TY Musical: Beauty and the Beast

On March 12th, the tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast, took to the stage in our Sports Arena for three evenings filled with remarkable talent! After months of endless rehearsals and tireless work, our Transition Years absolutely outdid themselves, from their meticulous dances and harmonious voices to their array of decadent costumes, they truly embodied Belle’s story.

Following the story of young protagonist, Belle, as she finds love in the form of a Beast in a desperate attempt to save her father, we saw our TYs take on the role of actors, actresses, singers, and dancers as though they had been preparing for this their whole lives. Whether they were directly on stage performing, moving the sets on and off in a frenzy, or working backstage behind the scenes on make-up, costumes, microphones, set design and advertising, we truly saw our students completely and totally immerse themselves in this experience.

The lively opening scene featuring the village market quickly transitioned into a harrowing chase experienced by Belle’s father as he navigated his way through the crowd in order to escape the wolves close on his tail, much to the audience’s surprise. The story’s numerous twists and turns, twinned with each TYs' individuality thrown in, only made it all the more memorable! Their interactive performance was displayed throughout as Gaston and Lefou danced in the middle of the crowd, while Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs Potts & Co. greeted our attendees during many dance numbers. The ultimate transformation of the Beast back into a Prince as Belle proclaims her love for him could not have been more perfectly captured by our young talents, and the shows were certainly lifelong memories for so many of us as a result! A special mention must go to the half-time shows put on by the boys in their skirts, ready to impress the ladies, not to mention their surprise dance number for closing night which went down a treat!

Of course while our students undoubtedly deserve all of the praise in the world, we can’t forget who made this musical possible. Without the wonderful Ms Murphy, Ms Cronly, Ms Aylmer, Ms Carey, Ms Matthews, Ms Wilson, Ms Coleman, Mr Short, ably assisted by Grace Callan, and of course our facilitator and Principal, Mr Carey, Beauty and the Beast would not have been the show that it was!

Full of laughter, tears, joy, and shock, it sure was a musical to remember!

Guest Reporter: Alana Murray

Photographers: TJ McCarron, Jack Shortt & James Dixon