Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy to Perform “Beauty and the Beast”

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From Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy

Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy presents the musical Beauty and the Beast at the Boal Barn Theatre on May 4 and 5 at 7PM and May 6 at 1PM. This is Saint Joseph’s second production in conjunction with the Boal Barn Theatre.

“The Boal Barn Theatre is a near perfect venue for us,” Chad Walsh, Saint Joseph’s musical co-director, said. “We sold out every show last year, and the families are very close to the action, which is something that you don’t get in every theatre.”

“We are excited to showcase the talents of our students, the collaborative efforts of the production team, and ultimately, a classic show that everyone knows,” said Joe Hergenreder, who is co-director of the musical with Walsh.

“Three seniors drive the performance,” Walsh said. “Jun Park as Beast is going to blow people away. Zach Dible, after breaking out last year will have people laughing as Gaston. Brandi Carmack who stole the show last year as a supporting character landed Belle this year and is one of the most talented actresses, we have had at Saint Joe’s.”

“The directors have provided an immense amount of support on and off the stage in order to get everyone ready for the show,” Brandi Carmack said. “They push me every day to get better, never fail to celebrate my victories, and keep me grounded through it all.”

“I love to perform Me with Gaston followed by Belle (Reprise). Belle feels so many emotions in just those few minutes of the show and it is a lot of fun to switch between them and push the range of my acting.”

“My favorite part of the show is when Beast is singing his solo song at the end of Act 1,” Jun Park said. “It conveys his complicated emotions very well, and I really enjoy performing that part.”

“Being a lead in a musical comes with a lot of work and pressure. However, at the same time, I have no doubt that this is going to be one of the best memories I can have in my life.”

“We have a lot of younger actors stepping into bigger roles this year,” Walsh said. These include Saint Joseph’s sophomores, Luke Duckworth, Abby and Leah Ridenour, and Sachi Ohmoto; and juniors, Oliver Bennett and Eli Berry.

“One of the most exciting challenges for us has been to take elements of a story that people know, the characters they love and put our own twist on them,” Hergenreder said. “We have really pushed the cast to embrace doing it their way, not like the movies or like the Broadway production, and we think that because of this, we have some unique surprises in store that will make the classic our own.”

Tickets for all shows cost $15 and may be purchased online at www.stjoeacad.org.

[Photo: Saint Joseph’s students Jun Park, Oliver Bennett, Zach Dible, Brandi Carmack, Luke Duckworth, Abby Ridenour, and Leah Ridenour will be performing in Beauty and the Beast at the Boal Barn Theatre.]