Kennett High School will present its annual musical March 10 – 12. This year’s production of the show Beauty and the Beast includes a cast of seventy-eight Kennett High School singers, actors, and dancers. Ms. Katie Soukup is the music director, and Ms. Cindy Albertini is the stage director/choreographer. Ms. Julie Bolten serves as the play’s costume designer and coordinator, and Mr. Michael Anastas will manage the lighting and sound crews. Mr. Anastas will also supervise the stage crew with Mr. Steve Dooley and Mr. Steve Castleton.

Adapted from a French fairy tale, this show, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton, first appeared on Broadway in 1994. The musical is the tale of Belle (Olivia Pagliaro), an independent, intelligent woman in a provincial town, and the Beast (Alex Mark), a prince transformed by an enchantress’s spell as punishment for his selfishness. In order to become human again, the prince must learn the meaning of love. If he does not, he will remain transformed for eternity, along with the comedic and clever members of his household: Mrs. Potts (Aubrie Barnett), Lumiere (Danny Drennan), Cogsworth (Jimmy Rosser), Madame de la Grande Bouche (Sami Castleton), Chip (Tamblyn Mitchell), and Babette (Lilian Alba).

Filling out the cast of characters are the town hero Gaston (Austin Maxwell) and his sidekick Le Fou (Ben Skross), Belle’s father Maurice (Colin Petersen), the Silly Girls (Pearl Battalora, Abbie Duckworth, Becca Shoemaker, and Alie Weldon), Madame D’Arque (Diane Brunke), and the Prologue Voiceover (Duncan Smith).

Members of the ensemble include Ileana Alfonso, Samantha Anthony, Megan Appleby, Camille Avedisian, Kassie Ayllon, Amanda Bell, Grace Bolten, Langdon Braden, Madison Brown, Casey Bruno, Kamryn Bunker, Francesca Caccamo, Avery Chapman, Hannah Church, Heather Cooper, Gabbie Crowl, Kaitlyn Devonshire, Olivia Donia, Claire Duckworth, Erin Duffy, Zhuanel duToit, Kevin Fiss, Emily Funkhouser, Jennifer Gau, River Gheen-Regouski, Emma Giancola, Holly Gouge, Allie Hall, Lauren He, Anais Jevtitch, Connor Lang, Peter Magasiny, Emily Mallon, Cassidy Matz, Maddy McFarland, Gabby Mento, Hannah Mourad, Dylan Munson, Bea Murray, Natalie Nellius, Suju Park, Caleb Pebly, Lydia Pebly, Laurel Petersen, Mirella Petrillo, Liz Rauscher, Alicia Rohrer, Maggie Schubert, Julia Sharp, Evan Shinn, Ananya Shivakumar, Sydney Shumaker, Morgan Slaninko, Arielle Smith, Samantha Sullivan, Kate Taylor, Emily Thompson, Damian Whyte, Anna Wilson, Jenny Zavala, and Cindy Zern.

Audiences will be treated to familiar musical numbers such as “Gaston,” “Belle,” “Be Our Guest,” “Human Again,” and, of course, “Beauty and the Beast.”

Show times are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 PM. There is also a Saturday matinee at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be reserved by clicking below or purchased at the door.

The Kennett High School Humanitarian Club will host its first Mini-THON on February 26, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in support of the Four Diamonds Fund.

With 60 dedicated members, the Humanitarian Club is led by co-chairs, junior Austin Maxwell and senior Sean Connolly, and has been busy planning and fundraising. Junior Jackie Turner, member of the event planning committee, recently hosted a kick-off pep rally for the Mini-THON, inviting all of Kennett High School’s student body to get a preview of the exciting event to come.

Kennett High School’s Mini-THON is an event where everyone is welcome to participate. All high school students are eligible to register as student-dancers or choose to participate by fundraising through DonorDrive. Community members can participate by volunteering to help chaperone the event, sharing their skills to help enhance the event, or by donating to the Four Diamonds Fund directly.

Modeled after the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON), Kennett High School’s Mini-THON will feature games, music, and student dancers promising a fun-filled and rewarding event for all ages. This multi-hour, completely student-led event has inspired teamwork, leadership, and creativity while empowering students through philanthropy and service in the fight to end childhood cancer.

“Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death in children. The families affected face extreme medical costs. The assistance the Four Diamonds Fund provides is life changing. We are all inspired and dedicated to helping making a difference,” said Austin.

The Four Diamonds Fund was established to provide families financial assistance for children battling cancer at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. THON is a student-run philanthropy committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer.

To learn more about Kennett High School’s first Mini-THON, or to become a participant, interested readers should visit the event website, http://khsminithon.org, or call the school at 610-444-6617.