BSC NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BSC Press Director Charlie Siedenburg, 551-655-0968

BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES YOUTH THEATRE CAST OF
DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
CAST OF 17 FROM BERKSHIRE COUNTY, NY AND VT
PRODUCTION DATES JULY 25 – AUGUST 12 AT BERKSHIRE MUSEUM

(Pittsfield, MA) – Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning regional theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, is proud to announce the Youth Theatre cast of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which will be presented at the Berkshire Museum from July 25 through August 12.

A romantic musical for all generations, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the smash hit Broadway musical, is based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film. One of Broadway’s longest-running musicals, Beauty and the Beast has won the hearts of more than 35 million people worldwide. This classic musical love story is filled with unforgettable characters and dazzling production numbers including “Be Our Guest” and the beloved title song.

Christine O’Grady returns for her sixth season at Barrington Stage as Youth Theatre director and choreographer. Her BSC credits include the Youth Theatre productions of All Shook Up, Into the Woods, Disney’s High School Musical, Disney’s High School Musical 2 and Seussical. O’Grady served as the Associate Choreographer for the Tony-winning revival of HAIR and the recent national tour. She also choreographed the first NY musical revivals of The Drowsy Chaperone and Ahrens and Flaherty’s A Man of No Importance for The Gallery Players. Sarah Brett England joins the company as music director.

The cast of 17 is comprised of teenagers from Berkshire County, New York state and Vermont. McKenna Powell (Housatonic) and Liam Callaghan (Pittsfield) star as Belle and the Beast, with Jackson Teeley (North Egremont) as Gaston, Michael Tuffy (Stamford, VT) as Maurice, John Buckley (Pittsfield) as Lumiere, Caroline Sinico (Pittsfield) as Mrs. Potts, Joey Labrasca (Lee) as Chip, Jordan Gross (Glenmont, NY) as Cogsworth, Julia Ray (Dedham) as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Corey Potter (Housatonic) as Babette, Jake Smerechniak (Sheffield) as D’Arque, Austin Lombardi (Pittsfield) as LeFou; Samantha Patella (Lenox), Dan Garrity (Pittsfield), Evi Mahon (Williamstown), Caroline Fairweather (Pittsfield) and Victoria Aldam (Sheffield) are in the Ensemble.

Making their BSC debuts are Joey Labrasca, Jordan Gross, Jake Smerechniak, Samantha Patella, Caroline Fairweather, and Victoria Aldam.

Barrington Stage Company Youth Theatre will present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast from July 25 through August 12 at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7pm, Matinees Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Please note: there is no Tuesday, July 31 performance. Instead, a performance has been added on Monday, July 30 at 2pm. Tickets: $10-$15. Low-priced previews ($8 per ticket) are Wednesday, July 25 at 7pm and Thursday, July 26 at 2pm. A Museum/Theatre Pass is available for $25 (adults) and $13 (youth 18 and younger) that includes one Museum admission and one ticket to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Berkshire Museum hours during Beauty and the Beast are Mon-Tues 10am-5pm, Wed-Sat 10am until curtain of the evening performance and Sunday 12pm-5pm. Tickets and Passes are available at the Barrington Stage Box Office at 30 Union Street, by phone at 413-236-8888 and online at barringtonstageco.org. For groups of 15 or more, additional discounts are available by contacting Group Services at 413-236-8888.

About Berkshire Museum
Berkshire Museum is the first public museum in Berkshire County, established by Zenas Crane in 1903 as a museum of art and natural history. The Berkshire Museum’s mission is to bring people together for experiences that spark creativity and innovative thinking by making inspiring, educational connections among art, history and natural science. Taking Flight: Audubon and the World of Birds is on view through June 17, 2012. BryanNash Gill: Beyond the Landscape is on view through May 28, 2012. The Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, Aquarium, Alexander Calder Gallery, and other exhibits are ongoing. Little Cinema is now open year-round showing independent films and screening opera and ballet performances. The Museum is located at 39 South Street (Route 7) in downtown Pittsfield. Berkshire Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.berkshiremuseum.org or call 413.443.7171. Museum admission is $13 for adults and $6 for children. Members and children aged three and under enjoy free admission.

About Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage’s mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre—especially young people. Barrington Stage garnered national attention in 2004 when it workshopped, and premiered William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which later transferred to Broadway’s Circle-in-the-Square Theatre where it won two Tony Awards and played more than 1,000 performances. In 2009/2010 Barrington Stage produced the world premiere of Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session, which later moved Off-Broadway to the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater and then to New World Stages and has played more than 600 performances. Barrington Stage was voted “Best Live Theatre” by The Berkshire Eagle readers in 2011 and was named “Best Theatre Company” in Metroland’s Best of the Capital Region 2009-2011.

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