“Beauty and the Beast” at San Lorenzo Valley High School

San Lorenzo Valley High School Theatre Department is proud to present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton. This enchanted musical is directed by Daria E Troxell, with vocal direction by Wyatt E. Troxell and choreography by Whitney James-Heskett, and is presented at the SLV Performing Arts Center March 1 through March 10. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. There is a special “Community Night” performance on Thursday, March 7 at 7:00pm. A limited number of tickets will be available to purchase at the door 1-hour prior to showtime; advanced tickets are available online at the SLV Theatre Boosters webpage. Purchasing advance tickets is highly recommended. The production is rated G and has a running time of approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a prince, who is transformed into a hideous beast, and a young woman named Belle, whom he imprisons in his enchanted castle. To become a prince again, the Beast must learn to love Belle and win her love in return before the last petal falls from an Enchanted Rose, or he will remain a beast forever. This magical ‘tale as old as time’ is a reminder to everyone that true beauty comes from within.

The animated version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was released on November 13, 1991. The film was met with universal acclaim from both critics and audiences. In 1991, it was nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science for Best Picture, and won the Oscars that year for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast”). The animated film also won the 1992 Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast”). The stage version was nominated for multiple Tony Awards in 1994, wherein it won for Best Costume Design.

Daria E. Troxell (Director) holds an M.F.A. in Acting from California Institute of the Arts. Prior SLVHS credits include Legally Blonde The Musical (2023), Little Shop of Horrors (2022) and Once Upon A Mattress (2007). Other directing credits include: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Young Frankenstein, and 9 to 5: The Musical (Mountain Community Theater); Survivor: Surf City, A Mermaid Odyssey, Pinocchio: A Bohemian Rhapsody, Cinderacula: The Curse of the Brothers Grimm, Alice’s Avengers in Underland, Little Mermaid: The Aqua-Terrestrial, Back to the Beanstalk: Snow White and the Seven Scientists, Dorothy Potter and the Wizards of Oz, Peter Pamilton, Wilder Things: Welcome to the Jungle Book, Pinocchio: A Bot-Treemian Rhapsody, Survivor: Surf City, A Mermaid Odyssey, and Snowdo White and the Fellowship of the Mirror (Little People’s Repertory Theatre); High School Musical, High School Musical 2, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan (Kids on Broadway); and The Unwedding, Color Me Screwed, Counting Dogs Like Sheep, High Grass, The Greyback Payback and Uncle Nutty’s Final Days (Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre’s 8 Tens @ 8 Festival). As an actor, she has appeared locally in: Miracle on 34th Street: The Play, Harvey, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Comedy of Errors, August: Osage County, The Last Noel, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Dead Man Walking, Angels in America, and The Women.

Wyatt E. Troxell (Vocal Director, Conductor) is an actor, musician, designer, and alumni of San Lorenzo Valley High School. Wyatt has worked with several local organizations (San Lorenzo Valley High School (SLVHS), Mountain Community Theater (MCT), Little People’s Repertory Theatre, Jewel Theatre Company, and Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre), in a variety of capacities (actor, lighting designer, technical director, board operator, musician, or master electrician). Wyatt recently performed in MCT’s Something Rotten as Nigel Bottom, played in the pit as a drummer for SLVHS’s Legally Blonde The Musical, and is currently the stage manager for MCT’s production of Neil Simon’s Oscar and Felix: A New Look at The Odd Couple.

Whitney James-Heskett (Choreographer) is an avid dancer and choreographer and has over 25 years of dance and performance experience in many styles including ballet, hip hop, jazz, musical theater, salsa, bachata, and ballroom. Whitney has choreographed many shows in Santa Cruz county including (but not limited to): LPRT’s Cinderacula: The Curse of the Brothers Grimm, Alice’s Avengers in Underland (2013), and Snowdo White and the Fellowship of the Mirror; MCT’s Young Frankenstein and 9 to 5, the Musical; AAT’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown; and SLVHS’s Urinetown, West Side Story, Mamma Mia!, and Chicago. One of her greatest joys is sparking a love for dance in her students and watching them improve.

Performance Dates:

7:00 p.m. on March 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9

2:00 p.m. on March 3 and 10

Ticket prices:

$20 – General

$15 – Senior/Student/SLV Staff

$15 – “Community Night” – THUR 3/7 – all tickets $15 each

Tickets: hs.slvusd.org/apps/pages/theatreboosters

A limited number of tickets will be available to purchase at the door 1-hour prior to showtime; advanced tickets are available online at the SLV Theatre Boosters webpage. Advanced tickets are highly recommended.

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com