When Ryan Wonnacott Sparks was at H.C. Mines Elementary School in Howland, he would create plays and stage them with his friends. One of those plays was staged for the entire school.

Sparks is working on a somewhat larger scale these days. The 2004 Howland High School graduate and his husband, Kendal Sparks, formed the theatrical production company Frankly Spoken Productions.

In its first year, the two shows Frankly Spoken co-produced — the revival of the Jule Styne / Stephen Sondheim / Arthur Laruents musical “Gypsy,” starring Audra McDonald, and “Just in Time,” the new musical about singer Bobby Darin starring Jonathan Groff — received a combined 11 Tony Award nominations

“Gypsy” is nominated for best revival of a musical, an award that goes to the show’s producers, so the couple coul

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