Iowa Central Community College will christen its new Center for Performing Arts and renovated Decker Auditorium with Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

Shows will be April 25-28. Shows on April 25, 26 and 27 will be held at 7 p.m. with the final performance set for a matinee starting at 2 p.m. on April 28. 

“Our performing arts team is filled with gratitude for the opportunity to turn on the spotlights for our students once again, in a space which has been newly renovated and upgraded, not only for them, but our community members as well,” said Iowa Central Director of Theater Teresa Jackson. “When I think about the conditions we had to go through in the past. People who were part of the past would understand. To have this building is just so next level to what we had in the past.”

Jackson said the Center for Performing Arts and Decker Auditorium have several new features, including a larger gathering space in the foyer, restrooms that no longer have to be shared with the Hanson Center and gymnasium and an elevator for balcony seats. The upper level also has its own restrooms now.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Ryan Madden (the Beast) rehearses a scene from “Beauty and the Beast” at Iowa Central Community College.

“Our seats are new, our aisles are improved, our sound and lights have been transformed,” added Jackson. “We will even have televisions and speakers in the lobby area so that audience members who have to step out for any reason can keep track of what is continuing to happen on stage. In short, the new space rocks.”

Jackson said she had hoped to present the musical in February, when Iowa Central normally has its productions hit the stage. But some delays in construction pushed the show back until now.

“We had hoped to start on our regular dates,” she said. “Then November became December and December became January and then January became February and we finally reached the point of no return where I said I needed to know if we were going to be in the new building. I was promised we could be. It has been one of the biggest challenges of my life. It was an endeavor worth waiting for.”

Working alongside Jackson for the production of “Beauty and the Beast” will be Will Lopes, vocal music director and Paul Bloomquist, pit orchestra conductor. Heading up the technical theater side will be Ashley Garst, who designs all costumes, props and lights and who has been assisted this year by both Scott Deuel and Brady O’Brien.

Joseph Jackson is the scenic set designer who heads up construction and the sound engineer is Mike Weideman. Jackson is also welcoming back Emily Eastwood to assist with choreography.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Camden Karageorge (as Cogsworth) rehearses a scene from “Beauty and the Beast” at IUowa Central Community College.

“Our students are incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to premier and christen our new center with their production. Alumni are equally excited to see their old haunt given such an incredible facelift,” said Jackson. “Community members have continued to support Iowa Central’s growth and our commitment to educational, athletic and performance excellence. And what better way to showcase the magic of our new space than with some Disney magic?”

The story of “Beauty and the Beast” is well known and has been retold for centuries. Referred to as the “tale as old as time,” it has been interpreted in a myriad of cultures and time periods. The Disney release of “Beauty and the Beast” was in November 1991. It received six Academy Award nominations.

In the era before the Best Animated Feature category, “Beauty and the Beast” was the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture and the first film to be nominated for three songs: “Belle,” “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

The film took home Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast.”)

“Over the decades, this stage production has also undergone numerous revisions since its first premier in 1993 and it is even set to begin a national tour this year,” said Jackson. “We were able to secure the rights to the production just in time. It feels a bit like magic to me.”

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Dennis Morgan (as Gaston), top, and Joshua Madden (as Lefou) rehears a scene from “Beauty and the Beast” at Iowa Central Community College.

The show is presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). Jackson said the cast, crew and pit will involve more than 75 people.

“We chose ‘Beauty and the Beast’ because we wanted an awesome show for our new space,” Jackson said. “We wanted a show people could attend en masse. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is an older show, but I had a vision of how I wanted it to be done. We have the cast to do it. One of the iconic songs is ‘Home.’ And we are home now.”

Tickets for the show are $15 for adults and $10 for students with Iowa Central faculty, staff and students attending for free. Tickets will be on sale at the Iowa Central bookstore or online. The best option is to log on to www.iowacentral.edu/bookstore and click on tickets on the top row menu bar in the middle. 

Tickets will be available at the door, but Jackson highly encourages reserving seats ahead of time so that they can accommodate all patrons who want to attend. 

All seats are general seating, so coming early will be beneficial for securing seats for the first performance in the new setting.

“I remember when we had no microphones for shows, no orchestra pit, few lighting instruments.

We experienced the abysmally small restroom and dressing room facilities, and ultimately the decline to what I referred to as the ‘Danger Zone’ for our performers as rigging systems grew more antiquated,” said Jackson. “So to go from that to this incredible upgrade feels miraculous to our team, and we are savoring our front-row seats to what I call ‘the promised land.'”

‘Beauty and the Beast’

What: Iowa Central musical

When: 7 p.m. April 25-27 and

2 p.m. April 28

Where: Center for Performing Arts and

Decker Auditorium,

Iowa Central Community College

campus

Tickets: $15 for adults, $10 for students, on sale at the Iowa Central bookstore, online at www.iowacentral.edu/bookstore.

Tickets will also be available at the door but ordering in advance is encouraged.