The 2012-2013 Missouri Western State University Theatre Season, “A Year of the Tony,” continues with a lively production of the hit family musical “Annie” Nov. 29 through Dec. 9 in the Potter Hall Theater. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for Missouri Western employees and military personnel, and $6 for students. Tickets are available online at www.mwsutix.com, in person at the Potter Hall Box Office, or by phone at 816-271-4452.

“I’ve been blessed with a really great cast, including 13 young people from the community playing Annie and the other orphans,” said Dallas Henry, assistant professor of theatre and cinema and the show’s director. “It’s a fun show, and a great way for the whole family to get into the holiday spirit.”

In addition to being an entertaining production, Henry hopes “Annie” will bring awareness to a serious cause: Alzheimer’s disease. November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, and, more personally, Henry’s mother has been diagnosed with the disease. When it came time to select shows for the current season, Henry knew there was only one choice to properly honor his mom.

“This has always been one of my mom’s favorite shows,” Henry said. “And she’s always been extremely proud of everything I’ve done that’s associated with ‘Annie,’ from singing ‘Tomorrow’ in a competition in third grade to performing in a production when I was an undergraduate. So I knew this was a show I wanted to direct. The cast and crew have really embraced the cause, wearing purple wrist bands and T-shirts and really pulling for my mom.”

Henry encourages audiences to wear purple, the color of Alzheimer’s awareness, to the performances. In the lobby, donations will be accepted for the Alzheimer’s Association. For every $10 donated, donors will receive a small stuffed Sandy (the dog character in “Annie”) with a purple ribbon. Living Community of St. Joseph has donated the dogs, so all money donated will go to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Annie,” with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Chamin and book by Thomas Meehan, is based on the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” by Harold Gray. The legendary musical that brought us “Tomorrow” follows everybody’s favorite redhead, Little Orphan Annie, and her dog, Sandy, from the “Hard-Knock Life” at Miss Hannigan’s to a life on “Easy Street” with Daddy Warbucks. The show opened on Broadway in 1977 and won seven Tonys, including best musical.

One thing that sets “Annie” apart from other recent musicals Missouri Western has staged is the extensive use of dance throughout the show, Henry said.

“We may not have a dance program yet, but we definitely have dancers,” he said. “They have really embraced the challenging choreography and will put on an outstanding show. We’ve even added a stomp bit to ‘A Hard Knock Life,’ with the orphans using brooms, mops, tin cans and other objects to keep rhythm.”

Marla Heeler is choreographer and Shaun Agnew is musical director.

The staging will also be very different from what Missouri Western has done in recent seasons, Henry said. The set design uses much more of the depth of the stage, and pieces of the set are placed on wagons to be easily moved in and out as needed.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29, Dec. 1, Dec. 6, Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, with matinees at 3 p.m. Dec. 2 and Dec. 9.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.