{"id":126813,"date":"2025-11-21T10:21:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&p=126813"},"modified":"2025-11-21T10:21:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:21:46","slug":"annie-wheelock-family-theatre-design","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2025\/annie-wheelock-family-theatre-design\/","title":{"rendered":"A Hard Knock Life? BU Alum Designers Find Joy in Bringing Annie to Wheelock Family Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Hard Knock Life? BU Designers Find Joy in Bringing Annie<\/em> to Wheelock Family Theatre\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

CFA alums have collaborated to convey show\u2019s grittiness, opulence, and brightness<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

A scene from Wheelock Family Theatre\u2019s production of the Tony Award\u2013winning musical\u00a0Annie<\/em>, running through December 21.<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n

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November 21, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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This article was originally published in BU Today<\/a><\/em> on November 20, 2025. By John O’Rourke. Photos by Cydney Scott<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EXCERPT<\/h4>

To say that Chloe Moore<\/strong> has had a busy fall is an understatement. The costume designer for Wheelock Family Theatre\u2019s new musical production of\u00a0Annie<\/em>, she has created nearly 100 costumes for a cast of 28. For Moore (CFA\u201921), who won an Elliot Norton Award last year for best costume design for her work on\u00a0The Spongebob Musical\u00a0<\/em>at WFT,\u00a0Annie<\/em>\u00a0has put to the test all the skills she acquired as a Boston University College of Fine Arts master\u2019s student in the graduate costume design program.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a greeeat big show,\u201d Moore says, laughing. \u201cWith an average of 6 looks for each of the 12 ensemble members and 4 looks for each of the principal characters, it\u2019s one of the largest shows I\u2019ve ever designed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before she started sketching, Moore sat down with WFT executive director\u2014and\u00a0Annie<\/em>\u2019s director\u2014Nick Vargas<\/strong> and the rest of the design team, all CFA School of Theatre<\/a> alums, to create a concept for the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vargas and his team\u2014in addition to Moore, set designer Ryan Bates<\/strong> (CFA\u201915), lighting designer Jessica Elliott<\/strong> (CFA\u201915), and sound designer Gage Baker<\/strong> (CFA\u201924)\u2014brainstormed 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.\u00a0The overall design of\u00a0Annie\u00a0<\/em>is built around the idea of hope emerging from hardship, Vargas says. \u201cWe wanted every design choice to reflect that central theme: that light can exist even in the darkest of times.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Left) Chloe Moore (CFA\u201921), costume designer for WFT\u2019s\u00a0Annie. Photo by Cydney Scott. To create the costumes for the orphans in the show, Moore scoured children\u2019s media from the time period, including films and magazines. She pinned images to a board (right).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Left) Model for the production of Annie<\/em>. Set design is by Ryan Bates (CFA’15). (Right) The show\u2019s lighting designer, Jessica Elliot (CFA\u201915) during a November 19 dress rehearsal for the show. \u201cMy job is to support the telling of the story with my other collaborators,\u201d Elliot says.\u00a0Photo by Cydney Scott<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The members of the design team say they were drawn to working on Annie<\/em> because of Wheelock Family Theatre\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWheelock is a place where the focus is squarely on the audience,\u201d Baker says. \u201cWe want to create shows that aren\u2019t just accessible entertainment, but also have the power and quality to inspire the next generation of theatergoers and artists.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

see more designs and sketches in bu today<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ANNIE<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Annie<\/em>\u00a0runs weekends through December 21 at Wheelock Family Theatre! <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

BU students, faculty, and staff are invited free of charge opening weekend (to reserve your ticket, use code \u201cBUOpen<\/strong>\u201d). BU students can purchase $15 tickets to any performance using the code \u201cCollege<\/strong>.\u201d Faculty and staff receive a 20 percent discount on full-price tickets with code \u201cBUStaff<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

get tickets<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\t