Published: July 10, 2006 07:51 am      

Story teaches everyone is special, warts and all

DANVILLE — Sleepy-eyed children shuffled in last Friday morning to Danville Light Opera’s rehearsal space at the Village Mall.

During their summer vacation, even 9 a.m. seemed too early for many of the cast members of DLO’s youth musical, HONK! Jr.

The play will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at St. James United Methodist Church, 504 N.Vermilion St. All tickets are $5 and may be purchased at BC Collectibles in the Village Mall or at the door prior to each performance.

Ben Lohrberg plays the lead character, Ugly, in this contemporary version of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Ugly Duckling.”

“It’s hard to get up for this,” the Edison fifth-grader said. “I usually sleep until noon.”

But the show must go on, and rehearsals must, too.

Directors Jennifer and David Woodrow congratulated each of the young actors for making it on time as they entered the room. By 9 a.m., most of the chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing the stage and labeled with one of the 30 cast members’ names were occupied.

Jennifer Woodrow led the group in vocal and physical warm-ups. The youngsters did jumping jacks and jogged in place while singing their A-B-Cs. Latecomers who tried to tiptoe in withstood some good-natured teasing from the adults.

Before long, the grumpy faces wore smiles and the actual rehearsal began.

Woodrow, who teaches music and theater at North Ridge Middle School and directs its show choirs, said she enjoys working with this younger age group. Although the cast includes a few teens, most of the members are still in grade school.

“For 12 years, I taught grades K-12,” she said. “Now that I just work with middle school students during the school year, I miss the elementary age kids.

“Doing this with them feeds a little place in my soul.”

Claire Cummings, a former Redcoat who will enter Danville High School this year, has worked with both Woodrows in show choir and DLO. She said their training made her a better performer.

“I was always taught that when you sing and act, you should have fun. That’s the way to make people feel it,” she said. “In this show, there are lots of moments where you can grab a tear or a laugh from the audience if you really put yourself in the character.”

Cummings plays Ida, the mother duck who finds herself with an odd-looking baby in her just-hatched brood. She, along with the other animals in the show as well as the audience, learns about prejudice and the joys of being different in HONK! Jr.

“People are quick to judge others,” Cummings said. “Everyone doesn’t look like the celebrities do. No matter what people look like, they can have a great personality and a big heart.”

Lohrberg added, “The frog teaches my character that it doesn’t matter what you look like. You are special, warts and all.”