“To people who are thinking about doing theater or are brand new to it, don’t give up on it because you don’t always get the role you want. I’ve been doing this for ten years and I remember being a plate in Beauty and the Beast Jr. for MAPA [Madison Ave Performing Arts, a local community theatre for students K-12], and then I was Belle this year for our production of Beauty and the Beast, so there’s always room for growth,” Maryanne McNally, 12, said.
The high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast was the last for 17 seniors this year. Some of them have participated in theater productions for years, and others had their first experience on stage this year. The excitement for this production was building for months from the actors and the community, as Beauty and the Beast is not only a well known musical, but an extremely popular Disney film.
“Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies, and so when I heard they were doing Beauty and the Beast, I was like, oh okay, maybe I should [audition for the musical]. And it was everything I envisioned and more,” Annika Wilson, 12, said.
This was Wilson’s first year participating in productions at the high school. Wilson was a part of the ensemble, and thoroughly enjoyed being in the musical this year. Wilson made some amazing friends, and says that they are incredibly grateful for the experience to meet so many different people and have a completely different, but thrilling, experience.
“I think if anybody is worried about, like, trying it [theatre], or trying something new, don’t be. I know there’s a lot of stigma around the ‘theatre kids,’ but they’re so fun, like just do it. It’s awesome,” Wilson said.
While this may be Wilson’s first production, McNally has participated in around ten productions. Many of these productions have been “junior productions,” which means they are geared towards kids, so some scenes are taken out, or shortened so the production isn’t as lengthy. Being in a full production, such as Beauty and the Beast, was an exciting experience for McNally, because everyone in the production was around the same age and shared similar sentiments regarding school and theatre.
“My favorite memories probably are the backstage dances and like interactions, because during the show, if there was a bunch of us backstage, especially the castle staff, and Gaston was on stage, we would be dancing, and singing, and being as drastic as we could back there, and it was the funniest thing,” McNally said.
Seniors were not the only students having their last musical experience. Jocelyn Satchell, 11, has been in four productions at the high school, with one on stage, and the other three with tech. While Satchell may be a junior, they will be graduating at the end of the year, and had to accept that this was the last musical production they would be in at the high school.
“It feels a little scary leaving behind all my friends in theatre and accepting that I won’t be doing my last shows with them and I’ll be with a whole new set of people,” Satchell said.
Satchell was welcomed by the seniors to participate and celebrate their last production, despite being in the junior class. Satchell’s favorite memory is seeing the costumes for the first time because they were rented, and brought the show together.
The musical is always a chaotic time for those involved; however, the end always comes too quickly for those involved. Spending so much time with one another creates bonds between people that can never be broken, and gives memories that will last a lifetime.
