A Hard Knock Life? BU Alum Designers Find Joy in Bringing Annie to Wheelock Family Theatre
Annie runs at Wheelock Family Theatre through December 21
A Hard Knock Life? BU Designers Find Joy in Bringing Annie to Wheelock Family Theatre
CFA alums have collaborated to convey show’s grittiness, opulence, and brightness
A scene from Wheelock Family Theatre’s production of the Tony Award–winning musical Annie, running through December 21.
This article was originally published in BU Today on November 20, 2025. By John O’Rourke. Photos by Cydney Scott
EXCERPT
To say that Chloe Moore has had a busy fall is an understatement. The costume designer for Wheelock Family Theatre’s new musical production of Annie, she has created nearly 100 costumes for a cast of 28. For Moore (CFA’21), who won an Elliot Norton Award last year for best costume design for her work on The Spongebob Musical at WFT, Annie has put to the test all the skills she acquired as a Boston University College of Fine Arts master’s student in the graduate costume design program.
“It is a greeeat big show,” Moore says, laughing. “With an average of 6 looks for each of the 12 ensemble members and 4 looks for each of the principal characters, it’s one of the largest shows I’ve ever designed.”
Before she started sketching, Moore sat down with WFT executive director—and Annie’s director—Nick Vargas and the rest of the design team, all CFA School of Theatre alums, to create a concept for the show.
Vargas and his team—in addition to Moore, set designer Ryan Bates (CFA’15), lighting designer Jessica Elliott (CFA’15), and sound designer Gage Baker (CFA’24)—brainstormed to create a visual narrative that traces the emotional arc of the show about a plucky, redheaded orphan living in New York City during the Depression. The overall design of Annie is built around the idea of hope emerging from hardship, Vargas says. “We wanted every design choice to reflect that central theme: that light can exist even in the darkest of times.”
(Left) Chloe Moore (CFA’21), costume designer for WFT’s Annie. Photo by Cydney Scott. To create the costumes for the orphans in the show, Moore scoured children’s media from the time period, including films and magazines. She pinned images to a board (right).
(Left) Model for the production of Annie. Set design is by Ryan Bates (CFA’15). (Right) The show’s lighting designer, Jessica Elliot (CFA’15) during a November 19 dress rehearsal for the show. “My job is to support the telling of the story with my other collaborators,” Elliot says. Photo by Cydney Scott
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The members of the design team say they were drawn to working on Annie because of Wheelock Family Theatre’s mission.
“Wheelock is a place where the focus is squarely on the audience,” Baker says. “We want to create shows that aren’t just accessible entertainment, but also have the power and quality to inspire the next generation of theatergoers and artists.”
see more designs and sketches in bu today
ANNIE
Annie runs weekends through December 21 at Wheelock Family Theatre!
BU students, faculty, and staff are invited free of charge opening weekend (to reserve your ticket, use code “BUOpen”). BU students can purchase $15 tickets to any performance using the code “College.” Faculty and staff receive a 20 percent discount on full-price tickets with code “BUStaff.”