Experience a journey of loss and self-discovery with the whimsical waterfowl and barnyard companions taking center stage in Honk!, a musical for all ages to be presented by Morgantown Theatre Company (MTC) at The Metropolitan Theatre Friday through Sunday.
Last showcased by MTC in 2016, Honk! breathes new life into the timeless Hans Christian Anderson fable, “The Ugly Duckling.” This production transcends the familiar childhood tale, though, resonating with audiences of all ages.
Follow the tale of Ugly, a fledgeling rejected by his duckling peers but cherished by his protective mother, Ida. As he embarks on an adventure of self-discovery, Ugly encounters the cunning tricks of a sly cat and learns important lessons from the unique characters he meets on his travels. Honk! celebrates not only individuality but also the enduring bond of motherhood.
MTC presents a wide range of productions, most recently Grease, Annie, The Little Mermaid and Willy Wonka Jr. At its core, though, MTC aims to represent the joys and challenges of being human in a way that anyone can resonate with — even in a musical about birds.
“Do we teach theater at MTC? Yes, but mainly we teach [the actors] how to exist in the world and how to communicate,” said MTC Artistic Director Heath Kale. “It’s fun to put on a wig and a fun costume and sing and dance, but mainly what we do at MTC is try to make sure that we are producing good people … and that they take something away from theater that will be very important in their lives.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of MTC, coinciding with another exciting milestone for the organization — the addition of a new studio and a subsequent expansion of its programs. Since the pandemic, interest in theater has skyrocketed, and MTC sees hundreds of applicants to its acting programs and thousands of spectators to its shows. Shows are selected for large cast sizes to accommodate actor interest — Honk! has a cast of 71 local elementary and middle school actors — but limited resources and space mean MTC has used a waitlist in recent years. With the upcoming announcement of an additional studio, MTC is excited to accommodate a greater number of students, simultaneous rehearsals, multiple shows and the revival and introduction of programs like the preschool to 1st-grade “Fun with Drama” classes.
Kale attributes the blossoming interest in theater, in part, to the pandemic’s impact on children’s social interactions. Children have come to recognize the importance of socializing and collaborating with their peers, and what better way to do that than with theater?
“I enjoy getting to know people and building relationships with other actors,” said MTC actor and 8th-grade student Caroline Holben, who portrays the role of Ida, Ugly’s devoted mother, in Honk!. “I’ve learned how to work well with other people, and how to make the shows, and anything in life, better when you work together.”
The process quickly becomes instinctive to the actors, said Kale, and that is when they can fully immerse themselves in the material and properly explore the themes they’re portraying on-stage. This familiarity with the characters and script is what makes MTC performances so captivating, and the audience even forgets they’re witnessing the work of children rather than seasoned professionals.
“I just love, in a way, finally knowing that I can be someone else and get the idea of how other people feel,” said MTC actor and 6th-grade student Louis Christopher Slimak, who embodies the protagonist character Ugly in Honk!. The spotlight certainly doesn’t hurt either, he added.
Honk! will grace the stage at 10 a.m. Friday at a special discounted rate, as well as 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, with tickets priced at $15 for adults and $12 for children aged 12 and under.
“We are a children’s theater company, but that does not mean that the material doesn’t resonate with adults,” said Kale. “If people haven’t been to our shows before, I hope that they consider it and see the magic that we bring to the community.”
MTC will host a Cabaret event in May, offering the community an opportunity to engage with MTC beyond its main stage productions.
For further details, visit Facebook.com/MorgantownTheatreCompany.
