‘Be Our Guest:’ Cañon City High School to host 2024 Spring Musical of ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Cañon City High School Vocal Music and Tiger Theater invite the community to "be their guest" during the 2024 Spring Musical of "Beauty and the Beast," which will run Thursday through Sunday. Students have been preparing and rehearsing since January …
Cañon City High School Vocal Music and Tiger Theater invite the community to "be their guest" during the 2024 Spring Musical of "Beauty and the Beast," which will run Thursday through Sunday.
Students have been preparing and rehearsing since January to offer this timeless tale in a "bigger" format than ever before.
"Beauty and the Beast" was presented in 2013 at CCHS under the directorship of Todd Albrecht and Andy Fisher. Attendees may recognize some similarities from that production, but there are many new things to look forward to seeing.
Cañon City High School senior, Emma Schmitz, as 'Belle,' during a 'Beauty and the Beast' rehearsal on Monday. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
"We set out from the beginning to make it as different and bigger as we can," said Vocal Music Director Ryan Walter.
The directors have brought in a professional costume company, choreographers, props people, voice coaches, and, of course, a touch of stage magic.
There will be a special "keepsake" for purchase to allow patrons to be part of the show, and following the production, certain characters will be available on stage for photos with attendees.
"We are very excited to bring it to the community," Walter said.
He hopes the four upcoming shows will sell out.
"We don't want any empty seats," he said.
This is Walter's fourth year with CCHS. His first three musicals were fun, but not entirely well known, such as "All Shook Up," "She Loves Me," and "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella."
But nearly everyone knows "Beauty and the Beast."
It's the first show that Walter has directed in which he also was a character. In college, he portrayed "Lumière."
"It's also sentimental because this is my first year of full seniors," he said. "The seniors this year were my freshmen my first year. To get to share a sentimental experience like this with them is going to be very special."
This will be the fourth and final spring musical for senior Ian Bursha. In each of the productions, he has played a lead character.
In this show, he portrays "Lumière," Beast's kindhearted, yet rebellious, maitre d' who ended up being cursed as a golden candelabra during the Enchantress' curse.
"I think this is one of the better quality shows that we've put together," he said. "I love my character. A lot of the choices that I get to make match what I like to do as a performer. Lumière is very 'out there' and he's very loud and he loves showing people a good time. He's there to entertain."
Bursha's favorite scene in the production is "Be Our Guest."
"We were able to put together a lot of really fun stuff for that number," he said. "I think kids will like the magic aspect of (the show)."
Senior Aiden Rowe is playing a character that is the total opposite of his real-life persona.
He plays "Beast."
Unlike Lumière, and unlike Rowe, Beast is not comedic.
Rowe typically has played light-hearted and comedic characters.
"I've been able to explore different parts of my voice and try more tragic acting styles instead of comedy," he said. "It's allowed me to expand my horizons a lot, which is really unique for me."
This year also is Rowe's fourth consecutive musical, but he says it's the first show where he gets to see all the people he has grown up with blossom into their full potential.
"It's been really special because each person is able to showcase their forte, their 'thing,' and it's really cool," he said. "We all just want each other to be so good. This year we've been super close, super supportive to one another, and it feels very communal in the sense of nothing but lifting one another up."
Rowe believes the audience, especially children, will enjoy the stage magic.
"(The show) is larger than life and more than it was last time in the sense of the way that we are doing things, and there is so much talent that it has made it very easy to blow things out of the water and convey them in a believable way," he said. "The last three years, we have been able to take things from each show and add to our toolbox, and it truly feels like this show is just the time where we get to open that treasure chest and we just all flow out, we all get to strut our stuff because we have been placed so greatly in the characters that we have gotten to be able to do so. I am very thankful for that."
"Belle," who is brave, compassionate, intelligent and beautiful, is portrayed by senior Emma Schmitz.
This is her third year participating in the spring musical, but her first lead role in Tiger Theater.
She has been acting through community theater since she was 11, starring in lead roles with Fremont Theatre and the Rialto Theater.
"This is very different," she said. "I've definitely gotten a lot closer to some of the other leads, especially with Aiden Rowe. I knew Aiden, but not as close as I did this year. I've gotten to spend a lot of time with him. Getting to grow our chemistry as 'Belle' and 'Beast' has been a lot of fun."
She is excited to be in a Disney production. "Beauty and the Beast" is a well-known movie, but these actors get to put their spin on their characters.
Her favorite scene is wearing the iconic yellow ball gown and dancing with "Beast."
"'Belle' has been a dream role of mine for a while," she said. "Getting to be 'Belle' has been such an amazing experience."
She admires 'Belle' for her strength and for not being scared to go out of her way to get what she needs.
"She is very bold," Schmitz said.
The production, overall, she said is professionally done.
"We've put a lot of time and effort into it," she said. "During spring break, we were here from 10 in the morning until 6 at night; lots of long rehearsals."
This production is co-directed by Walter and Fisher. Their assistant director is Tonya Fisher.
Showtimes are at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Lou Del Pizzo Performing Arts Center at Cañon City High School, located at 1313 College Ave.
Tickets are $13 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.
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