At 4:30pm on opening night, the cast and crew of Beauty and the Beast began to pour into the chorus and band rooms to begin preparing for this year's performance. After rehearsing for three straight months, the students were more than ready to start the three day run of sold out performances.

The show was performed on March 23, 24, and 25th in the Goshen High School’s auditorium. Before taking the stage, Mrs. Fedor warmed up all the performers’ voices and gave a short, teary-eyed speech. Emotions and nerves were running high in the wings and in the wrestling room where Mr. Tucci had set up a television so the students on stage could watch the show.

Throughout the show the back hallways served as both dressing rooms and the transportation from one wing to the other. Students not in upcoming scenes served as ‘runners’ and reported back to people in the dressing rooms on what scenes were coming up. Major microphone changes occurred every night after the opening “Belle” chorus and the movements of props backstage also occupied the halls. “You never saw anyone being cool, calm, and collected,” says Elise Cacciatore who played a villager. “It was always people being huffy and puffy and thinking of the worst that could happen. Like, what happens if I don’t change in time? And what happens if I forget a dance step? But it’s normal, it happens.”

Students were involved in this production everywhere you looked, whether they were seating people, working on stage crew, acting as photographers or videographers, or performing. It is estimated that a total of 120 students were involved in the production. “I think it’s absolutely amazing,” said Mr. Tucci, “How such a variety of talented students, from the performers to the ushers, and everything in between, can come together and works so hard and so fluently to make such a successful show.”

When the first act began, the curtain went up to reveal a dark, gloomy castle while the orchestra played an overture. The sets were as elaborate as the costumes, which included a person dressed as an armoire, gargoyles that blended so well into the sets that when they moved the audience gasped, and girls with spinning plates on their backs for the memorable number “Be Our Guest.” Other major songs from the first act include, “Home”, “Gaston”, and “If I Can’t Love Her.”

When the curtain went down for intermission, the audience spent the time raving about the play in excited anticipation of the second act, or buying a snack in the cafeteria sold by parents supporting the performing arts. Intermission for cast members meant relief from their beautiful but uncomfortable costumes. Mostly confined to their dressing rooms, they spent the time snacking, making hair and makeup adjustments and preparing for the second act to begin.

The curtains opened for a second time and the students once again sang their hearts out in numbers such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Mob Song.” The play ended with Blayne Gibbons, who played the egotistical Gaston, falling off a balcony and the Beast returning to his human form. The cast and crew then came out for their well-deserved bows.

After curtain call on Saturday night, the senior cast members were presented with flowers in recognition of their hard work. Also, seniors made speeches for the adults involved and presented them with gifts. The cast and crew also bade farewell to Rhonda Barber, Goshen’s musical choreographer for twelve years, and Ruth Holbert, after her thirty years of work on the productions as a Choreography assistant. When the curtain closed on Sunday afternoon there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. “It felt like part of my life had ended,” described Nicole Musumeci who played a Corkscrew and an Aristocratic Lady. “It came time to acknowledge that I wouldn’t be spending months with many of these people ever again.”

Each night the performances ended with standing ovations while audience members raved about how impressed they were. People then exited the auditorium or stayed for autographs from the cast members.

Congratulations to the following cast and crew members. Cast members: Kaitlyn Urato, Cody Hayden, Blayne Gibbons, Patrick O’Hern, Ingrid Warner, Justin Pietropaolo, Christopher Stahlmann, Thomas Zerrilli, Madeline Laskoski, Jillian Bergus, Kyler Sherry, Dennis O’Brien, Nicole Mungo, Anna Garcia, Adriana Capelli, Chelsea Wertheim, Peter McClelland, Ethan Henkler, Daryn Bleach, Kirsten Warner, Alyssa Navilio, Gaby Vanderhoof, Katlyn Kish, Dylan Owen, Christopher Sanders, Nicole Musumeci, Katie Dermigny, Aileen Duurloo, Emily Brownell, Conor Burnett, Morganne Lawrence, Joseph Pietropaolo, Dillon Vuksanovich, Vincent Malonso, Thomas Gardinier, Konnor Kelly, Elise Cacciatore, Chelsea Collins, Beth Gallagher, Ashley Heilweil, Julia Mian, Elizabeth Spagnoli, Jamie Talarico, Kathleen Lord, Andrew Arne, Kyle Birdsall, Pierson Brownell, Ryan Kish, Jacob McNally, Alex Finkelstein, Anthony Mita, Matt Schwadron, Michael Cacciatore, Katrina Lord, Kaitlin Bauer, Kristin Ansbro, Cailin Brigman, Meghan Koennecke, Victoria Clemente, Christine DiStasio, Sarah Grieb, Nicole Frederick, Sara Laskoski, Melissa Caputo, Patrick Pierpoint, Srikant Patel, Megan Ryan, Kristen Mita, Rachel Jordan, Sarah Schwadron, and Kristen De Stafeno.

Stage Crew Members: Nick Bechard, Josh McDewell, Tom Canterino, Amanda Glick, Ben Helt, Brittany Balfour, Elise Esposito, Kelly Griffin, Sarah Glick, Kelly McMann, Ben Glick, Brittany Protsko, Katie Dwyer, Karl McBride, Michele Wood, Megan Olin, Myles Corrigan, Megan McCoy, Sean Birdsall, Lindsay Monroe, Megan Eisenbacher, Liam O'Sullivan, Justina Bowen, Kyle Birdsall, Adriana Capelli, Jack Dermigny, Kristen Dowdell, Tom Fuchs, Jackie Gill, Alex Holst, Diana Kyles, Sharon Kyles, Kerry Maloney, Andrew Maroni, Pete Orlando, and Marjorie Quinn