‘School’ back in at Fine Arts Association

Miss any of the youth productions profiled in this space last week? Never fear! More options abound this week:

Willoughby Fine Arts Association

The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby has a six-week Theatre Arts Camp each summer that has been providing opportunities for our area young thespians for more than 35 years.

Every summer, this camp has welcomed between 75 to 100 campers in grades 3 through 12 for an immersive musical theater experience that engages campers in the theatrical aspects of music, dance, theater and visual arts.

Classes and rehearsals are designed as lessons in acting methods, dance techniques/composition, voice/music skills and visual art design. Camp culminates with a fully staged production the final weekend with the script and songs tailored especially for the talents of the campers.

After six weeks of work, the 2017 Theatre Arts Camp is ready to present their production, “School for Superheroes.” The performance dates are July 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and July 29 and 30 at 2 p.m. in the Corning Auditorium at The Fine Arts Association, 38660 Mentor Ave. in Willoughby.

“School for Superheroes” revolves around Boo Schafer. His dad gets transferred to Hero Heights where the superheroes live. The Wayne-Kent Preparatory School is where they all send their kids.

Comic book fans should know whose kids attend that school!

Emma Smallwood is a theater arts camper who will be a Lake Catholic High School sophomore this year. This is her third year at Theatre Arts Camp, and she has also appeared in Fine Arts Association productions such as “The Little Mermaid,” “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” and “Scrooge” just to name a few. She has also Y appeared in “Cinderella” and “Seussical” at St. Gabriel School in Concord Township.

“Theatre Arts Camp is one of the experiences I look forward to most every year,” Emma says. “Every year camp offers something new and exciting. My favorite experience in camp is being able to learn and create a new world every summer. The shows are always original and so much fun, and all the campers are close and enjoy performing and experiencing camp together.”

Emma’s Fine Arts experiences have inspired her to further pursue acting.

“Theatre Arts Camp is a wonderful experience for people that are just starting to act, and people who have done theater for years,” Emma says. “It integrates learning into performing and has shown a multitude of kids how amazing acting and the theatre is. Theatre Arts Camp is an amazing experience that has helped me make lifelong friends.”

Tia Mauldin is a homeschooled senior who has taken several theater classes at the Fine Arts Association in the last year. She has now followed that up with Theatre Arts Camp after appearing in the Fine Arts Association production of “Once Upon a Mattress.”

“My favorite part of camp is the mixture of class time and rehearsal time,” Tia says. “I love how there are theater classes as well as a dance class and an art class, which allows me to step out of my comfort zone and explore other aspects of the arts. Because of my experience with Theatre Arts Camp and the Fine Arts Association in general, I would love to continue acting throughout my senior year and possibly during college. It’s an activity I enjoy doing so I hope that it will be a part of my life for a long time.

“I’m just really grateful for a place that allows me to enjoy the arts. I’m also thankful for the staff and teachers there; they do so much to ensure that all of the Theatre Arts Camp students are learning and having the best experience.”

Fine Arts also offers a Theatre Arts Camp Jr. for grades K-3. This year these young campers will perform Disney’s “The Jungle Book KIDS.” Their ticketed performance takes place on July 27 at 7 p.m. in the Corning Auditorium at Fine Arts.

Tickets for all performances of both “School for Superheroes” and “The Jungle Book KIDS” are available by calling Fine Arts at 440-951-7500.

Rabbit Run Theatre

The family-friendly production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” is still running at Rabbit Run Theater in Madison through Aug. 5.

Tickets for all performances are available by calling the box office at 440-428-7092, Wednesdays through Sundays, 3 to 7 p.m.; or on line at www.rabbitrunonline.org. Tickets are $23 for adults, $21 for seniors and students, and $10 for youth ages 12 and under.For group packages and rates call 440-428-5913.

“It’s a script that manages to balance many things,” Director Mark Cipra says. “It’s tender, sweet, satirical, modern and Victorian all at once, and it’s hilarious from beginning to end. The style of the show is eclectic as it is a group of actors coming together to tell the story of how Peter Pan came to be who he was.

“We use every theatrical trick in the book, incorporating the feel of an English music hall, cartoony fights, acrobatics and ballet, you name it, to get that story across.”

Guests are welcome to bring a picnic meal to enjoy on the grounds of the theater prior to a show in the new picnic pavilion or courtyards. All shows, except the 2 p.m. matinee on July 29, begin at 7:30 p.m. “Peter and the Starcatcher” is rated for a general audience.

Rabbit Run Theater is located at 5648 W. Chapel Road in Madison. Rabbit Run receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, De Nora, Hearn Plumbing and Heating and Lighthouse Advisers.

Thompson Community Drama Group

Down Route 528 from Rabbit Run Theatre is another community production readying for this weekend. The Thompson Community Drama Group presents “Sherlock Holmes and the Emerald of Alcazar,” a comedy in one act by Geoff Bamber on July 28 and 29 at 7 p.m. at Thompson United Methodist Church, 6724 Madison Road.

Holmes and Watson are up to their old tricks, solving crimes, stopping evil villains and matching wits with pickpockets. This production is this year’s TUMC Drama Group’s Summer Youth Production. All performances are free of charge and conclude with free refreshments with the actors.

Donations requested and graciously accepted for future productions.

Alex Toth is a 9-year-old fourth-grader attending Buckeye Elementary School who plays Mush the Pickpocket.

“I wanted to be in this play after watching the group do ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ at TUMC last summer,” Alex says.

“I was interested in doing this play because of the characters,” says Joshua Marino, a 17-yearold homeschooled senior playing Sherlock Holmes.

“My version of Sherlock Holmes is different than other Sherlocks you might have seen because he’s very funny and likes to make sassy remarks and break the fourth wall. It’s kind of fun to be the title character and to hear everyone saying my character’s name a lot in this play!”

Nora Rock is a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Fairport Harbor School playing Countess Louisa.

“When I was about 5 years old my parents took me to see ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’ and I absolutely fell in love with it and have been obsessed with the theater and acting ever since,” Nora says..”I have never been a villain before and I love doing it. Acting is a great hobby/career and I feel that everyone should try it.”

The only mystery here is how big their audience will be. Hopefully the result is elementary.

Have a show you’d like to see profiled in Young Thespians? Message Steve Couch @ StevenRCouch on Twitter, via e-mail at stevecouch@ windstream.net, or post in our Young Thespians Facebook group.