CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Area Junior-Senior High School Drama Club will present a tale as old as time, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
It will play Thursday, March 30, Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1, all beginning at 7 p.m. in the CAJSHS auditorium.
General admission adult tickets are $8 and students are $6 and are available at the door.
You will be swept away into this enchanted musical where Belle feels trapped in a provincial town and a prince is trapped in the body of a hideous beast.
If the beast can learn to love and be loved, the spell will be broken, and he will be transformed to his former princely self. If not, he and his household will be doomed for all time.
This classical musical love story is a magical tale that comes to life with unforgettable characters, astonishing sets and costumes, and a stunning score, including, “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston,” “Human Again” and the Tony-winning title song, “Beauty and the Beast.”
As Producing Director Stephen Switala said, “Beauty is found within. Who you are inside is more important than your appearance.
“I think this story is supposed to change us – to look at someone’s heart before their hairdo, to see if a smile is a mask or the true person, to hear if a roar is a danger sign or a lonely cry. And, it reminds us that it’s never too late to say ‘I love you.'”
Beauty and the Beast cast includes: Junior Lauren Butler as Belle, along with Junior Caleb McGee as Beast, Senior Josh Serena as Gaston, Junior Aaron Aycock as Maurice, Senior Gavin Starr as Cogsworth, Senior Dawson Lynch as Lumiere, Senior Rachel Homan as Mrs. Potts, Senior Brittany Stark as Chip, Senior Emma Potter as Babette, Freshman Johnathan McGee as LeFou, Senior Carlee Walker as Wardrobe and Senior Bront Strickland as Monsieur D’Arque.
Ensemble cast includes: Thad Butler, Kelseekay Charles, Lauren Coleman, Maci Coleman, Lily Cross, Elise DuFour, Cassidy Francisco, Katelyn Fye, Erica Hanes, Stacey Houchins, Brooke Ippolito, Brittany Keith, Jace Kephart, Emmalee Marshall, Austin McDanel, Lennon Miller, Christianna Owens, Madison Root, Lauren Sattesahn, Alyssa Serena, Brittany Shaw, and Remington Shugarts, Katelynn Smith, Katrina Spencer, Taylor Trinidad and Ashley Wisor.
The creative team, under the direction of Switala, includes Music Director Andrew Rothrock, Choreographer Sam Potter, Associate Choreographer Erica Hanes, Scenic Designer Jonathan Ares, Set Construction Paul Jeffries, Tim Auman and Jacob Pistner, Costume Designer Kim Luzier, Assistant Costume Designers Jeannine Hanes and Lisa Homan, Lighting Designers Mason Strouse and Kyle Kelly and Sound Designers Ben Fye and Nate Brubaker.
The Disney animated feature film from which the play is based premiered in 1991 and won the Academy Award for Best Song and Best Original Score and made history for being the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture.
The Broadway production opened in 1994 and ran for 13 years and 5,461 performances, closing in 2007. The Broadway production expanded upon the animated version with seven new songs.
The new numbers with the help of Tim Rice were intended to bring out the sensitive side of the Beast and to underscore Belle’s courage. The play was nominated for nine Tony Awards.
In London, the play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It has been performed in more than 30 countries reaching over 35 million theatergoers.
Disney released the live action version of the story March 17, featuring Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth and Stanley Tucci in the newly created role of Cadenza.
The CAJSHS Drama Club returned to bringing live theater to students and audiences in the winter of 2015 and is excited to continue expanding its program to new members.
Recent past productions have included You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, You Can’t Take It With You, Little Shop of Horrors and A Christmas Story. For more information about the Drama Club, please contact advisor Stephen Switala at 814-765-5511 or sswitala@clearfield.org.