Young People's Theater to Perform 'Beauty and the Beast'

The Young People's Theater (YPT) is inviting the public to its production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast this weekend.

The show, which will take place at the Power Center for the Performing Arts in Ann Arbor, will feature 92 young people from kindergarten through 12th grade representing school districts throughout Washtenaw County and beyond.

Rehearsals for the show have been held in Scio Township, making it a fairly convenient location for Dexter students involved in the theater group.

"This is a great atmosphere with nice people," said Juliano Stewart, 14, who has acted in a few YPT productions along with his sister Melanie, 11.

The Stewarts live in Webster Township. Their neighbor Erica Maser, 11, has also appeared in several Young People's Theater productions.

"I like the singing and dancing," Maser said. "I also like getting to know everybody and growing as a team."

Dexter parent Nadine Lewis, whose son Alex Schwartz, a seventh-grader at , is performing in Beauty and the Beast, said that her family has had a terrific experience with Young People's Theater.

"This is the third full production Alex has been in, and for each one I have seen him grow in confidence and ability, not to mention the wonderful friends he has made along the way," Lewis said. "The kids involved learn about teamwork, the creative process and the fundamentals of theater, and YPT makes kids feel like stars, whether they are onstage or working backstage, and that's a real boost to their self-esteem."  

Anne Richter is the full-time volunteer producer for YPT, which she calls "Broadway in Ann Arbor." The group itself touts that it is "theater so professionally done that you will forget you are watching young people perform."  

"Audiences say that they forget that they are watching kids because they blow everyone away with their magic onstage," Richter said.  

YPT has no paid staff, just volunteers, including the show's co-producer Jane Griffith, director Jessica Garrett and musical director Danny Abosch.

Richter said Beauty and the Beast is the largest show YPT has ever staged, and she is excited about performing it at the Power Center. 

"We have a population that loves and supports the arts. Kids feel like they're someone special here. It's fun to watch them find themselves," she said. 

sixth-grader Sherman Stovall is making his YPT debut in the show.

"It's been really fun," he said. "I'm moving around a lot instead of staying home and watching TV. I want to do it again."  

Tickets for Beauty and the Beast can be purchased by phone at 734-763-TKTS or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children, students 18 and younger and seniors 65 and over. Performances are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.