Busy weekend on tap for Willoughby stages

A local organization is looking for a few good alums, and there is a new creature born into our local theatrical zoo.

It is a busy weekend in Willoughby for our area young thespians, as both the Fine Arts Association and their campus neighbor, Andrews Osborne Academy, have productions this weekend.

Also, a local organization is looking for a few good alums, and there is a new creature born into our local theatrical zoo.

Much activity in the dead of winter! Read on:

Fine Arts Association

The Fine Arts Association’s Yarnell Youth Theatre Company is presenting “Honk!” in their Corning Auditorium beginning Feb. 15 and continuing through March 3. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets, call 440-951-7500 or purchase online at www.fineartsassociation.org/performance.

Reservations are not required, but strongly recommended for this production’s reserved seating. Individual tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors and students 11 years and older and $10 for children 10 years and younger. Discounted tickets are also available to groups of 10 and more.

This production is rated G. The Fine Arts Association is located at 38660 Mentor Ave. in Willoughby.

“Honk!” is the musical version of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling.”

Director David Malinowski selected this production for his 2018-19 theater season partially because it had never been produced at Fine Arts, bringing what he considers a “fresh” and different experience to FAA’s young actors and audiences alike. He also liked the humor that he thought both children and adults will enjoy.

“Honk!” features a cast of 24 young actors between the ages of 8 and 18. Emilio Ruiz of Mentor plays the leading role of Ugly, a cygnet. Casey Cornacchione, Emma Anderson, Gabrielle Perusek, Emma Kovach-Uzl and Paige Johnson have also garnered leading roles.

“Almost every cast member said it was because they felt a connection to how the protagonist hero of the story is bullied, and that they had experienced the same treatment in their lives,” Malinowski says of why his students chose to audition for this show. “We are bombarded by reports of bullying every day, and this production may help some of our audience members deal with their own personal experiences.

“I have always loved the message of ‘The Ugly Duckling,’ that inner beauty and inner worth are what are really important, no matter how the world mocks a person.”

Emma Smallwood is a junior at Lake Catholic High School who hails from Willoughby. She enjoys Mock Trial, cheerleading, and choir when she is not onstage, which isn’t that often.

“Honk!” marks Emma’s 16th show at the Fine Arts Association, and her sixth youth show in a row.

“I wanted to participate in ‘Honk!’ because the show is very fun and upbeat,” Emma says, “and I love all the songs from ‘Honk!’. I think the show’s been going great so far, and the cast and crew have been working diligently to create an amazing show.

Emma plays Penny and Henrietta.

“In both roles I play I’m able to interact with many of the other actors on stage,” Emma says. “Throughout the rehearsal process I’ve been trying to build onstage relationships with many of the other actors in the show, and I hope the audience can see these connections the cast has created onstage.”

As Malinowski said, Emma has identified with the message of the show.

“The message of ‘Honk!’ is that what’s on the inside is what really matters, and no matter what you look like, you can still ‘be a swan’ if you’re kind and loving,” Emma agrees. “My first character, Henrietta, is very cruel to Ugly in the first act, and I think she shows Ugly that even when you’re knocked down by those around you, you can overcome these trials.

“My second character, Penny, is kind to Ugly and loves him even when he isn’t attractive, because she sees who he is on the inside,” she said.

Andrews Osborne Academy

Just across the parking lot from “Honk!” you will fine Andrews Osborne Academy ready to present “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

This play is an adaptation of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,” the diary kept by a young girl in hiding in Amsterdam during World War II who would go on to die in the Holocaust. This adaptation is a straight play written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.

Performances are Feb. 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for children ages 12 and under and $10 for all other guests. Andrews Osborne students, faculty, and staff may attend for free. Tickets can be purchased online at www.andrewsosborne.org. VIP seating is available.

UpStage Players

UpStage Players in Cuyahoga County is looking to get the word out to alumni for the group’s 25th anniversary this year by asking for alumni to contact them by calling 216862-8892 or messaging them at info@upstage-players.com.

They want to know what their alumni are doing now, what show they were in at UpStage and a current picture if possible.

Alumni Night will be March 23 during their performance of “Disney’s The Lion King, Jr.,” but if alumni aren’t available on that date they may attend March 21, 22 or the March 24 matinee.

“Our current total of people involved (at UpStage over the years) is 3,500,” Matt Orgovan tells me. “We would love to have updates from as many as possible. You will be included in the program book -– and if enough alumni respond we will have a special book just for you.”

Curtain 440

Let’s welcome to the local community theater scene Curtain 440, Northeast Ohio’s newest theater company.

Founded by Geauga County resident Angela-Miloro Hansen and partnering with Berkshire High School for two 2019 summer theater camps for kids ranging from age 6 through 16, participants will have the opportunity to perform in one of two Disney favorites — “Frozen Jr.” and “Beauty and The Beast, Jr.”

This new regional traveling theater company is also currently in production of a teen repertory program at Cardinal Middle School and is in talks with other local venues about adding additional programs. But first, the summer efforts. “Frozen Jr.” is being offered for children and teens ages 6-16. Camp/rehearsal dates will be Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon from June 10 to July 18. Performances will then be on the Berkshire High School stage July 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and July 20 at 2 p.m.

“This will be one of the first productions of ‘Disney’s Frozen Jr.’ in the area,” says MiloroHansen regarding the Disney hit that was just released this month. “It’s the story of true love between sisters Anna and Elsa, featuring all of the songs you know, as well as new ones from the current Broadway production.

The large cast of memorable characters will have students belting out ‘Let It Go’ all summer!”

Young thespians ages 7-13 will have the chance to perform in “Disney’s Beauty and The Beast Jr.,” the classic tale of transformation and tolerance that features songs from the original animated and Broadway versions.

Camp/rehearsal dates will be Mondays through Thursdays, 1 to 4 p.m. from June 17 to July 25, with performances on Berkshire stage July 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m., and July 27 at 2 p.m.

The fee for each camp is $250. All registered students will receive a role and will participate in set, costume, and prop design, as well as play theater games and make new friends.

All rehearsals and performances for Curtain 440’s summer camps will be held at Berkshire High School, 14510 N. Cheshire St. in Burton.

Registration for both camps can be done at the company’s website, www.curtain440.com.

Miloro-Hansen has been active in the theater community for 20 years, with extensive experience in directing, stage managing, set, prop, costume design, and more. She has been directing youth programs since 2005 and adult productions since 2011.

Her work with students has been recognized by the Ohio Community Theater Association as “outstanding.” She is also the author of “The Star on My Heart,” a play about Holocaust survivor Inge Auerbacher, which premiered in 2015 and has since been performed throughout Northeast Ohio and several other states including New York, Indiana, and Iowa. She can be contacted at Angela@Curtain440.com.

“I am so excited to announce the launch of my new theatre company, Curtain 440,” MiloroHansen tells me. “It has been my dream since middle school to own my own theatre, and while I know that there will certainly be years of difficult work ahead, I couldn’t be more elated!”

Curtain 440 is named for the area code in Geauga County and will be dedicated to the nurturing and encouragement of all types of theater, from classics to new works to contemporary musicals.

“There is something so invaluable in all genres of theater that fulfills and inspires,” Miloro-Hansen says. “It is those rewards that come from creating, performing, and watching that I want audiences, actors, and production members to take away. I love nitty-gritty straight shows about obscure historical and social events, and I love elaborate and comedic musicals—and know that I had not been exposed to both in my life, I would not be the person I am today.

“To begin, Curtain 440 will focus on student and youth programming, but it is my hope to have at least one adult show produced by the end of 2019 and open the way for more throughout 2020,” she said

Curtain 440 is currently a nomadic theater company without a permanent home, but MiloroHansen hopes to build through various host sites for the time being.

“My life has been dedicated to theater and the education of all ages through art and drama, and I am indebted to my past and current teachers, friends, family, and supporters,” she says.

“Thank you all, and I hope to see all of you on this journey.”

Mazel tov, and break a leg!

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.

Young Thespians Steve Couch