Central Community Theatre Enchants Audience with Beauty and the Beast Jr.

 

    With 3 sold-out performances behind them, the actors of the Central Community Theatre can take pride in a job well done.  “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” played out before enthusiastic audiences last Thursday and Friday at the prestigious Manship Theater in the Shaw Center downtown.  Thursday morning was a special performance for local schools and offered with half price tickets due to the educational policies of the Manship.  The scenery, costumes, and music were wonderful, but what really caught the audiences’ attention was the talent.  “The actors were amazing,” said one enthused audience member, “They were easily as good as anything I’ve seen at Baton Rouge Little Theater, yet every one of them was under the age of 26.”  “They really performed with passion,” Dorothy Dean, one of the co-founders of the Theatre troupe, said with pride.  The show had an emotional element to it for the actors, as it was performed in memory of one of their members, Phillip Abingdon.

    Not resting on their laurels, The Central Community Theatre is already gearing up for their next event, “A Night of Broadway”, to be performed on June 1 at Central High School.  This performance celebrates the 5 year anniversary of the theatre.  Following this special evening, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” will be enacted for the summer musical.  Auditions for “Millie” will require performance of a two minute long Broadway song with karaoke track and a current head shot.  Ages 12 -26 are accepted.  Dorothy shared with excitement that the set was purchased from Baylor University after their performance last year, and is “fantastic!”  This show will be partly funded by a $25,000 grant that CCT was recently awarded, which will also fund scholarships to CCT’s summer camp programs.  For more information (or to just congratulate CCT on their great work) call 938-7433, or email CentralCommunityTheatre @cox.net.