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"Bigger than ever" seems to be the theme of this year's musical theater camp production. If the extent of the cast and crew's around-the-clock preparations for opening night of Disney's Beauty and the Beast is any indicator of the production's scale, it's safe the say that it is in fact going to be big.
"It's the biggest show we've tried to do here... it's a feast for the eyes and ears," says the program's musical director, Andrew Hames.
Director WT McRae explains that "We have an insanely talented group this year... and it is in every way the largest [production]."
McRae and Hames chose Beauty and the Beast fully aware of, and excited to take on, the unprecedentedly ambitious show, and it's shaping up to exceed all expectations.The massive number of props and the extravagant set to demonstrate how this show is set apart from past years.
"Everybody in the show has three or four costumes," says McRae.
He estimates that, with the 38-person cast, there are over 110 handmade costumes in the shop. With the incredible amount of volunteerism this year, over 30 people including students, faculty, and community members, have contributed to the costume shop and tech team. They're responsible for carving, gluing, painting, sewing, and doing everything required for aspects of the show like building the epic set, crafting oversized cutlery, and perfecting the infamous yellow gown. The beautiful costumes and craftily resourceful props (the beast's cape is made of old curtains from the PAC, can-can dresses are repurposed bed sheets) are a reason enough to see the production, but the music, choreography, set design and full pit-orchestra ensure that the show will not be one to miss.
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Olivia Rivera, who plays the role of Mrs. Potts, gets fitted for one of her costumes by costume designer Sharon Morgan. Photo by Alethea Busch.
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An immense amount of work has gone into bringing Beauty and the Beast to life. Students begin workshops and rehearsals immediately after breakfast at 9am and continue to do so until almost 10pm. They break for meals, but even then the dining hall bustles with the repetition of lines over lunch and the melodies of musical numbers over dinner. The enthusiasm is tangible.
Thoughts from the students themselves truly encapsulate the excitement that's buzzing around this show:
"This is a family show and the cast is a family, and we want to share our family... A big part of how WT and Andrew direct is making sure that we're a team and that we're working together, and that we're all there to support each other." - Coggins, Narrator
"I'm really excited about our scene in "Be Our Guest" because it's the first time that [the audience] is going to see the whole castle working together and preparing dinner for [Belle]... There's going to be dancing and singing and smiling - it's going to be joyous... The audience will cry, they will laugh, they will smile... this show is all in one." - Franco Nero,
Lumiere
"This is different from last year's show because of costumes and props... it's just a bigger production... It's a family show, everyone knows and loves the movie, but there's another fifty-percent of the show that nobody has seen yet!" - Rug Cochrane,
Gaston
| The cast rehearses "Be Our Guest" at the Performing Arts Center. Photo by Andrew Hames. |
In the words of McRae, Beauty and the Beast is an epic story, a timeless and ageless fairytale. It does that thing that fairytales do so well - the story has many layers of implications for all stages of life. The process has been intense and exciting, and the cast and crew couldn't be more excited to share their work with the Sitka community. Like the enchanted castle's dancing candlesticks and talking armoires, the show is simply magical.
Join us and feel the magic with the SFAC Musical Theater Camp this weekend at the Sitka Performing Arts Center. Opening night is Friday at 7:00pm. Saturday's matinee is at 2:30pm, and the final performance is Saturday evening at 7:00pm. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors. Children under 5 are free. Tickets are available at Old Harbor Books or at the door.
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