Curtain Call Brings The Magic of Disney to Kokomo
By HEIDI PRUITT
The Kokomo Post Staff
TKP Photo | Heidi Pruitt
‘Gaston’ and ‘Les Filles La Ville’ during a dress rehearsal
(L-R) : Rylee Morris, Madelyne Ruddell, Molly Lewis, Nate Moore
You don’t have to travel to a far-away land to experience the magic of a childhood favorite.
“Beauty and the Beast,” Curtain Call’s upcoming musical, is set to take place on Oct. 7 and 8 at Indiana University Kokomo’s Havens Auditorium.
“I’m very passionate about providing opportunities for families to come together on a weekend to see a show. You can step out of the world you’re in for two hours to be enchanted in a castle like Beauty and the Beast,” said Jeremy Leazenby Bruce, executive director of Curtain Call.
Leazenby Bruce will be directing 60 youth and adult performers in the tale as old as time about a bookish girl named Belle who trades her father’s freedom in exchange for a lifetime with an enchanted beast.
What began as a children’s wing of Kokomo Civic Theatre, Curtain Call became a separate 501(c)3 in 2001 with a mission to not only foster an appreciation for theater but to also allow children and more experienced performers in our community to work hand-in-hand.
Leazenby Bruce has been involved with the program for more than two years. With his deeply rooted love and passion for the arts, he said he sees first-hand the importance of what exposure to the arts can do for a community.
“I think the big thing that theater supports is the social and emotional wellbeing of children, families, and communities,” said Leazenby Bruce. “To give people a place to go and escape the world for a little bit and have that safe space, that’s important to me.”
Nate Moore, an experienced performer, was cast as Gaston during an audition with more than 80 others.
He began as a freshman in Eastern High School’s Choir and drama club before moving on to perform with IUK and Kokomo Civic Theatre.
“There’s been a lot of varied experience, different shows, different directors, it’s all been a really cool thing to be a part of,” said Moore. “Especially friends that I’ve met that started [performing] around the same time I did, who have now different amateur acting careers, its cool to see how people change and progress.”
Curtain Call’s focus on mentoring younger participants both off and on the stage has proven the shared love of performing arts creates inseparable bonds, he said.
“By the end of the show you’re like a very close-knit family,” said Leazenby Bruce. “You get to know each other and a lot of stories and experiences that happen along the journey will become lifelong memories.”
Moore also feels a deep connection with the people he bonds with during the production of the show.
“You get to meet so many people that you normally wouldn’t cross paths with,” he said. “You have this common love of performing that you can bond over.”
Showtimes for “Beauty and the Beast” are at 7 p.m. on October 7 and 8 at Havens Auditorium. Tickets are available online for $15 a person by clicking here. https://kcctc.booktix.com/
For more information, visit Curtain Call’s website.
