A Look Behind the Curtain
This September, we are bringing Disney’s Beauty & the Beast: In Concert to the stage in a sweeping concert version, featuring a choir, orchestra, full cast, and the unique incorporation of other CFCArts members. We are working to create the largest, most inclusive production the region has ever seen, representing so much of the work that CFCArts does every year on a single stage.
We’re so excited to share this celebration of community and collaboration with you!
(Click here to read more of a show overview!)
“Be Our Guest!”
Disney’s Beauty & The Beast: In Concert is one of our biggest shows of the year, and we want to give you a special look at what that means! This production combines the talents of so many of our different programs here at CFCArts, both onstage and behind the scenes. And our UpBeat! Theatre Troupe is no exception!
UpBeat! is a performance group for youth, teen, and young adult exceptional learners. They produce multiple shows each year, including both plays and musicals – each one uniquely designed to fit the students that particular season. UpBeat! is open to actors with a variety of exceptionalities, including (but not limited to) autism, Down syndrome, and ADHD.
These members will be a part of several of the biggest, show-stopping numbers within the production – like “Be Our Guest” – bringing their skills to enhance the experience for all who join us.
Two of our team members who work closely with these talented members are Sara Breitfelder and Kaileigh Anne Tayek. Sara is the School of Arts & Health administrator and UpBeat! stage manager. Kaileigh Anne is the director of the School of Arts & Health and also a proud and knowledgeable advocate of arts accessibility. Together, they shared what goals UpBeat! members are working on, alongside their contribution to this production.
Sara shared the impact this has on both the nine members themselves and the program as a whole.
“This opportunity is a huge deal for our members, as this is the biggest stage that most of them have performed on,” Sara said. “It’s exciting to see UpBeat! on stage with our other program areas, especially because they, as well as the Narrators, are two of the newest programs at CFCArts. Seeing UpBeat! grow as a program is so exciting!”
Just like their regular seasons, members are personally challenged to develop their skills within the performing arts.
The primary goals for the UpBeat! performers in Disney’s Beauty & the Beast: In Concert include learning to work cohesively as a group to dance and sing. They’ll master and execute choreography with just the right timing for the show. They’ll show positive, energetic body language such as smiling and actively participating when performing. And they’ll also learn to sing the beloved melodies of Beauty & the Beast to tie it all together.
“The UpBeat! team is so excited to get to collaborate with the other CFCArts programs for this amazing production!” Kaileigh Anne shared. “This opportunity highlights the incredible talent that exists across our whole diverse community, proving that all stages are for all people.”
About the Show
Step into the enchanted world of Broadway’s classic, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: In Concert, an international sensation that has been produced in 37 countries worldwide. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage version includes all of the timeless songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. The original Broadway production ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. This concert version will bring you right into the magic!
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.
September 7-8 at 7:30pm
Northland Church (522 Dogtrack Rd, Longwood)
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