Beauty and the Beast at SHS

By Brooke Stevenson
brooke@seymourherald.com
    The Seymour High School Choral Department will present the musical “Beauty and the Beast” May 13, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on May 15 at Seymour High School.
    The musical tells the story about a young prince who discovers that real beauty is found within a person, and the cast of over 50 SHS will help tell the story.
    “This is one of the most elaborate and most expensive musicals we have ever done here at Seymour High School,” said SHS Choral Director Jean Burkhart.
    She added that the cost of producing the musical is over $20,000, partly because of the ornate costumes, props, equipment, and sets that had to be rented for the production.
    “You’re not going to be able to have mom or pop sit down and make a clock costume,” said Burkhart. “That is one of the reasons we had to rent them.”
    Costumes for the production cost $6,000 to rent, the sets, which include special effects such as a magic mirror and tea cart, cost $6,000 to rent, and the equipment for flying effects cost an additional $5,000.
    “At the end of the musical the Beast transforms into a prince and flies into the air, and with this costume it magically transforms him,” Burkhart said. “All these things come from California and they are the same professional sets and costumes that touring companies get.”
    Last June the incoming seniors chose to present Beauty and the Beast and have been working diligently to raise money to cover the costs.
    So far students have raised nearly $12,000 through fundraisers throughout the year, but due to the high cost of production the department had to raise ticket prices this year.
    “We absolutely had to raise ticket prices to offset the cost,” she said.
    All tickets sold in advance will cost $8 and tickets at the door will be $10. Burkhart said that the slightly higher ticket prices are worth the show.
    “I think the kids always do an awesome job with the musicals and I don’t think this year is going to be any exception,” she said. “I think that when people see this production they are going to be so impressed and entertained.”
    Not only is this year’s production more expensive than most, but it boasts a much larger cast as well.
    “There are 55 actors and dancers in the production so we had to pull from the football and cheerleading teams to come in and do the dancing because it is such a large ensemble,” Burkhart said. “They have been working really hard.
    “We even brought in members of the football team to work behind the scenes because when the Beast has to fly he is lifted on the fly system so the football players have to pull him up in the air.”
    She added that she looks forward to the opening of the show and that all of the students should be very proud of all of their hard work they have put into the production.