By: Jessica Lin & Ezra Chan, Athletics Editor & Center Spread Editor

This March, the cast of the spring musical will be performing Beauty and the Beast, a Walt Disney Feature Animation film released in 1991. Beauty and the Beast is about a prince, played by Richard Schafhalter (12), who is cursed by an enchantress to wear the skin of a beast until he learns to love, and be loved. She gives him a rose and tells him that if he has not accomplished this before the last petal falls on his 21st birthday, he and his servants, who were transformed into household objects, will be cursed forever.

He meets Belle (Deiana Vinluan (12)), a spirited, intelligent village girl, when she wanders into his castle looking for her father, who the Beast had kidnapped. She trades herself for her father’s freedom and, encouraged by the enchanted castle servants hoping to break the curse, begins to befriend the beast. 

The story is a favorite of many, including Vinluan, who said “I’m glad to have the opportunity to play Belle in this year’s musical. [Beauty and the Beast] was one of my favorite Disney movies when I was growing up… because, in a way, I related to Belle. Like Belle, I was always wanting to explore, I find myself to be independent and strong, and I thought I was always different from my peers.” Vinluan has been doing drama for three years and is extremely passionate about it, dedicating roughly twenty hours a week to preparing for the musical.

David Cortez, playing the role of Gaston, an egotistical hunter in love with himself as well as with Belle. He is willing to do anything for Belle’s hand in marriage and is driven to an extreme upon discovering that Belle loves a beast over him. Cortez has been acting since he was in elementary school, though this is only his second production at Mills. He played Christian in the fall play, Cyrano de Bergerac, and hopes to pursue a lifelong career in acting. “Acting has always been apart of my life and it has always been the thing that I can always turn back to in times of need,” said Cortez. 

Lumiere is a charismatic and rebellious castle servant who is a close confidant to the beast and will be played by Erik Headley, who has “always been drawn to [the] stage.” Headley is just starting off his acting career and was also a part of Cyrano de Bergerac last fall. He is especially excited for his big solo in “Be Our Guest” and hopes to bring people a sense of awe and show them what he can do.

John Seusoff will be acting as Cogsworth, Lumiere’s more serious counterpart. Seusoff started doing drama when he was twelve years old and stayed because of the reactions of the audience and those around him to both success and failures and because “nothing can beat the feeling of making a joke and hearing laughter.” He is eager to rise to the challenge of such a well known play with such unique characters. 

As Mr. Hudelson, an English teacher and the director of the musical, said, “people know every word, every moment so there’s a lot of expectations.” This creates new expectations for the cast as they stay true to the Disney script while “letting their talent and heart shine through.” Mr. Hudelson works tirelessly with the cast and crew to perfect the production and make it the best that it can be! 

CREW

Backstage, a group of students dressed head-to-toe in black clothing frantically clamber over each other, some flicking on light switches and pushing set pieces into place while others assist flushed actors dab on extra makeup before the next act in the dressing rooms. Crew is an essential factor to the success of our school plays, but their dedication and hardwork is often overlooked. Crew members meet eight Saturdays prior to the first show from 9AM-4PM not only to build the set pieces (hence the name “Build Day”) but also to bond. Students who have chosen to partake in the musical through Crew can choose between multiple teams: Video, Lights, Sound, Makeup and Costume, or Stage. 

Lydia Cheung (12) directs Team Video, whose objective is to film the live performances so the Cast receive a copy of their show. There are three cameras that are set up in the auditorium to film the production, each camera being manned by a Crew member with Cheung putting together the final video by choosing the from the different angled shots. Two more Crew members are located in Room 219’s Audio Visual (AV) Room, watching the live filming. She is also a veteran of Crew, having started her career in her freshman year with Fiddler and the Roof. 

Team Lights is directed by Mei Shan Ross (12); the team size is yet to be decided. Their purpose is to set up cues for various scenes, whether it is manually adjusting lights for the catwalk or turning on certain lights that Ross feels best suits the moment. There are approximately 200 different lights controlled by approximately 80 switches, but after three years in Team Lights, Ross is a professional, especially after she came in sophomore year with technical knowledge of lighting equipment already (though she started in publicity freshman year). 

Mills’ go-to filmmaker Nicole Condez (12) captains Team Sound, ensuring that the audience can hear both the actors and the Pit Orchestra clearly by taping microphones on faces and hooking instruments up to speakers. Occasionally, a scene will call for a sound effect as well, which Team Sound has covered with a sound board. Though Condez started in Team Makeup and Costume, her love for filmmaking and production caused her to switch over; she loves the way Crew feels almost like a movie set and that she can learn so much that will help her pursue her passions. Beauty and the Beast is Condez’s third show, second on Team Sound.

Alexander Vervaet (12) and Denise Ho (12) co-lead Team Makeup and Costume, a group of six students that are in charge of physically transforming the actors into their characters with the help of clothes and beauty products. While anyone can voice their opinion on how they feel an actor’s makeup should be done in order to tastefully and accurately reflect their character in the play, the co-leaders and Director Hudelson have the final say. For the costumes this year, the budget does allow for some of the more important pieces to be rented from professional costume shops, but the majority will be a combination of the costumes already owned by Mills Drama and Vervet’s and Ho’s creativity. Both are makeup and fashion enthusiast as well as veterans, this being Vervet’s seventh show and Ho’s third year as a Crew member. 

Finally, Team Stage is managed by Assistant Stage Managers, Kelly Luz (12) and Luisa Mindel (9). Stage Crew (also known as Run Crew) are the most physically active during the live production as they must move set pieces on and off stage. This team is divided equally into Stage Left and Stage Right to create a higher level of efficiency and organization. Luz and Mindel must direct both teams in a timely manner, ensuring that they follow the right cues at the right time. Although Mindel is only a freshman, this is already her second show and if she needs help, her partner Luz joined Crew her sophomore year. 

Walking around the set with a big headset snuggled firmly between his brown locks and a radio in hand is this year’s Stage Manager, Mark Kelly (12), an avid musician who has been part of Crew for three years. Though he did join Pit Orchestra for one production last year, he has come back to his preferred position; he served as Assistant Stage Manager for his first four shows. Contrary to popular beliefs, in a professional production, the director doesn’t always attend the performance in its entirety; they focus on getting the actors ready before the show. The Stage Manager is actually responsible for ensuring the show runs smoothly once showtime comes along. 

While the actors are busily memorizing all their lines and working on their facial expressions, Crew is working hard in building and painting beautiful set pieces and designing costumes in preparation for the spring musical!

PIT ORCHESTRA

Arguably the most significant factor in a musical’s success is the music, and many of Mills’ talented musicians have auditioned to form this year’s Pit Orchestra; the majority of the musicians are in either String Orchestra or Band, but there are also students who play outside of school. Leading the 25 musicians as the concertmaster for Beauty and the Beast is Chanyang Song (12), a violinist who has been part of Pit Orchestra since freshman year. Mr. David Gregoric, our beloved music teacher remains the Conductor, whipping Pit Orchestra into shape before the March production with practices every Monday and Thursday from 3:30-6:30. The music was written by Alan Menken, a highly accomplished, multiple Grammy-award winning composer and pianist, whose other works include songs for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. For Beauty and the Beast, Pit Orchestra will be playing classic favorites such as “Be Our Guest,” “A Change in Me,” and “Show Me the Beast,” as well shorter pieces while the actors are transitioning between scenes. With eleven different instruments being played in Pit Orchestra, it is very important, for organizational purposes, to have section leaders. Each acts as a leader of their respective section, and when needed, performs the solo part of the piece. 

CELLO 

Eric Ding (12) started playing the cello nine years ago because everyone around him was playing violin and he wanted something similar but a little different. It is his second year in Pit Orchestra, and his favorite song to play from the musical is “Home.”

HARP 

Samantha Chan (12) joins Pit Orchestra for the first time this year, adding an unique instrument to the musical: the harp. She started four and a half years ago, deciding to learn how to play after watching the movie “The Secret World of Arrietty,” where the theme song was played with a harp.

FIRST VIOLINIST 

Chanyang Song (12) will act as both Concertmaster and First Violinist this musical. In fourth grade, he picked up the extra violin in his house and never looked back. He is a veteran, with this being his fourth musical as Pit Orchestra and he loves the song “Human” because he can relate to the lyrics well.

SECOND VIOLINIST 

Leading the second section of violinist is Rachel Su (10), who has been playing the violin for an astonishing 11 years due to her parents pushing her to try the instrument. It is her second year in Pit Orchestra and her favorite song to play in the musical is “Belle.”

FIRST VIOLA 

Student-athlete Nuri Capanoglu (11) overwatch’s the viola section; he has been playing for 13 years and he started because he thought the violin was too easy. This will be his third musical as part of Pt Orchestra and he loves to play “Bows.”

CLARINET Matthew O’Grady (12) will partake in Pit Orchestra this musical, bringing in the beautiful sounds of the clarinet. He began 10 years ago just because he found the clarinet fun to play, and his favorite song from this year’s musical is the classic, “Be Our Guest.”

TROMBONE

Matthew Chan (10) will participate in Pit Orchestra for the first time this year, leading the trombone section. Unlike the other instruments, trombones have slides, and this was the reason that prompted him to learn how to play. His favorite piece is “Be Our Guest.” 

KEYBOARD

William Kim (12) has jumped on the chance to work with the Mills Music Department, playing a multitude of instruments: the piano, French horn, and accordion. He has been playing the piano the longest (6 and a half years) and started the accordion only a month ago, but really enjoys it. His favorite piece from the musical is “Be Our Guest.”

PERCUSSION 

Nicky Lee (11) leads percussion, having done Pit Orchestra last year as well. He started the drums in middle school, and has continued with it. He loves “Be Our Guest” as well.

TRUMPET 

Rin Kurita (10) will be coordinating the trumpet section in this year’s musical, her second overall. She started six years ago because trumpet was the only instrument she knew at the time. Her favorite song is “Be Our Guest.”

Showing from March 21-23, the spring musical is a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family while watching a timeless classic being brought to life by your peers as well as support the students who pour their hearts and souls into it. Tickets will be sold as early as February 8 so grab a friend or two for a fun-filled night of song and dance.

Photo Credits: The Thunderbolt