From The Director:
When I added Beauty and the Beast to this year's season, it was a tough decision. This is not an easy show to attempt. It's just an enourmous undertaking to begin with; with the sets, the costumes, the makeup, the special effects, the dancing, and the cast. It's a musical that makes a director want to run in the opposite direction. But I knew my students were up to the challenge, and that work is here for you to see, as these amazing students bring this show to life for you on our stage.
I've been in this show twice as an actor (Cogsworth, reporting for duty) so I know what a joy it is to perform such a beloved classic to an audience who truly adores it. Then the live movie was announced......., ooops...... But I figured it would help us either way. If the movie was bad, we could sell it as "Come see the classic you love, live on our stage, " and if the movie was good, we could sell it as "Come experience it all again!" Luckily it was good, (at least in my opinion.)
Like most of you, Beauty and the Beast sparks lots of memories. The Disney animated version arrived on the scene in 1991. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and became the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for its title song. In 1994 it became the first animated film to be adapted into a Broadway musical. It revolutionized the American Musical Theatre world and helped to revive Broadway. I remember listening to the original cast album and dreaming of the day I'd finally get to see it live onstage. It took a while but it finally happened in 2004, I absolutely loved it, In the production I saw, Donny Osmond was Gaston (he was actually quite good.) Some of the effects onstage absolutley amazed me. and I knew right then that this was a show that I'd want to be involved in either onstage (see above) or as a director. Now that I've achieved the actor part the time is finally here for me to show you my vision for the show. I'm so excited to share this vision with you, and to see it performed by students I've taught, mentored and learned to care about in their time here at Stansbury High School.
I hope you will enjoy and appreciate the enourmous amount of work that went into this show, the students involved in it (some of them new, and some of them appearing for the last time on our stage) have had a blast working on the show; from the music to the dances, they truly have grown as performers and have managed to make each character all their own.
Speaking of students, I have 24 graduating Seniors, most of whom are in this show. I've watched them start out as the quiet shy freshman, and become the confident young men and women you see on our stage today. Whatever they do with their lives after graduation, I hope they all realize how proud I am of each and every one of them, and how much joy they've brought to my life as they've shared their talents with me as a teacher and director. I dedicate this show to them, they are all truly amazing!
This is why I do what I do, this is why I spend almost all of my free time here at the school working on stuff with these kids, it's their passion and drive that I appreciate. I don't do it for me, I do it for them. Thank you for coming, please support them as they move on with their lives. And for one last time.....
Be our Guest,
Glen Carpenter
