Attention parents with youngins — dress them as their favourite Beauty and the Beast character for a chance to win Disney merchandise at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Yellow Door Theatre Project’s production next week.
Wrapping up its latest season, Yellow Door’s production of “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” will be hitting the stage March 26 and 27 — a shortened version of the classic 18th-century French fairy tale about Belle, a young woman who finds herself in an enchanted castle with a cursed prince.
With its first stage show of the new year, the production company is also celebrating its 10th anniversary since it opened its door in Niagara-on-the-Lake to aspiring young performing artists.
The show will run at the Greg Frewin Theatrical Centre in Niagara Falls. Matinees will be at 10 a.m. and evening shows at 7:30 p.m.
General admission tickets range from $14.95 to $23.80 per person and booth seating is available for $82.21 to $124.68 for four people. Six-person booths have sold out.
Tickets are selling fast, which is why Andorlie Hillstrom, artistic producer of Yellow Door, recommends getting your hand on them as soon as possible.
Directed by Jacqueline Thair, with music direction by Shane O’Regan and choreography by Madelyn Miyashita, the production features 34 young performers aged 10 to 17 from the Niagara region.
The audience should gear up for production surprises and visually engaging layers added by director Thayer, said Hillstrom.
“It’s going to be one of our best shows,” she said.
Yellow Door Theatre Project is a performing arts company based in Niagara-on-the-Lake that offers full-year seasons, summer programs and year-round recreational classes for all skill levels.
Anyone interested in attending classes in the recreational stream is welcome to join, but the performance company stream, primarily for ages 10 to 17, is by audition only. Both areas operate out of the same building at 504 Line 2 Rd.
The choice of a show’s location depends on availability, she said. Some shows have been outside the region but Hillstrom usually tries to stay in Niagara — the place that started it all and feels like home.
“It’s very important for us to be here,” she said. “This will always be the base for the organization.”
And the production choice, “Beauty and the Beast Jr.,” was because of its powerful message, she said.
“It’s all about the importance of valuing inner qualities over outward appearance, the power of love (and) the transformative nature of personal growth,” she said.
Typically, for its full company productions, Yellow Door chooses shows with a big cast and lots of characters, she said.
“It simply just offers that much more opportunities for young people to be involved and to learn,” she said.
She added, “You need something that is going to provide access for a 10-year-old as well as a 17-year-old — and that doesn’t mean just providing access — but challenges to all of them.”
The cast will share roles — 17-year-olds are performing lead roles that require more experience like Belle and the Beast, and 10-year-olds have roles like Chip, a magical teacup in the Beast’s castle.
Hillstrom said she can’t wait to see people’s reaction to the prop for Chip.
The 10-year-old performer playing Chip will be positioned under a table with their head poking through the top, wrapped in materials to create the appearance of a teacup.
“It’s really cute,” she said.
Production has been filled with overwhelming amounts of dedication and commitment from the cast, she said.
“These are kids who are bright, they’re energetic, they’re enthusiastic, they’re passionate,” she said. “They all, without exception, love performing.”
Rehearsals started right after New Year’s and have continued every weekend right up until this past weekend, Hillstrom said.
“Before the kids headed back to school,” she said. “They did a full week of intensive music rehearsal and choreography.”
Hillstrom sometimes wonders how these kids manage it all, balancing performance projects with other activities and school.
“If there’s stress in their lives, it’s because they’re so busy.”
After moving to NOTL in 2015 from Regina, Sask., where she ran a performing arts company, Hillstrom wasted no time launching her next venture, opening Yellow Door that same year.
She said it was founded out of a clear need to give young performers in town a stage of their own.
There were few opportunities for musical theatre training and performance in Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines, she said.
“Certainly in the musical theatre area,” she said.
Now, 10 years later, Yellow Door is marking its anniversary and plans to celebrate at NOTL’s community centre on April 27, with live performances by alumni and current members.
Starting at 2 p.m., you can join in on the fun — since there will be lots of it, Hillstrom said.
