DELAND, Fla. – Step back in time and enter the world of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” at a local theatre that’s more than 100 years old.
As if seeing a show isn’t enough, just getting to sit inside the Athens Theatre is impressive. The historic theatre with Italian Renaissance architecture was first designed in 1921.
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“Beauty and the Beast” tells the story of Belle, who feels stuck in a mundane town, and her journey when meeting a prince, who is cursed to live as a terrifying beast until he finds true love. It’s a story of acceptance, transformation and romance.
Mayme Paul is the musical’s director and choreographer.
“It truly takes a village to put on a production of this magnitude,” Paul said.
First, the artistic director has to pick the show, get the rights for it and hire the staff. Frank Ramirez is the artistic director at Athens Theatre.
“She, the theater, has an energy of her own, and you can feel it. I knew that if I had the honor to lead the artistic side of The Athens Theatre, I would do it with full intention and purpose, because it’s not every day you get to create art in a building that has been fostering creativity and history for over 100 years,” Ramirez said.
He said he selected Paul because of her experience on Broadway and with choreography at UCF and Virgin Voyages Cruise Lines.
Paul said they first started working on the show early last month. More than 230 people auditioned, and they had to narrow it down from there to their cast of just 31. She talked about all of the work that truly goes into putting on a production.
“Once the show is cast, rehearsals start but simultaneously, the set designer designs the set and construction is started on that. The costumer designs the costumes or in this case, the costumes were rented, so the costume department had tons of alterations to do for the costumes to fit the cast,” Paul said.
“The marketing department begins advertising. Once the director, choreographer and music director have the show fully blocked and taught, they move to the theatre, and that’s when the fun begins. They work with the lighting designer, sound designer, set builder, props person, costumers and backstage crew to put it all together and make the magic happen,” she explained.
Tickets for students and kids start at $12, seniors can purchase tickets for $28, and adult ticket pricing starts at $30. Click here for information.
There could be an opportunity to win free tickets to a show at Athens Theatre.
Before the July 19 performance, there will be a royal soiree costume contest where you can dress up in your favorite royal attire and potentially win two free tickets to any show.
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