‘Honk!’ wraps up this weekend

If you have not yet made it to The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby for their annual Yarnell Youth Theatre Company winter production, you still have one more weekend to catch “Honk!” in their Corning Auditorium.

Performances continue through March 3 on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

For tickets, call 440-9517500 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 up and $10 for children 10 years and younger. Discounted tickets are also available to groups of 10 and more.

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.”

David Malinowski directs a cast of 24 young actors between the ages of 8 and 18.

Emma Anderson is a freshman from Kirtland who attends Andrews Osborne Academy and is a part of the cast. She is involved in mock trial, choir, and swim team just to name a few of her extracurricular activities, but it is clear that theater is a passion.

Emma has appeared in “James and the Giant Peach, Jr.,” “Mulan, Jr.,” “The Lion King, Jr.,” “Annie, Jr.” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” all at Andrews Osborne Academy. She even did a performance of “Honk, Jr.,” which led her to cross the parking lot and try the full-length version at the Fine Arts Association this year as the Cat.

“I wanted to participate in ‘Honk!’ because I’ve been involved in theater for almost four years and I wanted to begin my journey into community theater,” Emma says. “And since I’ve been part of the community at FAA since I was little, I thought it would be really great to do my first show outside of my school there.

“I didn’t quite know what to except going into it, but from what I can tell, it’s going extremely well,” she says. “The cast, as a whole, works really well together, and we have an excellent team of crew working with us.”

Emma has been focusing on her character’s motivations and embodying how she would move and speak.

“As most people can attest to, it can be hard to feel alienated in a group of people,” Emma says. “I think my character, The Cat, feels lonely a lot of the time. No one really likes her on the farm, and even her owners don’t pay attention to her. I think she just wants a friend; she wants to fit in. Even the strongest of people want to be a part of a group.”

The cast has been working on this show since November, but now they are looking at closing.

“We have an amazing director, stage manager, vocal director and choreographer who have put countless amounts of hours and effort to make this show amazing and I really hope everyone can come out and see it,” Emma says.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School in Geauga County is getting ready to present their annual spring musical this weekend. This year the show is “Singin’ in the Rain,” based on the iconic movie musical.

Performances are Feb. 28 at 6 p.m., March 1 and 2 at 7 p.m., and March 3 at 2 p.m.

All tickets are $12 each. There is an online ticketing service at the school’s website for advance sales that closes 48 hours prior to each individual performance, but remaining tickets for each performance will be available 30 minutes prior to the showtime at the box office.

The story depicts the transition from silent film to the talkies. The show includes the classic songs “Make ‘Em Laugh,” “Good Morning,” and certainly the title track “Singin’ In the Rain.” The production is written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with music by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed.

All shows take place in the Pat and Janet O’Brien Center for the Performing Arts on the Sam J. Frankino Stage under the sponsorship of the Jane Monreal Family.

Memorial Middle School

And finally, for the 11th year in a row I will throw my own hat into the directing ring at Memorial Middle School in Mentor for our annual spring musical. We have over 70 kids ready to take you to Broadway with a young performers edition of the classic musical theater story “42nd Street.”

“42nd Street: Young Performers’ Edition” will be presented on March 1 at 7 p.m. and March 2 at 2 and 7 p.m. in the Memorial Middle School Auditorium.

General admission tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and children 2 and under are free. All tickets are general admission and will be available at the door. Seating will open 30 minutes before curtain.

“42nd Street: Young Performers’ Edition” features the classic story of young ingenue Peggy Sawyer and the drama that ensues when she joins the cast of Julian Marsh’s production of “Pretty Lady.” Do the kids have what it takes to get to Broadway? Classic tunes include the title song, “Lullaby of Broadway,” “We’re in the Money,” and “I Only Have Eyes for You.”

The production features 75 kids in the cast and the crew. I am happy to be assisted by music director Sherry Niederkorn, choreographer Hannah Green of Rabbit Run Community Arts Association in Madison, and technical director and Memorial Middle School teacher Janet Mobily.

If you come to see us, be sure to say hello!

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.