.
Creative Team
Marc Harrell
Executive Producer
Andrew Grayman-Parkhurst
Producer
Michael Grayman-Parkhurst
Director
Christina Burton
Choreographer
Jeremy Jacobs
Musical Director
Ken Burrell
Costume Supervisor/Wig Master
Brad Kanouse
Technical Director
Victoria Frank
Stage Manager
Rachael Honnold
Lighting Designer
Shawnna Jourgan
Properties Supervisor
Paul Vedros
Sound Designer
Anna Rosell
Asst. Stage Manager
Joshua Gleeson
Asst. Properties Supervisor
Jeff Eubank
Asst. Sound Designer
A BIG THANKS TO
Producer
Director
Choreographer
Stage Manager
Actor
Variety Children’s Charity of Greater Kansas City (Variety KC) wants to be the most trusted and effective children’s charity in the world, delivering every child equality and a future without limits. Variety KC’s mission is to support children of ALL abilities to Be Active, Be Social, and BELONG.
Variety KC empowers children with disabilities in the Greater Kansas City region by providing access to vital medical equipment for mobility, sensory, communication, safety, therapies, and more. Variety KC requests funds to underwrite the direct costs of these services. Grants and donations we receive will increase the number of families we can serve, continuing our history of positive impact while helping us to expand our coverage offerings to more and more families. All monies raised for Variety KC stay in the Greater Kansas City area. Variety KC’s inclusive mission provides essential mobility equipment and opportunities for children with cognitive and/or physical disabilities.