HONGWANJI MISSION SCHOOL CHILDREN’S THEATER PRESENTs “Honk, Jr.”A musical based on the beloved fable, “The Ugly Duckling”
Hongwanji Mission School Performing Theater Presents "Honk, Jr."
The Performing Children’s Theatre at the Hongwanji Mission School (HMS), a new after-school performing arts program currently in its third season, presents “Honk, Jr.”, a musical based on the fable by Hans Christian Andersen, with music by George Stiles and book and lyrics by Anthony Drewe. Performances will be held at Honpa Hongwanji Social Hall, 1727 Pali Highway, Honolulu, HI 96813. The show will run from January 22-23, 2010, Thursday through Saturday, for a total of three performances. Two consecutive evening performances will commence at 7:30 PM and one Saturday matinee at 4:00 PM.
Performers will include 23 students from the Hongwanji Mission School from 3rd through 8th grade.
“Honk” had its debut at the Watermill Theatre in England in 1993. The West End Theatre Production opened in 1999, and received the Olivier Award for Best Musical. Since that time, “Honk” has been performed frequently by community and regional theatre groups, as well as by school programs in England, Canada, and the United States. Honk! Jr is the Hongwanji Mission School Perfoming Theatre’s, third annual production. Honk! Jr. is a story about Ugly who is a swan born into a family of ducks. Feeling belittled and mistreated by his farm animal friends and family, a sly and evil Cat befriends him. Through Ugly’s adventures, he finds himself meeting Wild Geese, a family of Bullfrogs, and finally a beautiful family of Swans.
Honk! Jr is directed by Cari Taira. Musical direction by Barbara Ellis and Laurie Rubin. Costumes by Lori Okamura. Choreography by Noah Harders and Kristen Higo. Support from Hongwanji Mission School teachers, staff, and parents.
Hongwanji Mission School was established in 1949 during the time of Bishop Kodo Fujitani, and is known to be the first Buddhist school outside of Japan. In 1999, Hongwanji Mission School celebrated its 50th Anniversary with 295 students ranging from pre-school to grade eight.
Hongwanji Mission School Children’s Theatre was created in May of 2007 to incorporate dramatic arts in the curriculum for all students from kindergarten through the eighth grade, and to provide them with the opportunity to be involved in class skits and plays, and a main stage production held in the Spring. Student participation is rapidly increasing every year, and teachers and audience members alike are noticing a remarkable improvement in the performance quality each year. “Thee students are taking what they’ve learned, and are using their knowledge and experience to create more dynamic and mature interpretations of each character they play. Also, more and more very talented students seem to be coming out of the woodwork for each new production,”says Carolyn Taira, director of the HMS Children’s Theatre and drama Program. “I’ve seen such growth, especially this year. I’ve seen the children that have been in the program since it started blossom on stage, and because they know what to expect, they are good role models for the new ones coming on,” says Yvonne Toma, former director of the well known performing arts program at Kipapa Elementary School.
Tickets are $10.00 for general admission, and $5.00 for students under 14. They can be purchased at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/89449 or by calling: 1-800-838-3006. Ticket sales will begin on January 1st, 2010.
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Honk! Jr is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54 Street, New York, NY 10019. Phone:(212)541-4684 Fax:(212)397-4684 http://www.mtishows.com
HMS Performing Theatre presents “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
The Hongwanji Mission School Performing Theatre, a new after-school performing arts program currently in its second season presents, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, a new musical based on the original book by Roald Dahl. Original music is composed by HMS music teacher, Barbara Ellis, and original lyrics adapted from the book by Diana Kerry and JoAnn Jacobs.
Performances will be at the Honpa Hongwanji Social Hall, 1727 Pali Highway, Honolulu, HI 96813. April 9-11, 2009, Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 PM; April 11, 2009 Saturday matinee at 4:00 PM.
Tickets: $10.00/ $5.00 (Students 14 and under) available online or by calling 1-800-838-3006 after March 18.
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Hongwanji Mission School Performing Theatre 