Wireless Mics and Projection for Annie
Show guide · Full-length · 14 principals including six orphans · Reviewed by Stage Gear staff, October 2026
Short answer: plan on 16 channels. 14 body mics for the principals and six orphans plus 2 spares. Cover Hooverville, the servants and the Cabinet with 2–3 area mics at the stage edge.
Stage Gear supplies wireless mics, rentals and projection to school and community theatres across the U.S. Our staff work in theatre; this guide is how we'd mic Annie.
Licensing note: MTI notes that restrictions may apply and that application processing may take longer than usual. A 50th-anniversary Broadway revival is planned for fall 2027, so apply early and confirm your dates with MTI.
Who gets a mic
We counted the eight principal roles MTI lists with vocal ranges (Annie, Warbucks, Grace, Miss Hannigan, Rooster, Lily, Bert Healy and FDR) plus the six named orphans (Molly, Pepper, Duffy, July, Tessie and Kate), who each have lines and solo moments in "Hard Knock Life" and "You Won't Be An Orphan For Long". That is 14 body mics plus 2 spares, for 16 channels.
Borderline roles: Drake and the servants sing in "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here", and the Star-to-Be has a solo in "N.Y.C."; area mics usually cover them if you stage them downstage. Bert Healy appears mainly in the radio-show scene, so on a tight budget his pack can go to another performer who is offstage then, if your blocking allows a clean handoff. On a 14-channel budget, give body mics to four orphans and cover the other two with area mics.
Bigger budget: add channels for Drake, Mrs. Pugh, Mrs. Greer and the Star-to-Be. That brings you to about 20 channels; talk to us before you go past 16 so frequencies are coordinated.
Mic plot
| Ch | Role | Mic | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel 1 | Annie | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Young lead; tiny element hides in the curly wig. |
| Channel 2 | Oliver Warbucks | Earset, beige | Bald cap or shaved head; nowhere to hide a hairline. |
| Channel 3 | Miss Hannigan | Hairline, brown | Big comic belts; mount in the wig, watch the gain. |
| Channel 4 | Grace Farrell | Hairline, brown | Lyrical soprano lines; hides in a 1930s updo. |
| Channel 5 | Rooster | Hairline, black | Dances "Easy Street" in a hat; tape under the brim. |
| Channel 6 | Lily | Hairline, beige | Sings "Easy Street"; hide in a blonde wig or hat. |
| Channel 7 | Bert Healy | Hairline, black | Radio-show solo; hides in slicked-back hair. |
| Channel 8 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | Hairline, beige | Seated in a wheelchair; key dialogue and singing. |
| Channel 9 | Molly | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Youngest orphan; small head, lots of lines. |
| Channel 10 | Pepper | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Tough orphan with lines over music. |
| Channel 11 | Duffy | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Orphan with solo moments; small head. |
| Channel 12 | July | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Orphan with solo moments; small head. |
| Channel 13 | Tessie | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Orphan with comic lines; small head. |
| Channel 14 | Kate | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Orphan with solo moments; small head. |
| Channel 15 | Spare | Hairline (3 mm), brown | Hot spare for Annie or any orphan; pre-tested. |
| Channel 16 | Spare | Hairline, beige | Hot spare for any adult principal. |
Every Bodymic is wired for one transmitter family: Shure, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, AKG, MiPro or Creative Audio. Build your Bodymics to match the packs you own. Cast Pack: every 4 Bodymics of the same style and capsule size earn a 5th free. This plot is a starting point; change any row to suit your cast.
The ensemble
Annie's ensemble numbers ("Hooverville", "N.Y.C.", "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" and the Cabinet scene) are well served by 2–3 area or choir mics along the stage edge. Give a featured ensemble member a body mic only when they sing a solo over music, such as the Star-to-Be in "N.Y.C.". Coach the chorus to sing out toward the stage edge rather than relying on the mics.
Show notes from our team
- Warbucks's bald head. Use an earset for Warbucks. Hook it over the ear, tape the boom along the cheek in a skin tone, and keep the tape off any bald-cap edge so it doesn't lift.
- "Hard Knock Life" props. Buckets, mops and scrub brushes bang close to the orphans' mics. Place elements at the hairline, not the forehead, and pull faders down during heavy prop business.
- The radio-show scene. Bert Healy usually sings into a period prop microphone. Keep it a prop and mix his body mic; a live stand mic beside a body mic causes phasing.
- Sandy on stage. Dogs startle at feedback squeals. Ring out the system before the dog rehearses, keep monitor levels modest, and agree on a handler signal for mic problems.
Projection
Annie travels from the orphanage to Hooverville, the streets of New York, the Warbucks mansion and the White House, and projected scenery makes those Depression-era locations easy to change quickly. Most school auditoriums need 7,000–10,000 lumens with the right lens; smaller black boxes need less.
Our sister company Broadway Media makes Scenic Projections for Annie. Not sure which projector? Read Stage Projectors for Digital Scenery.
Rent it for the run, or own it
| What you get | Next step | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent for the show | A 16-channel wireless rental, Monday to Monday around tech week. Tested before it ships, return labels in every case. | See rental systems |
| Own it | Creative Audio Show-Ready, 16 channels: receivers, bodypacks and antennas racked, programmed and tested. $ 11,190.38. | See the system |
| Mics for the packs you have | Bodymics for the whole cast: hairline from $79, earsets and headsets from $99. | Build your Bodymics |
Buying for a school? U.S. public schools can pay by purchase order. How school ordering works.
Common questions
- How many wireless mics does Annie need?
- Plan on about 16 channels: 14 body mics for Annie, Warbucks, Grace, Miss Hannigan, Rooster, Lily, Bert Healy, FDR and the six orphans, plus 2 spares. A 14-channel budget works if two orphans move to area mics.
- How do we mic the orphans and the ensemble?
- Give the six named orphans small 3 mm hairline mics, since each has lines and solo moments. Cover Hooverville, the servants and the Cabinet with 2–3 area or choir mics along the stage edge.
- How do you mic Daddy Warbucks with a bald cap?
- Use an earset. It hooks over the ear and runs along the cheek, so there is no hair to hide a hairline mic in. Use skin-tone tape and keep it away from the edge of a bald cap so it does not lift.
- Can we rent mics just for our show week?
- Yes. Stage Gear rentals run Monday to Monday around tech week, so you have mics for rehearsals and every performance. Systems arrive tested with return labels, and school purchase orders are welcome.
Doing Annie this year?
Get mic tips for your show and a reminder before rental season books up.
Stage Gear is not a show licensor. Annie is licensed through Music Theatre International (MTI); production rights come from them. Stage Gear sells and rents the equipment. See you on stage!
