Cast Announced For The Sauk's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, has begun rehearsals for the first musical of the 2019 season, Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Performances are June 6-9 and 13-16.

The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. Based on the animated film, this stage version includes the classic songs "Be Our Guest," "Gaston," "Home" and, of course, the title song.

The cast includes Lisa Schrock-Ohlinger as Belle, Mitch Butler as the Beast, Kaleb Matthews as Gaston, Isaiah Brown as LeFou, Ray Pratt as Maurice, Brendan Pratt as Lumiere, Travis Blatchley as Cogsworth, Loren Corbin as Mrs. Potts, Grayson Young as Chip, Gianna Marchese as Babette, Barbara Cliffe-Miller as Madame De La Grand Bouche and Steven Owsley as Monsieur d'Arque. The ensemble consists of Tracy Brown, Bruce Crews, Emily Crews, Makenna Dietz, Rickie Freeman, Ellie Gray, Aaron Guest, Christian Jones, Ben Marsh, Elizabeth McNair, Ethan Miller, Jael Miller, Greg Moreno, Andrea Ortell, Keegan Oxley, Charles Reamsnyder, Rebekah Salazar, Xander Sallows, Carol Trevino, Jennifer Wagler, Trevor Wagler and Tyler Wilson. The production will be directed by Trinity Bird with musical direction by Kristi Gautsche, vocal coaching by Gay Shaw and stage management by Michele Harmon. The design team consists of Bird (sets), Patti Spence (costumes), Marsh (lighting), Deb Smith (properties) and MJ Dulmage (makeup).

All performances take place at the Sauk Theatre, 240 E. Chicago St. in Jonesville, Mich. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (55 and up) and students (with a valid i.d.) and $8 for children (12 and under). Tickets can be purchased at www.thesauk.org or by calling 517-849-9100. The June 6 performance is a "Pay What You Can" preview. Preview tickets are not sold in advance. The June 13 performance is $5 senior night.

Photo: Rehearsals are underway for Disney's Beauty and the Beast at The Sauk. Here, Isaiah Brown (LeFou), Kaleb Matthews (Gaston) and Lisa Schrock-Ohlinger (Belle) rehearse a scene.