‘Honk!’ if you want to see a show

Last weekend, The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby opened its annual Yarnell Youth Theatre Company winter production. This year the Association is presenting “Honk!” in its Corning Auditorium, with performances continuing through March 3. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

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 & up and $10 for children 10 years & under.

Discounted tickets are also available to groups of 10 and more.

For tickets, call 440-951-7500 or purchase online at www. fineartsassociation.org/performance.

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.” This production is rated G.

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.

Malinowski directs a cast of 24 young actors between the ages of 8 and 18. Casey Cornacchione, Emma Anderson, Gabrielle Perusek, Emma KovachUzl and Paige Johnson have garnered leading roles. Emilio Ruiz plays Ugly, a cygnet.

Emilio is a freshman from Mentor who attends Andrews Osborne Academy, literally just a stone’s throw across the parking lot from the Fine Arts Association.

Emilio is on the swim team and cross country team, but is also a frequent performer at the Fine Arts Association. He just concluded “Annie” at FAA and over the summer was in “Legally Blonde” at Geauga Lyric Theater Guild in Chardon.

“I love doing shows at FAA and I was in ‘Honk! Jr.’ at my school three years ago,” Emilio said. “So, I was very excited to be able to participate in the full version. In my role, I have been trying to show how my character grows and reacts to situations throughout his life.”

Although the classic story focuses on animals, it is a metaphor for a lot of human foibles.

“‘Honk!’ is such an important story because it shows audiences that no matter what you look like, the only thing that matters is what you are on the inside,” Emilio said. “My character is outcasted by many of the people in his life including his family, but he tries to find the best in life, and he is able to see the beauty in the world around him.”

Still two weekends left to catch this always timely message.

Cuyahoga Community College

Theater students from Cuyahoga Community College will present “Proximity,” a play about loneliness and unexpressed pain, as they take the stage at Eastern Campus for a series of free performances.

Show times are 7:30 p.m., Feb. 21-23, and 2 p.m., Feb. 24, in the Studio Theatre in The Jack at the Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, located at 4250 Richmond Road in Highland Hills.

“Proximity” focuses on two strangers who cross paths daily. Their solitary journeys include simultaneous cellphone conversations. In these chats, the audience learns about unseen connections between the two.

The play is directed by Raziya Hernton, a Tri-C student from Garfield Heights who earned an Associate of Arts degree from the college in December. “Proximity” is an original work written by Dan Jackson.

Seating is free and available on a first-come basis. For more information on the performances, call 216-987-4947.

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

SUBMITTED An act from ‘Honk!’