OUSD Nohl Canyon Elementary brings
Beauty and the Beast to the stage

Orange, CA – December 8, 2017 - Nohl Canyon Elementary is excited to bring another outstanding musical theater production to the stage. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is a classical musical love story and magical tale that comes to life with unforgettable characters, astonishing costumes, a stunning score. Over 100 Nohl Canyon Elementary students are part of this elaborate production and all performances were held at Villa Park High School in the Performing Arts Center.

Beauty and the Beast is Nohl Canyon’s 9th musical production. The Arts at Nohl Canyon is an after-school musical theater program that began in 2012. It started as a simple talent show with 40 students, over the last five years, the program has evolved to produce two major musical theater productions per year.  There are a record number of 110 students participating in the current show. Thanks to the generous support of the Nohl Canyon School Association, student have access to all the important elements of producing a staged musical production including costumes, sets, lighting, sound, a professional program, photographer, and a videographer.  Students rehearsed for the 12 weeks prior to opening night which was held on Thursday, November 30, 2017. For each performance, the auditorium was sold out and over 660 audience members experienced the magic of this classic tale throughout the run of this production.  

“You can see the growth in our performers as they go through the process of putting on a production,” stated Michelle Ferchaw, coordinator of performing arts program at Nohl Canyon. “They bring their diverse skills to the show and - through the hard work of memorizing lines, perfecting dance moves and learning the music -they develop self-confidence and pride. Research shows that arts education benefits everyone from increased grades and graduation rates to better relationships with teachers, their community and the larger world.”