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Southwest Langley teen stars in local theatre production of Beauty And The Beast

Show hits the stage in Fort Langley in mid-March

Langley’s PLAY Society is bringing the popular tale of Beauty and the Beast to stage, and showcasing local talent in the process.

Brad Tones, executive director of PLAY, is thrilled to bring this classic story to life and expects the audience to be “blown away” by the passion and dedication put into the production.

“This show is for everyone, young and old,” said Tones. “It’s a story we all know and love, and we can’t wait to bring it to the stage in Langley.”

The production of Disney’s Beauty And The Beast is the latest in a line of shows produced by the PLAY Society, which has been providing accessible theatre programming to families in Langley since 2014. The program aims to bring children back to the theatre and have them cheer on the characters on stage.

Preparing for the production has been a months-long process, with the directors and production team working on the “larger details” since November 2022, Tones shared.

The cast auditioned for the show in December, and rehearsals have been ongoing since the first week of January.

Lyla Magnus, a 15-year-old southwest Langley resident, who plays the character of Belle – a kind, smart, unique, and beautiful young woman from a small village in France – found many similarities between her personality and the character.

“[The character] is a kind and bright young lady, but she has a fierce attitude when it comes to the things she loves. I identify with her and at times our personalities would blur,” said Lyla.

She has been a part of the society since she was seven.

“I have wonderful memories from PLAY, and loved watching all my friends grow up and get into theatre; we are all so happy to now put shows on for the public and not just our parents. It is a great honour to act alongside the amazing cast and wonderful directors,” she shared.

The team at PLAY have presented multiple stories in the past, and the hard part with Beauty And the Beast, Tones said, was finding ways to make the production unique.

“We are pulling out every trick we can for this show to make it just as visually inspiring as it sounds,” he said.

“We plan to create environments on stage that will take the audience away from the theatre and bring them into the castle of a beast in southern France.”

One of the unique offerings for the show is ‘the Grey Stuff’ package, which includes drinks and sweet treats inspired by a local professional baker. The french bakery in the lobby of the show will sell sweet treats, mini baguettes, drinks, and more to the audience. The Grey Stuff package is an option for audience members to pre-purchase items from the local bakery for the show.

The tickets for the show are available on the PLAY Society website at playsociety.ca, by calling the box office at 604-768-6597, or via email info@playsociety.ca.

The show is set to run from Thursday to Saturday, March 16 to 18 at the Chief Sepass Theatre in Fort Langley. Evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m.

“We hope the audience will leave talking about the passion and talent they just witnessed on stage,” Tones said. “We are excited to see the impact this show will have on our community.”

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RELATED: Langley’s non-profit theatre society for kids opens doors to public for the first time ever

READ MORE: Local talent takes the stage in award-winning production, ‘Talking With’

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Tanmay Ahluwalia

About the Author: Tanmay Ahluwalia

Tanmay Ahluwalia is a journalist with a digital mindset and a proud alumnus of the University of Delhi.
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