Penn Middle students prepare to stage 'Beauty & the Beast'

Less than a decade ago, Maddie Nick was on the stage at Penn-Trafford High School. At the time, it seemed like a big challenge.

“When you’re on the stage, you have a lot to remember, but you don’t appreciate the full scope of what it takes to put on a show.”

Today, the 2013 graduate is directing the Penn Middle School production of “Beauty & the Beast,” which opens April 29.

With the experience of four musicals under her belt, including directing “Peter Pan” in 2019, Nick is getting used to the logistics of staging a production.

For the 45 cast members and 13 stage crew, the show’s unique, fantastical aspects present some challenges.

Eighth grader Aiden Toth has to sing through a facial prosthetic as The Beast, one of several double-cast main roles. And Tommy Hobaugh essentially has to act from inside a giant box as one of two Cogsworths, the clock magically brought to life along with cups, teapots and other inanimate objects in the Beast’s castle.

“It’s really weird,” Hobaugh said with a laugh. “Having been in drama club for three years now, I’ve been able to move freely and unrestricted. It’s kind of hard to move around but it’s also really fun to learn and do something new.”

The props department also will have something new. As the Beast races to win Belle’s love before all the petals have fallen from an enchanted rose, the audience will get to see those petals fall in real time.

“One of our teachers built a remote-controlled rose that can drop its petals,” said technical director Sharon Wiant. “He built and programmed it with the same tools our kids use in class.”

Eighth grader Leah Vislosky is one of two Belles, and said she is enjoying being with her friends during rehearsals, which began in January.

“The process of putting a musical together is really connecting with one another,” she said. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s really amazing at the end and a lot of fun”

“Beauty & the Beast” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. April 29-30, with 1 p.m. matinee performances April 30 and May 1 at the middle school, 1007 Penn Middle Way in Penn Township.

Tickets are $8 and are available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 23, and 5:30-8 p.m. April 26 and 28 in the lobby at the middle school. Any tickets remaining after pre-sale dates will be available at the door.

For more, see PennMiddleDrama.com.