Fifth-Grader Ready to Tour With ‘Annie’

Bianca Collins has made a home with her family in Camarillo since September, but she’s looking forward to a life on the road with another family starting Jan. 12. That’s the night she debuts as the orphan July in the musical “Annie.”

It’s the second stint with the show--which stars Sally Struthers as Miss Hannigan--for Bianca, 10, a fifth-grader at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School in Camarillo.

After taking part in a national search for “Annie” in New York, Bianca initially joined the cast on Broadway as the orphan Duffy for three months, followed by a nine-month tour. She resigned because her mom wanted her to be in Camarillo, where Bianca’s father had been transferred from New York state, when school started in the fall.

Anita Collins will join her daughter on the tour, and they have worked out a plan with St. Mary Magdalen School to have work sent over the Internet. Tutors help out the children in the cast.

“It takes a lot of coordination and cooperation with the school,” said Collins, 41. “But luckily, she’s a really good student, and tutoring on the tour amounts to little more than independent study.”

Bianca will join the tour for eight weeks, traveling with the cast from Los Angeles to Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Edmonton, Canada, and places throughout the Midwest.

Bianca will return to school in Camarillo in March, and she hopes to get in some TV and movie work over the summer. But despite the fact that she’s been enjoying the December sun of Southern California, her long-term plans include moving back to New York and studying drama at New York University.

Until that time, Bianca said, she’s just grateful her family has been so supportive of her work.

“I think they’re fine with it,” she said. “My mom is really committed. Without her, I couldn’t do it. . . . And I can’t drive yet.”