FAA, GLTG still running holiday performances

Tick tock, tick tock. Christmas is coming! And Hanukkah is already underway. The holiday season is in full swing. All that activity may have you a little too busy to have made it to our area community theaters to see our talented young thespians tread the boards in our local holiday shows.

No worries. They are still going this weekend! But you better get there while you still have time! Some are already filled to capacity. Read on:

Fine Arts Association

The Fine Arts Association opened “Annie” two weeks ago, and performances continue through December 16. The Fine Arts Association says “Annie” is rated G and is especially appropriate for ages 3 and older. Tickets are $15 for children ages 10 and under, $23 for children, ages 11 and over and senior citizens, and $25 for adults. Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more.

Family Series season tickets are discounted up to 20 percent over individual ticket prices and include “Annie,” “Honk!,” and “The Secret Garden.” The subscription deadline closes Dec. 16. Call Fine Arts at 440-951-7500 or visit www.fineartsassociation. org/performance for reservations and further information. The Corning Auditorium is barrier free, and on-site parking is FREE. “Annie” is supported by Producing Sponsor ERIEBANK and Presenting Sponsor Sugar Pines Farm. Funding is also received from the Ohio Arts Council. The Fine Arts Association is located at 38660 Mentor Ave. in Willoughby.

The musical takes place in 1933 and is based on the characters from the classic comic strip Little Orphan Annie, an 11-year-old orphan determined to find her parents who left her on the orphanage’s doorstep with only a note when she was a newborn.”Annie” is a story of hope and love in the dreariest of times and is a testimony that the sun will come up again tomorrow.

Geauga Lyric Theater Guild

While their colleagues in Lake County are taking people back in time for “Annie,” it’s a tale as old as time that has folks singing along in Geauga County as the prolific folks at Geauga Lyric Theater Guild present Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” Performances run through Dec. 16 with Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Chardon Smile Center is their marquee sponsor.

Angela Miloro-Hansen directs this modern classic based on the true classic fairy tale. This version of the famed story is based on the Oscar-winning animated film that has since gone on to become a Broadway smash and community and school theater staple. Broadway style music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and the clever book by Linda Woolverton tell the classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

Beauty and the Beast is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

According to the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild website, all remaining productions are sold out. Congratulations to them!

Young Thespians is a regular column that focuses on youth in theater. Do you have a production you wish to see featured? E-mail stevecouch@ windstream.net, follow me @ StevenRCouch on Twitter or join our “Young Thespians” Facebook group and post your show information.

Steve Couch