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| Local theatre workshop attracts young beauties, beasts to hone skills |
By: By CHRIS MENEES Messenger Staff Reporter
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Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2009 8:56 pm
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The Messenger 07.23.09
By CHRIS MENEES
Messenger Staff Reporter
Local children are discovering the “Beauty” of theater.
Masquerade Theatre’s Children’s Theatre Workshop — attended by 100 local youngsters each day last week and this week — is preparing to present a tale as old as time with performances of “Beauty and the Beast Jr.”
Camp directors Jenny Virgin and Lori Suiter said audiences will join Belle and her Beast, Mrs. Potts and Chip, Lumiere and Lefou, Gaston and the rest of the cast of the Disney classic for a magical tale of the power of love, all to the tune of such favorite songs as “Be Our Guest,” “Home” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
The production will open Friday at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Theater in downtown Union City. Additional performances will follow Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., July 31 and Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 2 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now for $10 each at Lanzer’s in downtown Union City. The camp directors said the family favorite is sure to sell out and they are encouraging guests to secure their seats right away.
The production has been double cast, with the Clocks Cast to perform Friday, Sunday and Aug. 1 and the Candles Cast to perform Saturday, July 31 and Aug. 2.
Cast of characters
The Clocks Cast features narrators Michaela Johnson, Hunter Corley, Brianna Anderson and Imori Sergerson; Darrion Lock-ridge as the prince; Kaylee Burton as the Enchantress; Erin Bell as Belle; EmilyGrace Bell, Madison Butner, Carson Corley, Aleigha Beth Keeling, Aubree Keeling, Blaine McDonald, Mollie Miller, Claire Tanner, Abigail Tubbs, Hayden Wilson, Nolan Wilson and Tori Wohlfarth as the villagers; Luke Wohlfarth as the baker; Jacob Virgin as the bookseller; Jamison Blackwell as Gaston; Daniel Wohlfarth as Lefou; Farin Cloyd, Taylor Crittendon, Sarah Schlager, Nadia Treadwell and Marlee Wicker as the silly girls; Robbie Little as Maurice; Landrey Eason, Connor Page, Hayden Wilson, Nolan Wilson, Luke Wohlfarth and Jacob Virgin as wolves; Brady Craddock as Lumiere; Benjamin Beard as Cogsworth; Grace Kennedy as Babette; Mikayla Scillion as Mrs. Potts; Walker Ross as Chip; Darrell Huff as the Beast; Emily Houston as Madame Bouche; Andrew Marshall as Monsieur D’Arque; Molly Beth Blackwell, Kaytlyn Morris and Emily Searcy as Enchanted Servants; Hannah Fulbright, Rebecca Bevis, Brendan Page, Brianna Anderson, Kaylee Burton, Michaela Johnson and Imori Sergerson as Flatware; and Macy Ruth Chandler, Sarah Foltz, Halle Gore, Emma Ross, Olivia Tanner and Ella Virgin as Feather Dusters.
Featured in the Candles Cast will be narrators Mary Law-rence Critchlow, Ben Holland, Robyn Burden and Megan Hightower; Darrell Huff as the prince; Bella Castro as the Enchantress; Leslie Patterson as Belle; Madison Adams, Brooke Batey, Sailor Bearden, Zoe Cagle, Jaheim Ceasar, Caroline Conley, Julianne Fowler, B.J. Frankum, Bailey Jo Griffith, Emma Gurien, Abby Hightower and Abby Suiter as the villagers; Wilson Harris as the baker; Will Suiter as the bookseller; Kizer Harris as Gaston; J.T. Watford as Lefou; Millie Critchlow, Alexis Hughes, Emily Kizer, Destinee Mayo and Anna Oliver as the silly girls; Matthew Herrell as Maurice; Harris Cagle, Kyle Herrell, Connor Terrell, Wilson Harris and Will Suiter as wolves; Davis Odle as Lumiere; Landry Faulkner as Cogsworth; Ann Marie Caldwell as Babette; Ariana Warner as Mrs. Potts; Pierce Kizer as Chip; Darrion Lockridge as the Beast; Macy Earley as Madame Bouche; John Luke Pope as Monsieur D’Arque; Erin Chandler, Kate Terrell and London Green as Enchanted Servants; Robyn Burden, Bella Castro, Mary Lawrence Critchlow, Megan Hightower and Abby Suiter as Flatware; and Sloan Bearden, Averee Cooper, Jessie Deal, Maggie Suiter and Morgan Sutton as Feather Dusters.
Behind the scenes
Mrs. Virgin is serving as director of the children’s production and Jared Hamlin as assistant director, with music under the direction of Rita Winter. The choreographer is Hamlin and the technical director is Bob Elderkin. The producer’s duties are being shared by Ms. Suiter, Mrs. Virgin and Hamlin.
Costumes are being coordinated by Ms. Suiter, Stephanie Sergerson and the entire cast, while props are being handled by Jeff Brewer, Elderkin, Mrs. Virgin, Hamlin, Hunter Corley, Ben Holland and the entire cast. Elderkin is also handling lighting, sound and set design and is joined by Pat Wade and Terry Huffstetler to tackle set construction and painting. The stage crew is comprised of Kelsey Boyd, Alex Little, Corley, Holland, Andrew Marshall and John Luke Pope.
The staff of the children’s theater workshop has included Mrs. Virgin and Ms. Suiter, camp directors; Mrs. Virgin, acting/stage direction; Mrs. Winter, music; Hamlin, choreography; Ms. Suiter, costumes; Jeff Brewer, props; and Elderkin, lighting, sound and scenery. Workshop leaders have been David Houston, Stacy Wilson, Laura Oliver, Ann Wohlfarth, Rachel Joost, Chelsea Hale, Kelsey Boyd, Alex Little, JoMykel Hepler, Mary Beth Chandler and John-Alex Warner.
The story
The Disney classic tale of “Beauty and the Beast” opens with a prologue that tells of the spell that transformed a heartless man into a beast and his castle into an enchanted prison as punishment.
As the spell is cast, the story dissolves into the small town in which Belle lives, where she longs each day for some new and exciting adventure. Not only has the conceited and conniving town hunk Gaston proposed to Belle, but everyone thinks she and her father are crazy.
Not long after the story begins, an unfortunate turn of events finds Belle in search of her father, Maurice, whom she finds has been captured and locked in a dungeon within the Beast’s mysterious and enchanted castle. Belle searches out Maurice and quickly offers herself to the Beast in exchange for her father’s freedom, an offer which the Beast accepts.
While Maurice returns to the village in search of help from the townspeople to save his daughter, Belle becomes friends with all the enchanted creatures in the castle — including Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere, Mr. Cogsworth and many others — with the exception of the Beast. Eventually, she flees the castle only to be stopped by a pack of wolves. When the Beast comes to her rescue, she begins to see the softness in him and they begin to share a new kind of feeling for each other.
Meanwhile, Maurice has tried everything to gather a group of townspeople to come with him to save Belle, but no one will help and he sets off into the forest alone.
As the Beast and Belle grow closer, a love story unfolds and builds to a climax at the castle — where the creatures are ready to fight against the townspeople to ensure the story ends happily ever after for Belle and the Beast.
In addition to the children’s workshop, Masquerade will also hold a new Teen Workshop 2009 performance of “The Legend of Robin Hood ... Sort Of” Aug. 6-9. Tickets for those performance are also available at Lanzer’s.
Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by e-mail at cmenees@ucmessenger.com. |
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