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Luverne High School students will perform “Beauty and the Beast” Thursday, Friday and Saturday and three days next week, June 9-11, for a total of six musical performances.
All six shows are at 7 p.m. in the school’s performing arts center.
According to director Shawn Kinsinger, many of the main characters are played by more than one actor to allow more students in the show.
“Many of the students I get to direct work extremely hard not only to be in the show but to also excel at athletics,” he said.
Instead of forcing them to choose one activity over another, Kinsinger selected understudies to step into the leading roles for the second weekend of performances.
“The students who have understudies to take over for them when they go to the state track and tennis meets are the students that held the program together during the Covid lockdown,” he said.
“They were the students who stayed engaged and wanted to put on good shows when we came back to the stage.”
The musical, “Beauty and the Beast,” follows the story of the live action Disney movie of the same name.
Belle is played by senior Mia Wenzel and sophomore understudy Alex Perkins. The Beast (junior Parker Carbonneau) is under a witch’s spell that only true love will break.
Gaston (senior Pierce Cunningham, eighth-grader Zander Carbonneau) selects Belle as his wife and is angry at Belle’s relationship with the Beast. Lafou (senior Griffen Jarchow, junior Ashlyn Johnson) is Gaston’s sidekick.
When Belle’s father, Maurice (Perkins, junior Camden Hoven) becomes lost and is imprisoned in the Beast’s castle, Belle takes his place.
At the Beast’s magical castle are his servants: Lumiere (senior Luke Thorson), Cogsworth (freshman Xavier McKenzie), Mrs. Potts (freshman Brianna Kinsinger), Chip (junior Grace Ingebretson, freshman Nora Louwagie), Babette (junior Myles Trimble), and Madame Del La Grande Bouche (freshman Bethany Behr) try their best to convince the Beast that Belle “is THE one who can break the spell.”
The insane asylum is run by Monsieur D’Arque (freshman Chris Bonilla), who imprisons Belle’s father when he tells townsfolk about the Beast.
The girls who swoon over Gaston are played by Grace Sandbulte, Andrea Luitjens and Lexi Berg.
The wolves, gargoyles and cronies are Hunter Cope, Steven Woods, Aiden Worshek, Chase Matthiesen and Camden Hoven.
Villagers and castle staff are Chloe Schoneman, Yoselyn Gonzalez, Nora Louwagie, Abby Boltjes, Hannah Vaudrin, Audrie DeBates, Janica Oechsle, Brooklyn Wicks, Morgan Jonas, Priscilla Muehr and Joelia Lopez.
Stage manager is freshman Kaitlin Conger.
Stage crew are Egypt Forrest (lights), Zoey Berghorst and Cameron Aukes (sound), Elijah Henricks (camera) and Lizzy Mulder (robot ops).
Morgan Van Holland is assistant director.
Carol Ceynoya designed many of the customs with former students Sophie Holmberg, Josie Golla and Rylee Gee assisting with rehearsals.
The LHS robotics, art and woods departments helped with special effects and set construction.
The production will benefit from the technology of the performing arts center.
“I researched the show and decided it was a production we could make happen — especially with the capabilities of the new PAC,” Kinsinger said.
Performances are at 7 p.m. June 2-4 and June 9-11. Cost is $6 for adults and $4 students.