BWW Previews: CPA'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Headlines TSTC This Weekend

When members of the Tennessee State Thespian Conference gather in Murfreesboro this weekend, one of the many offerings they'll be treated to is a performance of The Royal Shakespeare Company's version of Beauty and the Beast, presented by Nashville's Christ Presbyterian Academy.

Directed by Paula Flautt of the CPA Fine Arts Department, the production features some 42 members of the high school cast, led by Shaina Toledo (as Beauty), Nathan Thomas (as The Beast) and 2015 First Night Most Promising Actor Harley Segar (as The Witch). Beauty and The Beast will be presented on the mainstage of Middle Tennessee State University's Dorethe Tucker Theatre on Saturday, January 17, CPA's high school cast and crew, comprised of some 42 members, culminating the annual TSTC.

"The cast and crew are thrilled to receive such an honor," says Flautt, who is recognized as one of the true innovators of academic theater in Tennessee. "It is an amazing experience to perform for a thousand of your peers from across Tennessee. Their character work, ability to play off of each other, and focus in performance has been remarkable. Even better has been their ability to interpret the art form's voice reflecting the human condition. They hit all the comedy while never missing the deep notes."

First presented at CPA last November, Beauty and the Beast was chosen after it was adjudicated by TSTCrepresentatives, who named the show as one of only two from Tennessee to be performed on the Tucker Theatre mainstage this weekend. CPA will perform the culmination of the conference for over a thousand high school drama students and teachers from schools across the state.

In addition to the mainstage production, CPA's bistro black box one-act production of The Twilight Zone, was included as a selection for the conference's one-act Performance Showcase.

CPA has had the distinct honor of performing on the TTC main stage many times in the past with shows including Into the Woods, Twelfth Night and The Curious Savage.

Among cast members are George Fenton, Adelaide Leonard, Harley Seger, Lucas Eytchison, Johnathan Sottek, Jay Perry, Mary Eveleen Brown, Holly Hill, Shaina Toledo, Nathan Thomas, Josh Betts, Charlotte Wallace and Hawk Cornwell.

photos by Amy Eytchison

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