Words & Images by Justin Hunter

With only two weeks until Athletic Arts Center's performance of HONK! JR., the excitement and nervousness are building for director Maria Ross Campsey and her students. It will be the  AAC’s first spring musical in two years since the coronavirus pandemic halted in-person performances. All productions last year were virtual.

"We are just really excited to get back on stage and perform in front of a live audience,” says Campsey. “The last time we were on stage with one of these productions was 2020. The last production we did was FROZEN JR. We were able to finish that production, and that Monday, the entire world shut down.”

HONK! JR. is a contemporary retelling of the Danish fairy tale, "The Ugly Duckling,” and its humor, dialogue, and music will appeal to people of all ages. With a cast of 20 local students ages 7-17, AAC is helping foster a passion for the next generation.

"All of our film productions last year were fun, exciting, and challenging for both the staff and students," says Campsey, "but there is just something magical about being on stage and having that relationship with the audience. We believe there are elements of a live production that cannot be recreated in film. I am anxious for our cast to get on stage and we hope to have a great turnout."

HONK! JR. is presented through special arrangement with, and all authorized materials are supplied by Music Theatre International (MTI), 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY, (212) 541-4684, mtishows.com. MTI is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists, and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials, and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

You can see this production of HONK! JR. at Rowland Auditorium on the Bevill State Community College – Jasper campus on Saturday, March 5th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 6th at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults. For more information on the show, sponsorship, or to purchase tickets, please call (205) 387-9337 or visit www.athleticartsctr.com.