After 5 months of rehearsing, more than 30 children, ages 6-18, will step onstage to present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. at the new Community Arts Center, 121 Cayuga St in downtown Fulton. The popular Disney musical will run May 10-19 with Friday and Saturday evening performances May 10, 11, 17, & 18 at 7pm and matinees at 2pm on Saturday, May 18 and Sundays, May 12 and 19.

The JR production is an annual event the children look forward to each year and wait excitedly for the announcement of next year’s show. The production is only open to those 18 and under who are in school (or homeschooled). The production team led by Adam Schmidtmann, known affectionately as Mr. Adam, is the same team working together on the Jr show for the last 4 years at CNY Arts Center including JR productions of Seussical, Legally Blonde, Shrek and now Beauty and the Beast. The label notes a moderated version of classic musicals scaled to youthful voices and skill levels to make the material more accessible to the children.

The new Community Arts Center, recently opened after more than 8 months of renovations, houses a theatre smaller than the previous theatre which seated over 100. “Only during Jr shows do we sell out over 100 seats for any one performance,” said Executive Director, Nancy Fox. “So the intimate size of the new theatre is perfect for all other uses. We’ve added an extra performance to the run of the Jr show to accommodate the expected sellout crowds. We encourage advance ticket purchase to avoid being turned away.”  

Tickets are available from any child in the show who will receive a complimentary ticket to share with a guest for every 10 tickets sold. Or visit CNYArtsCenter.com for tickets and more information.

Caption: Beauty and the Beast’s Belle (portrayed by Ally Barnaba) reads to the children and spends time with little princesses during Story Hour at the Fulton Public Library. Beauty and the Beast, Jr will run May 10-19 at the new CNY Community Arts Center in downtown Fulton on 121 Cayuga St. Visit www.CNYArtsCenter.com for tickets and more information.