Science teacher by day, Belle of the ball by night.
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With less than a week until opening night, we took a look at how one of the show’s key performers has found the experience.
It’s Simone Crossley who took up the challenge of playing ‘Belle’ in community production of Beauty and the Beast.
She said she was over-the-moon to have the chance to play this Disney princess.
“I think Belle is one of the best female roles to play on the stage,” she said.
“She is brave, intelligent and independent which I think makes her an excellent role model for young girls.”
Simone is no stranger to the stage either, having previously played ‘Nancy’ in Leeton’s production of Oliver, ‘Mary’ in Jesus Christ Superstar and ‘Dorothy’ in the Wizard of Oz.
Having this wealth of experience hasn’t meant the butterflies floating around in her stomach have gone away.
She said she’s started to use it to her advantage though.
“I get quite nervous before performing,” she said.
“So I’m learning to embrace it and use that nervous energy.”
She may have to try that same trick for other parts of her life.
She admitted that talking on the phone to someone she didn’t know was her biggest fear.
It also seems the tables have turned for the Leeton High School teacher as she’s now the one up all night with homework.
“Learning lines has been quite challenging,” she said.
“The script is around 100 pages long, so memorising it all requires a great deal of practice.”
Despite the heavy workload she said it had been a terrific experience.
“(It’s been) a lot of work but also a lot of fun,” she said.
“It has been so wonderful to work with such a talented cast and crew.
“I’m hoping to improve as a performer and also to meet new people and develop friendships that hopefully extend well beyond the run of the show.”
A community production of Beauty and the Beast will premier at the Griffith Regional Theatre on Thursday, September 10.
There are six shows in total and September 19 will mark the final performance for this talented bunch.