Student Talent: Students who participated in TAP’s performance of Beauty and the Beast include, from left: Mariah Shaw, Kelsey Griswold, Alisa Pettigrove (Belle), Taylor Carroll and Alex Enterline. (Not pictured: Rachel McCulley)
A number of talented Union students recently participated in the Theatre Arts Productions presentation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Already a legend as the sixth longest-running show in Broadway history, Beauty and the Beast was nominated for nine 1994 Tony Awards including Best Musical. This eye-popping spectacle has been wowing audiences worldwide. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, Disney’s musical extravaganza is filled with technical wizardry as well as dazzling production numbers and memorable songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.
Theatre Arts Productions is a local not-for-profit organization whose mission is to inspire and entertain both young and old through the experience of live musical theatre. TAP is committed to providing Broadway quality family oriented productions and education programs that are accessible to all people. Few theatre organizations in the country are able to produce musicals at such a professional level that are as accessible or affordable.
The involvement of hundreds of volunteers and local performers, with particular emphasis on young talent, offers many new actors and actresses the once-in-a-lifetime experience of performing with nationally renowned artists and directors. Most impressive is the effect on audiences. A special, elevated level of performance seems to result when local and national talent is combined on stage. Northeast Oklahoma audiences have benefited from nearly a decade of semi-annual TAP productions.
