By Nicole Falco
Felicia Giunta and Amanda Vagnone, both 15, are presenting "Annie: The Musical Revue" - for one night only - as their Girl Scout Gold Award project. The girls are co-directing and co-producing the musical, which will be performed on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m., at the Robert W. Carbonaro School. Admission is one can of non-perishable food per person, which will be donated to mercyFirst, a child welfare agency that serves more than 3,000 children on Long Island and in New York City. The girls regularly volunteer for the organization.
The Gold Award is Girl Scouting's highest honor, equivalent to Eagle in Boy Scouts. To earn it, Giunta and Vagnone, both members of Troop 2348 - which is led by their mothers, Annemarie Giunta and Kathy Vagnone - have to complete 50 hours of community service, which they have already exceeded with "Annie," as well as numerous other prerequisites.
"We were sitting around one day," Giunta recalled. "First we came up with the idea to do a dance concert, because we both love to dance, and somehow that turned into the play."
Vagnone, who attends Sacred Heart Academy, added, "The Girl Scouts want you to put your talents to use for your project."
Both girls are dancers, and Vagnone has been a member of the Blessed Sacrament Church choir since second grade. And Giunta, a student at South High School, attends the High School District's Performing Arts Program at Central.
Giunta, who aspires to be a Radio City Rockette, had a part in South's production of "Annie" in October 2004, so she knew the musical well and was able to borrow scripts and music sheets from the school. The girls solicited their friends and Brownies from local troops to audition. Catherine Del Castillo, 15, a student at Holy Trinity High School, plays Grace Farrell. She's one of Vagnone's best friends, and was happy to lend her talents to the production.
"We're having a lot of fun with it," Del Castillo said. "It's different [than being in a school play] because it's all done by kids. It's basically the two of them doing everything."
Auditions were held in September and October. In all, more than 30 Valley Streamers make up the musical's cast and crew, including Mayor Edward Cahill and his wife, Maryann, who play President and Mrs. Roosevelt.
"We wrote a letter to the mayor," Giunta said. "I saw him in 'Showtime'" -- a musical revue presented by Blessed Sacrament Church -- "and he's always so funny. It's cool to see your mayor up on stage, and the little girls think it's great because it's Mayor Cahill and he's like a local celebrity."
Cahill said he and his wife are happy to be a part of the production. "I'm glad to do it and honored to help them for a great cause," the mayor said. "It's great for the community. They do a lot of good work, the Girl Scouts.
At the suggestion of Arlene Hinkemeyer, community information coordinator for the Central High School District, the girls wrote a letter to North High asking to borrow the scenery used when the school presented "Annie" last fall. Members of South's Key Club and Video Club have volunteered to help out on the day of the play, and the executive board of Valley Stream SEPTA will oversee the refreshment table. And the cast and crew has been able to use Carbonaro, the William L. Buck School, Grace United Methodist Church's gym and the administration building in Hendrickson Park for weekend rehearsals and meetings.
"We were dealing with multiple people, parents, everybody had different schedules, there were a lot of phone calls to make, but everyone came together and we all got along," Vagnone said. "It's fun. I actually look forward to it every week. We took friendship out of it too. Also, I want to be a teacher, so I got experience working with the younger kids."
Giunta added, "It sounds so cliche, but we're really like a family."
To get the word out, Maryann Cahill has been telling everyone she knows. Grace Church said it would send a mass e-mail to its congregation. Holy Name of Mary and Blessed Sacrament churches planned to include an announcement in their bulletins, and every member of the cast and crew took home fliers to hand out.
"Amanda and I worked really hard, and I think it's been crazy, but not the kind of crazy where you want to pull your hair out," Giunta said.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
