Director takes you behind the scenes

"Beauty and the Beast" is the story of a prince who is magically transformed into an unattractive beast by an old witch. He must learn to love and be loved to break the spell.

Students at Lisle's Benet Academy will bring the story to life over the next two weekends in a set of sold-out performances at St. Daniel's Performing Art Center, 2200 Maple Ave.

Bill Conley co-directs all the musicals at the high school.

Q. Are musicals expensive for a high school to stage?

A. Generally, they are expensive. We have to pay the royalty for the right to produce the show and that is based on what the ticket price is and how many people we expect to come to the show.

For the royalty, you also get a huge box with the piano score, the conductor score and all of the separate instrumental parts. With "Beauty and the Beast," we also needed to rent some of the specialty costumes, which adds to the expense.

Q. Were costumes such as the teapot and Lumiere a challenge?

A. We have a group of moms who are sewing some costumes from scratch, but then some we needed to rent. The Beast costume is rented because of its fur and a head that needs to pop on.

The teapot round bowl shape was made by one of the moms. Lumiere we rented because his hands have to light up as if (they are) candles. The wardrobe costume has actual drawers that can open, close and have clothing pull out of it. It is all very magical and imaginative.

Q. Why did Benet start doing musicals?

A. There is a huge interest in musicals at all high schools. Over the years students always asked if we could do a musical.

With the arrival of a new band director, Ryan Hourigan, we made the decision to give it a try. We started with "Bye, Bye Birdie" roughly 13 years ago. At that time, we rented the theater across the street at the convent.

Q. Has St. Daniel Hall Fine Art Center made a difference?

A. Yes, it's fabulous. The stage is wide and tall. It seats 370 people and feels intimate. It has a deep orchestra pit and beautiful acoustics. We are thrilled to have it.

Q. Why did you choose "Beauty and the Beast?"

A. We felt we had a ton of talented seniors and juniors to pull it off. It is really one of the harder musicals to put on because of the different settings, massive costumes and large cast. You need a tall, good-voiced character to play Gaston; someone with a voice to sing ballads for The Beast; and a Belle that is delightful and sweet. We felt we had all the talents that fit that play this year.

We also like the theme that love can transform an individual and change things for the better. The majesty and the scope of this complex musical bring satisfaction.

Q. Who performs the music and how large is the cast?

A. This is our largest group ever. Performing the music is our 30-plus students in the pit orchestra, under the direction of Jesse Nolan, in his first year here at Benet. We have 65 students; students with really great voices who we wanted to experience a musical. There are 20 kids working daily on set crew. There is a group of 39 parents working on costumes and scenery.

With an enrollment of 1,200 students, this is a good percentage of our student body.

Q. How has the pool of talent at Benet changed over the years?

A. We have a phenomenal talent pool that I think is getting better and better because we do musicals. The beauty of it is students still keep up their academics even with our intense rehearsals on the weekend.

Our students pick up on things very fast, including dance steps. The students are so cooperative in wanting to make the play the best it can be.

Q. What is your personal favorite part of the musical?

A. The excitement of opening night is way up there for me. There are butterflies and nerves on opening night because you never had an audience before and you don't know how it will react.

Then, at the end, there is the release of energy when the applause comes and the feeling that it was all worth it.

Q. What is the performance schedule at the school?

A. In late September we have the fall play and a winter play in mid-November. The musical comes in mid-March, and in April we have a series of student directed one-act plays.

Seeing all these great kids having fun but working hard to accomplish something meaningful is much like a football or basketball team working together.

If you go

What: "Beauty and the Beast"

When: 7:30 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; also 7:30 p.m. March 13-15

Tickets: All performances are sold out