After months of preparation, WHBHS’ Beauty and the Beast opened and blew the audience away! From choreography to sets to lights and music, it’s all done by our talented WHBHS students and generous volunteers.
Beauty and the Beast, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name, is about an arrogant prince who was turned into a beast, and a woman named Belle who falls in love with him to break the spell cast on him and his castle. The musical was led by senior Sarah DeVerna and sophomore Brady Schultz, who played Belle and the Beast, respectively, and directed by Kimet Speed.
Between learning lines, blocking scenes, and perfecting choreography, rehearsals are frequent and keep the cast busy. Some rehearsals are designated to a certain scene or dance or song.
Junior Meghan Pomroy, who played LeFou, said that the hardest part of putting on the show was “the physical tax. So far, we’ve had people getting smacked, cut, and bowled over for the sake of the show. Not that it’s unsafe, but when you take high-energy people like our cast, and put them in close quarters, or make them get into fake fight scenes, there’s bound to be a bit of injury.”
Musical director Hannah Pawluk and choreographer Marissa Diveris also assisted the cast in rehearsals with the musical numbers.
Meghan got into theatre in elementary school after being encouraged by a music teacher and has since been in multiple WHBHS and WHBPAC shows. After a stressful audition process, she landed the role of LeFou in Beauty and the Beast. But even though it can be hard at times, “I love being able to hang out with my friends every day just doing what I love more than anything. Who doesn’t want to sing, dance, and do funny voices every day?” said Meghan.
But the cast couldn’t have done it alone! A lot of work happens behind the scenes that may go unseen, but not unnoticed. Crew members moved sets and helped with lights, spotlights, and sounds. Kate Pomroy, Ava Kuklis, Abby Ketner, Leandra Melo and others painted and decorated sets. WHB middle and high schoolers played alongside professional musicians in the pit orchestra, led by Josh Seifert.
Student choreographers Kaitlynn Mazurkiewicz, Brady Schultz, Morgan DeVerna, and Sarah Tedesco choreographed dance numbers. Parent volunteers dedicated their time to designing and building the sets. For crew members, rehearsals begin a few weeks before the show opens. Sophomore crew member Kate Lynch said, “I’d say we are all a crucial part of the show. I think without a lot of our help the show would not have been as successful as it was. People like our stage manager Ginger [Hendrickson] or our lights operator Graelyn [LoRusso], really help the show come together.”
Thanks to their long hours spent at rehearsal and close quarters, the cast and crew became close with each other. Meghan says, “I honestly think of the cast as family. There’s always someone backstage I can gossip with, always someone who’s willing to fix my costume when the pins pop out, or laugh with me as we’re watching our favorite scenes on stage. While I don’t know and don’t get to see everyone as much as I’d like to, I wouldn’t choose anyone else to be with.”
Kate added, “We are all able to joke around and spend time together outside of school and rehearsal and I’m happy to consider many of the crew members my friends.”
Beauty and the Beast opened on Friday, March 22, 2024, and ran until Sunday, March 24, with a full house every performance. Everyone involved worked hard on their own parts and it all came together perfectly. “There has been so much incredible effort put into this show,” said Meghan, when asked why people should come see the show, “and I personally believe that the leads, supporting roles, featured roles, and every member of the ensemble is a joy to watch, whether from the wings or the audience, and I really hope that as many people as possible can experience what I have these last few days seeing this fantasy of a show come together.” Similarly, Kate said that the positive reactions from the audience is the most rewarding part of theatre because it “really shows that all of our hard work paid off and that we were truly able to put on an entertaining show.”
Congratulations to the cast and crew on a fabulous run and make sure to support the WHBHS Theatre Department in their future productions! Follow @whbtheatredept on Instagram for more details!
