"Although I also love directing adult productions, there's something special about seeing our youth develop and grow in the Disney Jr shows.
"And the stories are fantastic: While the children in the audience love them, so do the adults. It's that Disney magic of telling stories that seem to transcend time and draw us all in," she says.
The cast of 33 students from schools across Hamilton and its surrounding towns are aged between 11 and 18 years and had to 'pivot' to get this year's musical staged. The latest lockdown delayed the scheduled start of rehearsals.
Garson says: "We started with our first rehearsal on Zoom and then our choreographer Tess Benseman filmed the dance routines on her driveway so the cast could practise at home."
Once they could, the team moved to rehearse in small groups, physically distanced and outside in the Riverlea Theatre carpark, to keep everyone safe and comply with the alert level requirements.
Production manager Kāren Langley says: "The delay has put pressure on the production team, who have had to juggle set building, costume making and so on, over the Christmas break, with the various end-of-year work and home pressures. But they are a fantastic team, and we love supporting our youth performers."
For Beauty and the Beast Jr, Garson and Benseman will be joined by musical director Jonty Climo for the first time. Climo has previously worked with Tauranga Musical Theatre.
Hamilton Musical Theatre has a history of regular opportunities for youth performers and technicians to be involved in well-loved musicals designed specifically for young audiences.
Several of their youth performers go on to be cast in their other musicals and productions for other theatre groups or have chosen to study performance professionally at tertiary institutions.
The Details
What: Disney's Beauty and the Beast Jr show
When: January 18 to 22 with various morning, afternoon and evening sessions
Where: Riverlea Theatre
Tickets: $15-25, available here
