SLO REP brings lighthearted laughs and musical whimsey with summer show Honk! Jr. 

Shannon Peters knows everyone's familiar with the story of the ugly duckling.

The Hans Christian Andersen classic is a nursery rhyme most people have heard at least once by the time they start first grade, but San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre's newest production puts a musical twist on the classic tale.

"It's a great little summer musical experience," Peters said. "The main character—the titular ugly duckling—embarks on this great adventure that is really brought to life by our cast and the music in the show."

Honk! Jr. is the latest show at SLO Rep in downtown SLO. It blends together the classic tale with musical whimsy that director Peters feels makes it the perfect summer experience.

"It's a great first show for anyone unfamiliar with the world of theater," she said. "It's an especially great way for the youth to be exposed to theater in general."

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• Image Courtesy Of SLO Rep
• FUNTIME FOWL Honk! Jr. at SLO Rep promises a fun musical time for theater enjoyers of all ages and experiences.

The show, which runs from July 14 to 23 with showings Wednesday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., features an all-youth cast from the SLO Rep's Academy of Creative Theatre (ACT).

It is not the first adaptation of The Ugly Duckling that features full-scale musical numbers. There is a Honk! that originated in the UK, but she said that this particular production is more impactful for both the audience and actors.

"The play is really special for kids since they are at that point in their life where the themes of the show—things like self-worth and expression—are things they are just starting to experience in the day-to-day moments in their lives," she said. "There is this correlation I am seeing them make as we progress that makes this whole thing really special."

The music composed by George Stiles ranges in genre and style, and Peters said that the actors have really embraced making the musical numbers fit the scene they belong to.

"Some of the movements are traditional, others are vaudeville, and we even have some light modern compositions," she said. "There is a scene with an army of geese that has a military-style composition and a scene with a bullfrog that has this sweeping melodramatic composition, so there is just a ton of range in the show."

The show also features a set design with the goal of making performing the show as fun as watching it.

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• Photo Courtesy Of SLO Rep
• KID CAST Honk! Jr. features a cast of youth actors from SLO Rep's Academy of Creative Theatre—which puts on summer/winter shows and after-school events throughout the year.

"We have big set pieces like this huge dock on the 'water' our stage designer made that the kids love acting on," she said. "Having things like that is super important because the stage at SLO Rep is different from the rehearsal space we use at the ACT headquarters."

From the musical numbers to the unique stage design, Peters feels excited to be directing the young cast on the same stage she once performed on.

"I've been up on this stage as a performer before so it has been cool to direct where the actors are moving," she said. "Being super familiar with the stage really allows me to feel good about what I can work with in directing alongside the choreography and musical coordinators."

Honk! Jr. is just one part of the ACT program's renewed efforts to bring musical theater to the youth of San Luis Obispo and is something that Peters—who serves as the education coordinator for the ACT program—said they have been able to do now more than ever.

"The ACT program is a SLO REP youth theater program that traditionally does after-school programs and summer/winter break events for youth looking to get involved with local theater," she said. "We had a bit of a lull in the pandemic period, but this summer we have really brought the program back with even more opportunities prior to when we stopped, and the response has been great so far."

Peters said the increased interest and number of programs ACT has put on has led to a unique blend of seasoned ACT program participants and new faces for Honk! Jr.

"Most of the people in this production have been in classes for a while, but there are a few new faces," Peters said. "The one's that just started have never been on a stage of this size before."

One of her main focuses is to help the youth actors learn their parts and work with them on an individual basis to help them make the most out of their own unique skill sets.

"Part of directing is making sure they feel comfortable," Peters said. "The stage presence and awareness don't always come naturally, so it has been cool to see them learn."

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• Photo By Rylo Media Design, Ryan C. Loyd
• AWESOME ACT In the past, the Academy of Creative Theatre also put on a SLO Rep production of A Wrinkle in Time.

Don't expect any fully feathered friends on the stage, however, as Peters said one of the more unique aspects of this production is the distinct lack of full animal costumes.

"One of my favorite parts of the show is that [the actors] are not in bird costumes," she said. "It really helps showcase the humanity of these characters and the actors that play them."

That humanity—in a play based on an animal-centric story—is what Peters hopes sticks with the viewers the most.

"It helps bridge the gap for people seeing it who maybe aren't all that interested in seeing a show where the actors are covered in feathers," she said with a laugh. "When you have these big over-arching themes of self-love and the unconditional love of a parent for who you are at your core, I think it's really important to have the actors just act as themselves without the costume to reinforce that." Δ

Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas is thinking about ducks. Reach him at [email protected].