The drama club is proud to present the play, “Beauty And The Beast Jr”.
For the last two months, the drama club has been working hard and rehearsing making sure the play is perfect and set for stage. March 5-7 the show will be preformed at the Jr. High all at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, March 8 the final show takes stage at 1 p.m.
The lead roles in this show are played by eighth grader Abigail Burchfield as Belle and sixth grader Colin Amerhein as Beast.
This play is based on the original Disney movie, “Beauty And The Beast.” It showcases a young prince that was cast under a spell by a witch, and this spell turned him into a Beast. The only way to break the spell was true love. That true love happens to be an outcast girl in a village, Belle, who ventures off to the Beast’s castle to find her lost father.
Drama director Stacy Palilla said during her first 4 years as the drama director, she and the cast had not yet tackled a Disney production. Many of the kids had been hinting at wanting to do Beauty, so after our spring musical last year, we surprised them at our production party by announcing our shows for this year.
“There were tears from some of the kids – they were that excited!” said Palilla.
It actually worked out perfectly to do this show this year because Disney is currently restricting licensing to both the main stage and junior productions of “Beauty and the Beast” said Palilla.
Palilla said, “This happens from time to time with shows, so we were happy to get this opportunity in right under the wire!”
Just in time. It’s a good thing the drama club decided to present, “Beauty And The Beast Jr” this year!
“Every production comes with its own set of challenges, but this particular show has definitely pushed us to a whole other level. The biggest challenge, besides coordinating such a large cast, has been the timing of all of the dialogue that happens within songs. We are fortunate to have an amazing group of eighth grade leaders, so that really is a huge benefit,” said Palilla.
And on that note, Burchfield gives her insight on it being this is her last year doing drama at our school.
She says it is very sad that its her last year, but she’s so exited and happy that the drama club is doing “Beauty And The Beast Jr.” She thinks its a really good show for her eighth grade year.
Palilla shares what she thinks the best part about being a drama teacher/director .
“The arts can be such an important outlet for kids to build confidence, develop life skills, make new friends, and most importantly, have fun!” said Palilla.
She said that watching all of these things happening right in front of you, and especially when you see a student grow over multiple years in the program, is such a privilege. So many in this year’s eighth grade group are such an incredible example of this.
“We are really going to miss them and appreciate everything they have done for our program and look forward to not only watching their continued success at the high school, but seeing the results of their efforts to help foster the confidence and skills of our younger students in the years to come,” said Palilla.
Everyone in the cast and I’m sure everyone that watches the performance will have a favorite part of the show, so come out and find yours!
