A.E. Peacock Collegiate students are stepping to the stage on Dec. 5-7, to take on the famous story Beauty and the Beast as their annual drama production — and they’re planning to pull out all the stops.
Musical director Cameron Church and artistic director Ray Deans have been hard at work with the group of theatre students, putting together the musical version of the beloved tale.
With music by award-winning Alan Menken, Beauty and the Beast is a musical that encompasses plenty of musical and dance numbers to recreate all the best moments from the classic Disney movie.
“We'll have some special effects, some quick changes. There's some big numbers, with 40 or so kids up there, singing and dancing at the same time, which is kind of amazing,” said Deans.
All of the familiar elements of the classic tale will be there, including some interesting special effects and impressive costuming to portray not only the Beast but his transformed castle servants as well.
“The costuming for the whole show is a big deal,” said Church. “We have stuff coming from all over Canada, including stuff we're making here to make it all happen.”
This will be the first Disney show that Peacock has put on in decades, and Church is happy to have a few community members joining the orchestra pit for the student-run production.
The show will take the stage on Peacock’s newly updated Centennial Auditorium, following Central Collegiate’s debut of their annual show, Honk. Both Church and Deans are looking forward to returning to the historied auditorium.
Church finds that participating in theatre offers students a number of useful skills, from punctuality to the ability to operate successfully as a team member, and he’s happy to see the students so enthusiastic about the show’s debut.
“The number of skills that they need to be successful to put this production on, serves them for a lifetime,” said Church. “[Taking part in theatre] becomes such an important piece for them, as they move forward in life.”
The Peacock drama crew promise that the show will be entertaining for everyone in the family.
“We try to do as many family-friendly shows as possible, so no matter how old you are, you'll enjoy it,” said Deans. “It’s a pretty exciting show, no matter how old you are.”
Tickets for Peacock’s Beauty and the Beast are $17.50 each and available online, until the day of the show.
