Be Our Guest: Casady’s Biggest Show Yet!

Photo courtesy of Carmen McQuistion (‘24)

Lake Shrivastava, Sophomore Writer

Beauty and the Beast was one of Casady’s most anticipated shows. Since the musical was one of the most substantial productions Casady's Theater Department has put on, it’s no wonder people are talking. However, that’s not the only reason why the show is on everyone’s minds. In addition to the size of the performance, Beauty and the Beast featured an array of different lead actors and actresses, most of whom are underclassmen, something almost unheard of in Casady Theater history. Along with new faces as leads, the Performing Arts team has welcomed a new Director of Theatre Arts this year, Mr. Heath Jones. Between a new director, a huge show, and a cast full of unprecedented leads, Beauty and the Beast has definitely caught the attention of the Casady community.

“I chose Beauty and the Beast [because it’s a bigger show], and I wanted to start off my time at Casady strong,” Mr. Jones revealed. Mr. Jones, who has both been on the stage from an early age and previously directed for other schools, is no stranger to bringing in an audience and a strong cast. “[Having a lot of underclassmen roles] wasn’t anything I was really thinking about when I was casting,” he admitted. Instead, Mr. Jones looked for singing ability and comfortability on stage, as well as actors who were comfortable doing foolish actions on stage. Mr. Jones reasoned that “if you’re going to play a singing teapot, you have to have a comfortability and a confidence to you.”

“Mr. Jones has been doing a really good job of making all of us feel included and welcomed,” Paige Ortloff (‘26) acknowledged. Paige, who played Belle, also said that this is the first main role that she’s ever gotten, and a lot of the cast is new to theater. “It’s been interesting to see how [Mr. Jones] has made us all feel comfortable and have a good time,” she said. 

Reflecting on the differences between Mr. Jones and Mr. Dema, Paige commented that “the biggest thing that we [the cast] have noticed is just Mr. Jones’s efficiency.” Continuing on, she said that Mr. Jones had the whole show blocked [learning where the actors are on stage and the movements that they make] before October, which is no small feat to accomplish. 

Jumping in, Nathan Hollander (‘24) added, “a lot of things that are prioritized are different. With Mr. Dema, we would focus a lot on little character moments, and slowly build up the show over time.” Continuing on, Nathan also stated that “it’s almost like it’s an inverse,” because all of the blocking was finished before the actors started working on the small character moments.

Nathan, who is a senior and played LeFou, has one of the only main roles given to an upperclassmen. However, he did agree that “the sophomores, Chris [Bankhead (‘26)] and Paige who did get the leads— they deserve it. They are very talented actors, and they put a lot of work in.”

Beauty and the Beast was an interesting show full of whimsy, merriment, and new leads.