As the students of Padua were getting more and more excited for Beauty and the Beast, the cast members worked behind the scenes trying to make opening night as “magical” as possible despite the pressure to put on an amazing performance.

In the two years since the Musical Arts program was reintroduced back into Padua, there has been a steady increase of students willing to participate. Last year, there were 15 to 20 students acting in the play. This year, 20 has increased to 46. And that number didn’t even include the stage crew and their managers.

Auditions for the musical started November 20th and roles were announced the next day. Ever since then, cast members had been preparing the musical’s debut weekend. Over three months were put into Beauty and the Beast, and finally, the cast and crew have delivered their final performance this past weekend. Grace Hamilton, a sophomore who was in the ensemble, said, “During the week before the production, it felt like it all came together.”

The week before the show, also called tech week, is arguably the most important week for the production. This is when everything is rehearsed over and over, during which all the lights, microphones, and special effects are tested. For most of the cast and crew, tech week was especially stressful. The late night practices coupled with the anxiety over the looming opening night, took their toll. For Marguerite Beane, a Padua Junior who stars as Belle, tech week was especially challenging. She was primarily focused on getting enough sleep and not injuring her voice. She was also trying to find time to fit everything else, like school work, in what little space she had left in her schedule. Despite these challenges, the stage manager and also co-producer, Gabby Kowalski, was confident in the amount talent the cast members possessed.

During crunch time, the late night practices were not easy, but they gave the cast and crew a chance to practice together. This opportunity gave them a chance to bond, when there was, “hair products and makeup all over, and everyone helping each other [prepare]”. The members of the musical also ate dinner together during these practices. The parents provided the dinner, and the actors provided the talent.

According to cast members, all of the parents were  wonderful and very supportive. In addition to providing dinner, they also helped with costumes and sets, and even provided snacks for the concession stand during the performance.

This year, Padua students were more enthusiastic about the play than ever before. Some actors believed this is due to the increased number of people who participated this year. Where there are more people, there are more families and more friends to tell. “There were so many new people who were all interested and enthusiastic,” Grace says. She thought it helped the program a lot. This also gave them more hands and characters to put on a better play.

Marguerite was really excited for opening night, and stated before the musical debut, “I hope that everyone enjoys what we have put together because it has been stressful, but really fun, working to make [the musical] as enjoyable as possible.”