Peach State Summer Theatre Presents Disney’s "Beauty and the Beast" June 3-July 16

Belle (Megan Wheeler) shares the story of King Arthur with the Beast (Peyton Crim).  Belle (Megan Wheeler) and her father, Maurice (John Payonk), know that they will always love each other no matter what. Mrs. Potts (Ashlee Dutson) offers Maurice (John Payonk) a cup of tea. Also pictured are Babette (Sara Wildes Arnett), Lumiere (Olin Davidson), Chip (John Laurent Dean), and Cogsworth (Alejandro Gutierrez).  Gaston (Jonathan Brian Furedy) with the tavern patrons.

VALDOSTA — Peach State Summer Theatre will kick off a 15-performance run of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3, at Valdosta State University’s Sawyer Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.

Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature released in 1991, “Beauty and the Beast” is the story “of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress,” according to a synopsis provided by Music Theatre International. “If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.”

Featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” has been performed for more than 35 million people in 13 countries and was previously presented by Peach State Summer Theatre in 2006. It opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on April 18, 1994, and closed at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on July 29, 2007, following a 5,461-performance run, making it the ninth longest running production in Broadway history. The original Broadway production earned a Tony Award for Best Costume Design.

Individual admission is $31.28 for adults and $25.93 for students and senior citizens, including taxes and fees. A discount is available for groups of 10 or more.

Season memberships are available through Friday, June 3. The cost is $89.67 for adults and $73.62 for students and senior citizens, including taxes and fees. Each season membership includes three admissions to be used as desired by the member with advance reservations.

Patronages are also available at a variety of levels.

The Peach State Summer Theatre Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. It is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building, at the corner of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street, and can be reached by calling (229) 259-7770. The online box office at www.valdosta.edu/psst is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Peach State Summer Theatre, or PSST!, is Valdosta’s premiere professional summer stock theatre. Each summer, dozens of singers, dancers, technicians, managers, and creators gather on the campus of Valdosta State University for 10 weeks, and during that time, they rehearse, build, and present three musicals in rotating repertory.

The 2016 Peach State Summer Theatre season marks the 27^th year of VSU producing professional theatre for the city of Valdosta, the state of Georgia, and beyond. From 1990 to 2004, VSU produced the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival. In 2005, the summer theatre program was relocated to the university and renamed PSST!

The Georgia Legislature designated Valdosta State’s summer stock theatre program the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia.

VSU’s Jacque Wheeler serves as the artistic director of Peach State Summer Theatre. H. Duke Guthrie is the managing director.

Visit www.valdosta.edu/psst for more information.

NOTE: Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is rated G.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/vstatenews/ for more photos and a complete cast and crew list. 

Peach State Summer Theatre’s “Beauty and the Beast” Performance Schedule

• 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3

• 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4 (Interpreted for the Deaf in American sign language)

• 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 5

• 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 10

• 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 (Pay What You Can performance)

• 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 12

• 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 19

• 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 25

• 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29

• 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 30

• 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 3

• 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6

• 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 10

• 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 14

• 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 16 

Valdosta State University’s 2013-2019 Strategic Plan represents a renewal of energy and commitment to the foundational principles for comprehensive institutions.

Implementation of the plan’s five goals, along with their accompanying objectives and strategies, supports VSU’s institutional mission and the University System of Georgia’s mission for comprehensive universities. 

The story above demonstrates VSU's commitment to meeting the following goals: 

Goal 1: Recruit, retain, and graduate a quality, diverse student population and prepare students for roles as leaders in a global society.

Goal 3: Promote student, employee, alumni, retiree, and community engagement in our mission.

Goal 4: Foster an environment of creativity and scholarship.

Goal 5: Develop and enhance Valdosta State’s human and physical resources.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/administration/planning/strategic-plan.php to learn more.