The Story

Annalie and the Circus Show

ACT 1

We meet Elena and Kimberly, two birds of the forest who serve as the narrators of our story. They introduce Annalie Swan, the middle sister in her family who is worried that she may not have any talents. Her older sister Diana is a skilled dancer while her younger sister Sally is an excellent singer. Annalie has tried both activities but is unable to succeed at either.

The Swan family is headed by their over-protective mother, Mrs. Swan. She worries for her daughters’ safety after the disappearance of Mr. Swan. She often warns them about the dangers of the meadow where their father was taken by eagles many years ago.
One day, while playing near the meadow, Annalie hears sounds coming from the forest on the other side and convinces herself to investigate. Her sisters observe her brave decision and decide to follow her to see what she is up to.

On the other side of the meadow, we meet The Circus Show, a theatre troupe that is headed by Mr. And Mrs. Fox. The ensemble is full of many talented performers including Mr. Grasshopper, several dance troupes, a group of painters, and a sad swan violinist searching for his long-lost family. When the Foxes meet Annalie and her sisters they invite them to join the performance. Diana & Sally quickly find places in the group to show off their talents, but Annalie does not. Distraught, Annalie returns to the edge of the meadow with her sadness.

Mr. Grasshopper comes across Annalie and encourages her to let her talent come to you.
Skeptical, Annalie decides to return home. Just then, the Eagles attack Mr. Grasshopper and Annalie comes to his rescue. The commotion draws out most of the theatre troupe as well as Mrs. Swan. When she learns of their deceit, Mrs. Swan sends her three daughters home and vows to never let them leave the family home again.

ACT 2

Back at home, Mrs. Swan argues with Annalie and her sisters about their recklessness. Mr. Grasshopper soon arrives and describes Annalie’s bravery. He urges Mrs. Swan to allow the girls to return to the theatre troupe. Mrs. Swan eventually changes her mind and allows the girls to return.

Meanwhile, Mr. Swan is teaching a lesson back at the theatre troupe. We discover that he is the Swan family father and learn more about his story and his own traumatic experience with the Eagles.

When Annalie returns to the theatre troupe, Mr. Fox puts her to work as his assistant, solving problems for various members of the troupe. In doing so, Annalie has opportunities to try out many other creative talents. Each time she wonders “could this be it?”, could this be her talent. Sadly, she still struggles to find anything she is good at.

At the peak of her struggles, Annalie hears a violin playing the melody of her mother’s lullaby. Even though the sound is coming from the edge of the meadow, Annalie decides to investigate. She finds her father, but he does not recognize her. Just then, the Eagles attack again – this time capturing Annalie. Mr. Swan’s memories suddenly snap back into place and he rescues Annalie with the help of the theatre troupe.

After her rescue, Annalie rushes to the performance with the rest of the theatre troupe. With Mrs. Swan in the audience, Mr. & Mrs. Fox dedicate the show to Annalie and announce a special surprise. Annalie and Mr. Swan take the “stage” together and the entire Swan family is reunited. The Circus Show performs, and we learn that everybody has a talent.