When the lights come up and the curtains are drawn on the stage at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, one teacher’s job is done and success lies in the hands of his students.
Wednesday evening (Nov. 23) is the opening night of the school’s presentation of the Broadway musical “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” and director Daniel Hall is certainly looking forward to the show.
He said audiences will be in for a real treat as students have been working hard to prepare. The 82-member cast, crew and band has put in hundreds of hours singing, dancing, acting, building sets and props and designing costumes he explained.
“‘Beauty and the Beast’ is really a show that is so familiar to so many people and the students have just grabbed onto it,” said Hall. “They all loved the story to begin with and I think they’ve loved it even more as we’ve continued to work with it.”
Every year, Strathcona-Tweedsmuir students put on a musical and alternate between a family-type of performance to a senior high school production.
“Beauty and the Beast” features students in Grades 9-12 and they have been rehearsing daily since September. Students were cast in May, but with rehearsals starting in September, it can be a rush to put the show together, Hall explained and it takes a dedicated and hard-working team of students to ensure the musical is a success.
Grade 12 student Tiandra Ceyhan, who plays Belle in the production, has been involved in the school’s annual show since she was in Grade 7.
She said the musical is her favourite after-school activity and provides a break from classes.
Ceyhan said she enjoys the scene where Gaston proposes to her and throws her over his shoulder which usually leaves the audience in stitches.
Taylor Chase, who plays Lumiere in the musical, said he was both excited and nervous to perform in front of an audience and felt the show will go well. He said he enjoys his scenes with Cogsworth because of their witty jokes.
The Grade 11 student said participating in the musical gave him the chance to make new friends, as he is typically involved in after school sports.
Because everyone knows the story of “Beauty and the Beast” he said it adds pressure on the cast, but also inspires them to do well.
A fan of musicals, Grade 11 student Calum McCracken, who participated in previous Strathcona-Tweedsmuir productions, plays the Beast this year.
He said the school puts a lot of effort into its plays and has great directors.
McCracken said it is fun to play villains and he enjoys tapping into his character’s emotions and depicting them on stage.
For Hall, who has loved theatre since he was a child, he said it is fun to see what everyone in the production discovers and accomplishes together, he said.
“To me it’s all about building ensemble and allowing a group of young people to work together on a common goal, being the musical, and working together and discovering together.”
“Beauty and the Beast” runs at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Nov. 23-25 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 26-27 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15.
