Arts Center of Coastal Carolina Stages 'Annie' This Holiday Season, Now Casting in Hilton Head Island

The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina is bringing one of musical theater's most beloved productions to Hilton Head Island this holiday season, and casting is open now. Annie, the classic story of the irrepressible orphan whose optimism outlasts every hardship, is set to run from December 4, 2026 through January 3, 2027 at the Arts Center's home venue on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. With rehearsals scheduled to begin November 10 and previews opening December 2, the timeline means the creative team is actively building its company right now, giving performers and theater professionals several months to pursue the opportunity before the process advances.

At the helm is director Angie Schworer, a Broadway veteran perhaps best known to audiences and industry insiders alike for her long-running featured role in The Producers on Broadway. Schworer brings genuine musical theater pedigree to this production, and performers auditioning can expect a director with deep roots in the kind of big, character-driven ensemble work that Annie demands. Musical direction falls to Andy Hudson, and choreography is in the hands of Trent Soyster, whose movement work rounds out a creative team clearly assembled with strong professional credentials. Casting is being handled directly by Richard Feldman, who also serves as the organization's Vice President and General Manager, meaning inquiries about both the production's business operations and casting pipeline run through the same desk. That kind of consolidated leadership is typical of regional theater at this scale and signals a tight-knit, efficiently run operation.

The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina is a well-established regional performing arts organization and one of the primary producing theaters serving the South Carolina Lowcountry. The organization produces a robust season of musicals, plays, and special programming at its Hilton Head Island facility, drawing audiences from across the coastal region including nearby Bluffton and the broader Beaufort County area. For working theater professionals, the Arts Center represents a legitimate regional credit with a proven track record of mounting fully produced, professionally staffed musicals. This is not a community theater operation. The company regularly engages Equity and non-Equity performers alongside experienced production staff.

Hilton Head Island is a destination community with a strong seasonal arts audience, and a holiday run of Annie is well suited to the market. The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina's main stage facility provides the infrastructure for a full musical production, including fly space, wing depth, and an orchestra pit appropriate for a show of this scale. For performers and crew based in the Southeast, Hilton Head is accessible from Savannah (roughly 45 minutes), Charleston (approximately 90 minutes), and Columbia, though the island's geography means housing and transportation logistics are worth factoring into any conversation with production. Hilton Head does not have the deep local talent pool of a major metro, so the production will likely draw performers and some key crew from across the Southeast and beyond.

Annie is a full-scale book musical with a large ensemble, a live orchestra, and specific casting needs that range from the title role (traditionally cast with a young performer) to adult leads including Daddy Warbucks, Miss Hannigan, and Grace Farrell, plus a full ensemble of orphans and supporting characters. The choreographic demands are moderate but require versatile performers comfortable with period-style movement. The production's holiday window, running through January 3, positions it as both a family entertainment anchor for the season and a showcase piece for the organization. For designers and production staff, the combination of a classic title, a professional regional house, and a director with Broadway experience signals a production that will be well-resourced and creatively ambitious within the regional theater context.

With rehearsals still months away and casting currently underway, this is the right moment to get on the Arts Center's radar. Performers, stage managers, and production staff interested in this engagement should move sooner rather than later, as regional houses at this level tend to lock their companies well ahead of the rehearsal start. The full production listing for Annie at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina is available now on ProductionList.com, where you can find production contacts, casting details through Richard Feldman's office, venue information, and scheduling updates as the production moves closer to its November rehearsal start.

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