Dancing cutlery! Singing furniture! Flirtatious feather dusters! Strolling candelabras! All of this craziness is coming together beautifully at DreamWrights Center for Community Arts as Guest Director, Matthew Ballistreri and company get ready to stage Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Ballistreri says, "I think what's really special about this show is the connection most of our cast members have with it. We have a lot of teenagers who grew up on Disney films and have waited for years for the opportunity to be a part of Beauty and the Beast. You can see when they are on stage how happy they are to be a part of this."
Sixteen year old Kayleigh Gallagher who plays Belle has just such a connection, but she thinks people should come to see it for a deeper reason. "A lot of people just know the movie. But, I feel like the musical is a completely different experience. When you get to see people up there in front of you on stage, and there are so many more songs and more depth in it than in the movies ...the experience is just a lot better, in my opinion."
In this classic Disney tale, that promotes literacy, brave women, family bonds, and friendships that transcend normal, Rebecca Wolf (Mrs. Potts) finds a life lesson in her favorite character, the Beast. She explains, "At times, we all feel like him. Sometimes we want to be somebody else but we can't because we feel like we're stuck. That one person can change our whole outlook."
Ballistreri comments that while there are all sorts of moral lessons one can learn from Beauty and the Beast, what he really wants audience members to experience is simply joy and excitement. He says, "This is one of those shows everyone knows, and I want them to leave happy after they see it."
Disney's Beauty and the Beast invites you to "Be Our Guest" Friday, October 6 and runs October 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 & 21 at 6:30 pm and October 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 & 22 at 2:30 pm. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dreamwrights.org or by calling 717-848-8623. Advance seats cost $10 for general, $14 for reserved. General admission seats at the door cost $12.
About DreamWrights Center for Community Arts
DreamWrights Center for Community Arts in York, Pennsylvania has been offering interactive performing arts experiences for people of all ages since 1997. By serving as an educational theatre and performing arts resource, DreamWrights offers opportunities to explore all aspects of performance arts from theatre acting and designing to crewing and stage managing. DreamWrights fosters and inspires growth, creativity, responsibility and an appreciation for live performance in people of all ages and cultures. To learn more about how to participate in, or attend one of DreamWrights' upcoming productions, visit www.dreamwrights.org or Facebook.com/DreamWrights.
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