‘Beauty & the Beast’ roars into Houma

Sue Peace and Jean Scott have been friends since the pair acted in “Steel Magnolias” at Le Petit Theatre de Terrebonne in 1986.

The two formed the young people’s theatre company P.S. Productions 10 years ago to give “children” the opportunity “to learn about theatre,” and because “we just have a love for children’s theatre,” Peace said. They took P.S. Productions’ title from the initial letters of the pair’s last names.

The company staged its shows, such as “Peter Pan,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Grease,” at Houma First United Methodist Church, and at Le Petit Theatre de Terrebonne.

Now, P.S. Productions will be putting on its most elaborate staging so far when the company presents the Broadway Walt Disney version of “Beauty and the Beast” at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center Thursday, June 21, through Sunday, June 24. Peace is the director.

Show times are at 7 p.m. each night. Matinee showings are Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15, and are available at First United Methodist Church (6109 La. 311) from 4-7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

“Beauty and the Beast” is the company’s first production to be held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

It’s “a big production,” Peace said. “We rented costumes, and got our backdrop and some props from a production company in New York.”

“Because of the different things we’re getting,” she said, “we’re charging five dollars more a ticket.”

She said that this production of “Beauty and the Beast” will have “all the same songs” as the Tony-award-winning Broadway show, which will close out its run in New York at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on July 29.

Familiar tunes from “Beauty and the Beast” include “Be Our Guest,” and the title song.

The Broadway production of “Beauty and the Beast” is a stage version of the 1991 Walt Disney movie of the same name, which is the only animated movie ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

The cast for the show at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center has 32 young people ranging in age from nine to 18 years old. More than half the members are teenagers.

Five of the young people in the cast are graduating high school this year. The five members “started out at age eight,” Peace said, joining P.S. Productions at the company’s founding. “Older members become mentors,” she said.

The music director for the show is Nicole Webb, who is also the music director at South Terrebonne High School. The pianist is professional musician David West. The show’s dance director is local choreographer Courtney Bennett.

P.S. Productions puts on two or three shows a year.

“Each production, we always have new people coming in,” Peace said. “We rehearse from six to eight weeks, then we put on the production. We teach them all aspects of theatre-costumes, characterization, lighting.”

“The United Methodist Church has supported us 100 percent,” she said. “They’ve given us a place to practice, and to have our tickets sold there.” Fellowship Hall, located on the church grounds, contains a stage.

Scott is the church’s caring minister. Peace is the director of the Learning Center.

The two have had an extensive relationship with the South Louisiana Center for the Arts (SoLa), the Houma arts-education institute.

“We were affiliated with SoLa since its beginning” as instructors, Peace said.

“This past year, Jean and I went off on our own,” she said. “SoLa didn’t have room for us to rehearse. It moved to a smaller facility. The building that SoLa was renting was a great building, but it moved to a smaller one.”

P.S. Productions has also previously staged the plays “A Comedy Tonight,” and the dinner-theatre farce “Murder in the Magnolias.”

Call Sue Peace at (985) 868-8087 for more information.