Fostering a love for theatre and the arts within the community has always been the goal of the Spring Hill Christian Academy theatre arts program. They are a polished and creative student theatre group that soon will be presenting their talent to the Hernando County community through their production of a timeless classic that has entertained audiences for generations. The SHCA theatre arts program will present “Beauty and the Beast” on January 20 and 21 at the Spring Hill Baptist Church, located at 3140 Mariner Blvd.
“We actually selected this show back in 2020 to be performed in 2021, but with streaming restrictions and the uncertainty of COVID, we were forced to postpone…twice. So we are extremely excited to be mounting the show this winter. It’s a cast and crew of 40 students who began rehearsal in September,” said Jessica Doyaga, stage manager for “Beauty and the Beast.” “We rehearse 3 days a week for about 2.5 hrs each day. This is the full length, Broadway version, not a Jr. Version and features all the beloved characters of Disney’s original animated film. Audiences will enjoy all the songs they know from the film plus some additional songs added to the musical version. The show will be presented in the Spring Hill Baptist Church sanctuary on Friday, January 20 at 7 pm and on Saturday, January at 2 pm for the general public. We are proud to feature our talented students, as well as high quality costumes and spectacular special effects. Led by Music Director Kara Strahan, Director/Choreographer Leslie Hood and Choreographer/Technical Artist Cosette Hood. The cast will surely sing and dance their way into your hearts, bringing the Disney classic to life!”
Doyaga explained that the Spring Hill Christian Academy (SHCA) offers a Musical Theatre class for high school students. “Though this cast has a variety of ages,” she said. “Some students take the class as a high school credit, but it is not required to be part of our program.”
In the SHCA Musical Theatre class, students learn all aspects of theatre including acting, lights, sound, backstage crew responsibilities, costume design, prop building and more. The SHCA theatre arts program hosts open auditions for all of the SHCA students of all grades as well as home schoolers. Previous shows have included “Annie,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Secret Garden” and “Seussical the Musical.”
“Our shows are selected according to our talent pool, but mainly we choose family friendly shows that can give the students and audience biblical messages to explore,” said Doyaga. “SHCA Theatre Arts Program’s goal is to create a Christian atmosphere that teaches students life skills of working creatively with a group, the importance of taking responsibility, dedication to themselves and the end product, following through on commitments, and supporting each other with respect and love.”
Beyond their school’s sanctuary stage, the SHCA shines in drama competitions. “Some students volunteer each year to compete in the Florida Association of Christian Schools and Colleges (FACCS) fine arts competition,” said Doyaga. “Elementary, middle school and our high School students have participated as a team, as duets and performing monologues. Our teams have been state champions every year, and we have had many state champion soloists as well.”
Experience the glowing talents and shining creativity of the SHCA theatre arts program. Buy tickets for “Beauty and the Beast” for only $10 at shcata.booktix.com.
