Battle Ground Academy’s Theatre Department will present Beauty and the Beast as its spring musical with performances April 11-13 at 7 p.m. The musical is open to the public and all performances will take place at the Harlin Student Center on BGA’s Glen Echo campus. General admission tickets are $5 and reserved tickets are $8.
“I have always loved the story of Beauty and the Beast and its themes of redemption and loving someone for who they are inside,” said Jenny Wallace, BGA’s Upper School Drama Director. “I was also inspired by the design challenges the show presents and thought it would be a great opportunity for our theatre production students to design and construct the costumes, props and set pieces. In addition to the design students, I have once again been lucky enough to have a tremendously talented cast of student actors with whom to work.”
Beauty and the Beast features a cast and crew of 40 BGA students. The cast includes Evan Schelton as The Beast and Meggie McCaleb as Belle. Other cast members include Ray Goodson, Ellen Kesler, Reed Locke, Annie Conrady Georgia Link, Garrett Horner, Butch Samide, Cooper Helm, Bennett Kesler, Eli Moore, Laura Abbott, Ally Newkirk, Christina Conrady, Anna Baker and Gavin Conners. Sarah Evins is the music director for the performance and Ridley Randolph is stage manager.
Plot Synopsis
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures’ Academy Award-winning 1991 animated musical film of the same name – which in turn had been based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a cold-blooded prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must first learn to love a bright, beautiful young woman whom he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle before it is too late.
Established in 1889, Battle Ground Academy is a co-educational, college preparatory school for grades kindergarten through 12th grade. More information on the school can be found at www.battlegroundacademy.org.
