The 2018 Summer Theater season at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville begins Friday, June 15 with Disney’s Academy Award-winning animated feature, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”
The Summer Theater production of the Broadway musical hit will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, June 15-16 and June 22-23, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 17 and June 24 in the Katherine Dunham Hall Theater on the SIUE campus. Some of the classic songs to be featured include “Be Our Guest,” “Something There,” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
SIUE’s Summer Theater production of the musical is directed by Kate Slovinski, scenic design by Roger Speidel, costume design by Nina Reed, lighting design and projections by James Wulfsong, sound design by James Blanton and make-up design by Katherine Pennock.
General admission is $15 for adults ages 18 and over and $12 for others. SIUE students attending summer classes receive free admission with valid identification.
To purchase tickets, visit the Theater and Dance Box Office in Dunham Hall, room 1042b. Tickets can also be obtained by calling 618-650-2774 or toll free at 1-888-328-5168, extension 2774.
Step into the enchanted world of Broadway’s modern classic, Disney's “Beauty and the Beast,” an international sensation that has played to more than 35 million people worldwide in 13 countries.
The stage version includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Menken and Tim Rice and book by Linda Woolverton. The original Broadway production ran for more than 13 years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, 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. However, time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
“Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ holds a special place in the hearts of many people,” said Slovinski, play director and faculty summer assistant in the Department of Theater and Dance. “I remember when the animated feature film was first released, I was overwhelmed with admiration. I was delighted to see a heroine who was an active participant in resisting the forces that opposed her.”
“In addition to a relatable and admirable heroine, I found great comfort in the tale of the Beast as well,” continued Slovinski. “As a young lady contemplating a new life ahead of her, I was terrified of the consequences that could come from making a bad decision. The Beast suffers a curse for a terrible choice he made, with seemingly irrevocable consequences. Still, somehow, he finds redemption and a life better than he dared imagine. Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ will be a tale told for all time.”
For more information, email theater-tickets@siue.edu. For directions and parking, visit siue.edu\maps.
Photo courtesy of Valerie Goldston: Actors shown from left to right: Roger Speidel as Maurice, Rachel Wagner as Belle and John Kuehn as Gaston.