There was a lot more drama at the middle school this year, and teachers and students couldn’t be more pleased.

On April 14, five months worth of rehearsals, set design and stage directions came together as fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students put on a performance of the musical “Annie.”

The show marked the return of the Wareham Middle School Drama Club after a long absence and, according to those involved, a resurgence of the arts in local schools.

“The arts have been missing for a few years here in Wareham and it’s really nice to see these big productions coming back,” said Jaime Wiksten, the show’s music director. “The arts are coming alive again...and the kids are so excited to have these opportunities.”

The club was relaunched with some help from the PTA, which donated $600 used to secure the scripts and rights to perform the musical.

Moving forward, club organizers will use ticket sales from the play to help fund the next year’s production.

Wiksten, along with the show’s director Kim Bergamini, put the call out for young thespians in September at the middle school. Approximately 70 children answered the call at first. That number was whittled to 50 as some dropped out, but every one of them has a part in the musical.

Drama club members had a hand in choosing the play, said Bergamini. Runner ups included “Seussical” and “Grease.”

“They just seem to love ‘Annie,’” said Bergamini. “It was really a joint decision.”

The play centers on Annie, an 11-year-old living in the Municipal Girls Orphanage along with several other girls. A billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, comes to the orphanage and ends up taking Annie to his mansion for the holidays. Annie wins over Warbucks with her charms and eventually becomes a national sensation.

Bergamini, a sixth grade teacher, said students see themselves in Annie and the other orphans.

“They can identify with the characters,” she said. “They love the singing.”

The drama club provides an expressive outlet for students.

“They love the singing and being up on stage and not being so quiet,” said Bergamini. “At school during the day there’s a lot of sitting and responding to teachers. In drama, they can be a little more creative.”

For Wiksten, who has directed community theater in the past, allowing students to work together is another important component of the club.

“Students from all the school’s grades are collaborating,” she said. “They’ve really come together as a family, working together and encouraging each other to do their best.”

The club has met as a group on Tuesday afternoons throughout the year. At the end of the week, the actors worked on smaller scenes.

On the Friday before Thursday’s big performance, some of the actors took a break to say why they were excited to be part of the production.

Abby Wiksten, sixth grade, plays Annie.

“We all know the story,” Abby said. “It’s been fun to do with all our friends and everyone has made an effort to make this play really special.”

For Hehvin Barnett, sixth grade, the musical offered her an opportunity to hone her acting chops.

“This really helps me because I want to be an actress when I grow up. I’m definitely coming back,” she said.

It’s a sentiment many of the drama club members share.

“They’re all itching to know what play we’re doing next year,” Wiksten said.