While millions of people across the country went to the movie theatres last week to see Disney’s newly released Beauty and the Beast film, hundreds of locals were treated to a highly entertaining production of the American musical at Glenvar High School. Over 60 students and 20 crew members from Glenvar Middle and High Schools as well as Cave Spring High School participated in four performances over a three-day period.
Terry Haynie, one of four directors along with her husband Bob Haynie, Mark Rohrback and Jen Rohrback, said they started working on the production about three months ago. “All four of us spent hours determining who was going to be in what positions. There was so much talent that we knew we had to have more than one cast,” Terry said. “We ended up with two different casts and they each got to do it twice because we had four shows.”
A hilarious back-and-forth between Belle (Peyton Conner) and The Beast (Trevor Ayersman) was a standout moment for Justin Morrow. “At times, I laughed so hard that people thought that I was going to lose my breath,” Don Bryant said. “These kids did a great job and they should really be proud of themselves.”
A Cave Spring senior who plans on joining the military after graduation, Ayersman says when he woke up last Thursday morning he was a little nervous. “Because I have stage fright I was a little nervous at first,” he said. “My friends and family got me through it and allowed me to do my best.”
To make sure that she was as prepared as possible for her role, Adelia Mau said she didn’t hesitate to ask a bunch of questions. “Even if people tell me I did a great job, I always think of what I could have done to make it a little better,” said the Glenvar High tenth grader.
Terry says it’s not a coincidence that people were treated to a Beauty and the Beast production as opposed to something else. “Originally, we had planned on doing Grease,” she said. “But with the movie coming out it just made sense to take another direction.”
After each performance, the actors and crew members were greeted by proud family members and friends. According to the choreographer Jessie Allen, one of the main reasons the play was a success can be attributed to the overall comradery. “Our number one goal was to have fun while putting on a great performance from start to finish,” he said. “I think we did just that.”
