The Mountain Play presents Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

By: May. 18, 2017
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The Mountain Play Association, the San Francisco Bay Area's most magical outdoor theater experience, will present the timeless classic Disney's Beauty and the Beast directed by Jay Manley for their 104th season. Based on the French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST tells the story of a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love. Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will take place every Sunday from May 21 to June 18, 2017.

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Performances will be on Sundays only - May 21, May 28, June 4, June 11 & June 18. All performances of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST begin at 2 pm. Please arrive at least one hour prior to show time. Tickets range from $25-$40 General Admission. Children 3 and under are always FREE. Ticket sales and information for group discounts and reserved seating are available at the Mountain Play website - www.MountainPlay.org

Cushioned reserved seating is available in both the shade and the sun sections of the amphitheatre with prices starting at $60 for adults. More information can be found at the Mountain Play website - www.MountainPlay.org

The Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre is located in the Mount Tamalpais State Park on scenic Highway 1 in Marin County, CA. Patrons are encouraged to carpool, hike, or bike to the venue as parking is limited. FREE parking is available in Mill Valley with FREE shuttle buses to the theatre. For more information, schedules, directions, tips and details visit the Mountain Play Experience section of the website.

Visit www.MountainPlay.org or call (415) 383-1100

About Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST:

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST comes to life through the charming story of Belle, a young woman from a small village, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love another and earn their love in return, the curse will end and he will be transformed into 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.

This beloved tale is filled with spectacular storytelling and an Academy Award-winning score. Toes will tap to the inviting "Be Our Guest" and hearts will warm to the melody and lyrics of the title song "Beauty and the Beast." The Mountain Play's production of this "tale as old as time" is a great opportunity to bring the entire Bay Area community together for family theatre at its best.

Entertainment:

In addition to the headline show, preshow activities and musical acts provide entertainment for the whole family.

Each day has a special theme with preshow entertainment at 12:30pm tailored to the interest of the patrons:

· Opening Day (May 21) - preshow entertainment by 'Til Dawn

· May 28 preshow entertainment by Jerry Hannan & Kelly Peterson

· LGBT Day (June 4) - preshow entertainment by Shelley Doty

· Celebrate the 60s (June 11) - preshow entertainment by Mayflower Chorus - Epic Songs of the 60s

· Father's Day Picnic & Contest (June 18) - preshow entertainment by Marin Summer Theater

On BEAUTY AND THE BEAST performance days, children of all ages will love the puppet shows of Fratello Marionettes. Puppet show times are 11:30 am and 1 pm. Check the website for more information at www.MountainPlay.org.

Annual picnic contest on June 18, 2017 with a celebrity judge. Visit www.MountainPlay.org for details.

The poster art for Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was created by artist Katy Meehan.

Mountain Play's Reserved Seating:

The Mountain Play offers 4 special reserved seating sections as well as added benefits for reserved seating patrons. It's a way for you to give a little more and to get more from your Mountain Play experience. With Reserved Seating Tickets you'll receive additional benefits such as priority bus tickets for the first wave of shuttles down the mountain, cushioned seating with backrest, and free and easy ticket exchange (waiver of $10 fee.) Reserved Seating levels are Club Circle, Orchestra Sun Circle, Director's Circle, and Patron's Circle. Patron's Circle reservations include the "Dining in the Woods" a gourmet catered lunch in Madrone Grove near the theatre. Please view Mountain Play's website for price information. www.MountainPlay.org

NEW This Year: Reserve a parking space at the Air Force Parking Lot for $15 ($20 at lot gate). Carpooling is encouraged. Purchase at www.MountainPlay.org

Dining on the Mountain:

The Mountain Play isn't just a wonderful theatre and outdoor experience; it can also be an incredible dining experience. Patrons are encouraged to pack a picnic with their favorite spirit, enjoy the "rustic elegance," fine wines and gourmet lunch of Dining in the Woods as part of their Patron Circle Reserved Seating package, or enjoy a variety of delectable foods at the Mountain Play Café, prepared onsite by Robert Meyer's Mangia Nosh. Patrons can also purchase adult beverages from Barefoot Wines and Lagunitas Brewing Company at theTamalpais Tavern. Dining in the Woods gourmet lunch is prepared by Debbie Ghiringhelli Catering.

Amphitheatre Shade Structure:

With the generous support of donors, the Mountain Play has provided shade structures for the amphitheatre that shade seating for over 500 General Seating patrons and 300 Reserved Seating patrons. Please arrive early for a seat in the general shaded area as seating is on a first come, first served basis. Shaded Reserved Seating is available by calling 415-383-1100.

Activities for kids:

PLAYland - A fun filled area for kids on Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST performance days.

MEET MEMBERS OF THE CAST - Following each performance meet members of the cast in front row of the amphitheatre.


About the Staff:

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Director Jay Manley is delighted to return to the mountain again this year for his third outing. He officially joined the Mountain Play Family in 2013, directing its 100th Anniversary Production of The Sound of Music, and returned last year for West Side Story. Those joyous experiences rank among his most treasured theatrical memories, so he is thrilled to be back helming this great musical story about a strong, intelligent and compassionate woman who changes her world. By play's end, our Gaston might call her a "nasty woman," but we think she is right on course! Jay is an award-winning director whose musicals and plays throughout the Bay Area have garnered repeated praise and numerous citations from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and Dean Goodman "Choice" Awards. He founded and ran for over 25 years Foothill Music Theatre in Los Altos, California, and was recipient of a special citation from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for his work there. For more than 30 years, with his husband Vance Martin, Jay has led popular theatre tours to New York, Ashland, London, and other major theatre production centers, with their company, New York Theatre Tour: nytheatretour.com. Jay directs throughout the Bay Area, most recently at Ross Valley Players and Tabard Theatre in San Jose, where he will return this fall to direct the adventurous prequel to the Peter Pan story, Peter and the Starcatcher.

Music Director David Möschler is an award-winning freelance conductor and musical director based in the San Francisco Bay Area and is thrilled to return for his second show with Mountain Play after conducting last year's West Side Story. Recent music direction credits include Ray of Light Theatre productions (The Rocky Horror Show, LIZZIE, Into The Woods and Assassins), Lamplighters Music Theatre (Patience, H.M.S. Pinafore), American Conservatory Theater and Guthrie Theater (Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play), San Francisco Playhouse (Promises, Promises), Douglas Morrisson Theatre (Candide), West Edge Opera (Hydrogen Jukebox), San Jose Repertory Theatre (One Night with Janis Joplin), Shotgun Players (Woyzeck, Assassins, The Threepenny Opera), Broadway by the Bay (Evita), and Center REPertory Company (Spring Awakening), among many others. Möschler has won two Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical Direction with Ray of Light Theatre as well as a Theater Bay Area Award for Outstanding Music Direction with Lamplighters Music Theatre. He is Resident Musical Director for YMTC Berkeley where he's conducted twenty full productions and has been a member of the music staff for College Light Opera Company since 2005. He serves on the faculty for Academy of Art University and is active as a guest lecturer on musical theater. In 2013 Möschler founded the Awesöme Orchestra Collective, which he conducts every month. More information can be found at davidmoschler.com.

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Choreographer Nicole Helfer is a Bay Area native and a graduate of San Francisco State University. Choreography credits include: Peter Pan and West Side Story for Mountain Play, In the Heights for Broadway By The Bay (Theatre Bay Area Award-winner), Dogfight for OMG Productions, Tarzan for Contra Costa Musical Theater (Shellie Award nominee), Rent for Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre Company, Measure for Measure for San Francisco State University, 8 Track: The Sounds of the 70s, Six Women With Brain Death, and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Shellie Award nominee) for Willows Theatre Company. She has also choreographed Click Clack Moo and the very successful Pinkalicious for Bay Area Children's Theater. In addition to performing regularly in regional musical theatre productions, she has taught dance and theatre classes for Young REP, Kid Stock, Inc., Dance Mission Theatre, Marilyn Izdebski Productions, YMCA and Spindrift School of Performing Arts. Currently, Nicole is happily teaching a variety of dance classes at the Ballet School in Walnut Creek and is theatre faculty at Oakland School for the Arts. She is so honored to be working with such an amazing creative team and would like to thank her friends and family for their love and support.

HAIR Choreographer Zoë Swenson-Graham returned to the states in 2015 after living in London for nearly 7 years, where she worked as an actor, dancer, and trained as a stage combat instructor and fight choreographer. She is thrilled to be returning to the Mountain Play, after choreographing the fights for West Side Story and Peter Pan. Before leaving London, she was the leading role in the English Premiere of Neil LaBute's Autobahn at The Kings Head Theatre, London. Other acting credits include: Our Town (Emily). The Trojan Women (Helen), The Toll (Edinburgh Festival), and Twelfth Night (Viola). She received an Off-West End Best Actress nomination for

At the Broken Places, a new American play that premiered in London. She has served as a stage combat choreographer and teacher around the UK, including the Royal Opera House, Soho Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark Playhouse

and the British American Drama Academy. Since returning to the Bay, Zoe has choreographed for and taught with The American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, Oakland School of the Arts, Sierra Repertory Theatre Company, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Ross Valley Players, YMTC, Palo Alto Children's Theatre, and Stapleton School of the Arts.

Rooted in more than a century of theatrical tradition, the Mountain Play Association provides enriching live performances that stimulate creativity, engage our community and foster a lifelong enjoyment of the arts.

Our signature event is a spectacular outdoor production that celebrates musical theatre and nurtures respect for the unique natural beauty of Mount Tamalpais.

The Mountain Play is a non-profit (501c3) organization that has been serving the Bay Area community since 1913.

www.MountainPlay.org



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