A magical ‘Beauty and the Beast’

United Parent Support for Down Syndrome (UPS for DownS) and Gymkhana’s White Room Theater have partnered to bring together youth of all abilities to perform “Beauty and the Beast.”

The show will be staged at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, at Conant High School, 700 E. Cougar Trail, Hoffman Estates. Admission is $5.

The brainy and beautiful Belle yearns to escape her provincial life — and her brute of a suitor, Gaston. However, Belle gets more adventure than she wanted when she becomes a captive in the Beast’s enchanted castle.

Dancing flatware, menacing wolves and singing furniture fill the stage with thrills.

This production features youth with Down syndrome performing alongside theater peers in this fairy tale about very different people finding strength in one another and learning how to love.

This performance is part of a theater program with goals that include increasing self-esteem, developing drama skills, creating personal expression, promoting community inclusion, and providing theater opportunities to youth, regardless of ability.

This program is sponsored by UPS for DownS, a Schaumburg-based, parent directed, not-for-profit organization, which has been providing support for families and children with Down syndrome for more than 25 years, and Gymkhana, a gymnastics, dance and theater studio in Hanover Park.

Th show’s director is Orion Couling.

To find out more about UPS for DownS programs, visit upsfordowns.org.