Preparations for Central’s musical this year, “Beauty and the Beast,” are well underway.
“Beauty and the Beast” tells the story of Belle, who takes her father’s place as a prisoner in the enchanted castle of the Beast, a prince cursed with a monstrous appearance. To revert back to his human appearance, the Beast must earn Belle’s love before it is too late.
Rehearsals started in the first week of September under the direction of Drama Director Scott Mead. The show will premiere on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and will be followed by additional performances on Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for adults.
This year’s musical was decided by a student vote, and “Beauty and the Beast” won by a large margin, defeating lesser-known musicals like “Big Fish.” Its widespread appeal was perfect for getting more people to see the play, one of Mead’s goals for this fall.
The performing arts department has set some goals for improving this production. Each year, the department tries to get scheduling more concise, and this time around is no exception. It is also important that everyone knows their role, so when the curtains open, they can execute their roles.
This can prove to be a challenge, as it requires coordination of the 55 members on cast and crew, while students new to theater are still learning the ropes.
“We’ve got dance rehearsals, we’ve got musical rehearsals, we’ve got orchestra rehearsals going on. We’ve got staging rehearsals going on, and then combinations of all those put together. And then we’ve also got our tech crew that’s working behind the scenes after school to put things together.”
Junior Izzy Worden, who plays the part of Belle, is eager to see the payoff of all their hard work. This is Worden’s first leading role, but she can draw from her experience performing in “The Wizard of Oz” her freshman year. Worden feels that her experience as a choir student, and a singer in the band, The Redwoods, will help her be a better performer onstage.
Senior Devon Richards III, who will be playing the role of the Beast, is looking forward to many aspects of the musical, ranging from makeup to stage combat. He is excited to see his transformation from human to beast and for his fight scenes with junior Charlie Gaillard, who plays Gaston. For Richards, the technical aspects of the musical are just as exciting as the performance itself. He loves seeing how sound, design and lighting come together.
Other students echoed Richards’ sentiments. Sound crew heads senior Ash O’Brien and junior Jack Wilderman-Nielsen and stage manager senior Grace Spicka all agreed that seeing the technical aspects—and the performances—come together to form a finished product was one of their favorite parts of putting on a musical.
Mead spoke about how important of an opportunity the musical was for Central students, “I think, in general, it’s providing an opportunity for Central students to go through the process. The beginning, the middle, the end, the auditions, the rehearsals, the tech week, the learning the lines and the songs and the dances and then bringing it all together to put on a big show on your stage to share with audiences.”
