“Ma chere Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure…” we welcome you to take a look with us into the very near future.
Fast forward to August 5, 2016.
The place? The historic Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ.
There’s a palpable feeling of excitement in the air, a real sense of occasion.
As members of the audience, we see before us the deep red velvet curtain and can begin to make out the sounds of actors delicately taking their places behind it. We hear the pit orchestra as they tune up and see the stunning chandeliers above us start to dim.
As friends, family, and fans of musical theater, we anxiously await the magic that is certain to entertain, enlighten, and inspire us today…
…and finally, the curtain opens.
The bright lights come up.
The set sparkles, the music trumpets, and the costumed performers dazzle us!
And with it all, in this audience filled with theater lovers of all ages, we experience “something there that wasn’t there before” as Toms River’s Exit 82 Theatre Co. presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
But just how does such theater magic originate?
Exactly where does it take shape?
And just who is responsible for making it happen?
To find some answers, we rewind back in time to June 23, 2016, where we find ourselves sitting in on a rehearsal for Exit 82’s upcoming summer 2016 musical.
Here — right before our eyes — we can see Exit 82 clearly creating “something there that wasn’t there before.”
For those who are unaware of this theatrical gem at the Jersey Shore, Exit 82 is a non-profit theater company created in 2008 by a group of talented NJ thespians. According to executive director and cofounder, Keely Davenport, at the time she and her colleagues started Exit 82, there was no other outlet in the Toms River area for community theater enthusiasts. Now, Exit 82 is not only a local reality, but it has also gone on to greatly expand its reach. Explains Davenport, “Exit 82 is proud to be from Toms River, but it serves all of Ocean County.”
Since its inception, Exit 82 has produced 12 full-scale shows, three benefit concerts, and three children’s theater productions. In just eight short years, the company has grown both in stature and services offered. Currently, it boasts a series of educational theater programs designed for local youngsters, a new theatrical performance home at the historic Strand Theater in Lakewood, in addition to a new rehearsal space on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River. It is here where director Sean Openshaw and the Exit 82 company members are in the process of creating their unique vision of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Davenport goes on to explain that Exit 82 is a “community theater” in the truest sense of the word in that the company presents performances for the community, raises money to help community organizations, and also features community members of all ages in their productions.
For instance, according to Davenport, one of their early shows, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, featured local actor Paul Nixon, age 92! And in their latest offering, Beauty and the Beast, Gabe, age 8 — a local elementary school student — shares the role of “Chip” with Nick, age 10 — another local student.
With regards to trying out for the current production, confesses Gabe, “I didn’t want to audition at first, but then it sounded pretty cool,” whereas Nick reveals, “My mom was auditioning so I said, ‘Why not?’”
Both youngsters say they’ve been involved in educational programs presented by Exit 82 where they’ve learned that rehearsal is crucial to creating quality theatrical performances. They both suggest that, for them, time spent rehearsing is essential in order for them to perfect their performances in Beauty and the Beast with Nick going on to explain they will need to “practice them over and over again.”
Exit 82’s production of Beauty and the Beast is directed by long-time Exit 82 team member, Sean Openshaw. With rehearsals in full swing, Openshaw and his cast are working hard to literally put the show “on its feet.” On this night at their rehearsal space in Toms River, for example, Openshaw is teaching the cast the choreography for the musical number, “Human Again.” States Openshaw, “This is a large-scale number that involves all of the enchanted objects of the Beast’s castle joyously celebrating what it will be like to be human again.”
Openshaw further explains, “’Human Again’ really gives the audience an overall idea of how this spell has affected not only the Beast, but also the entire castle. These objects are so excited and thrilled for the spell to be broken, and what better way in a musical than to express that through song?”
According to Davenport, Beast is actually a show that Exit 82 has dreamed of producing since it’s inception in 2008, explaining “the company finally has the resources and the venue to do it justice.” With such resources in place, Davenport says the finished production at The Strand promises to be “magical and enchanting, complete with special effects such as snow, bubbles, smoke, fog, and lights.”
Although some of the cast members of Beauty and the Beast are relatively new to Exit 82, at least one cast member, Tom Sharp, is not only a returning member, but also a cast member who appeared in the theater troupe’s inaugural production, 2009’s On the Town. In Beast, Sharp stars as Lumiere, a man who has been turned into a candelabra. Originally a student at Toms River High School East, Sharp is currently completing his Ph.D. at Temple University, but says he came back to take on this role with Exit 82 because, for him, performing has always been his “passion.”
Sharp says he’s truly impressed at how much Exit 82 has grown in the eight years since he last performed in one of their productions. Over the years, he has seen it blossom as an audience member and suggests how rewarding it is to be performing again with the group when he exclaims, “This is our Broadway stage,” and also reveals how much he looks forward to “taking in that moment with the audience and having the opportunity to perform for family and friends, as that’s what community theater is about.”
With Sharp in a major role, Openshaw at the helm, and an exciting cast of Jersey talent at the ready, Exit 82’s upcoming production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast promises to be an enlightening theater experience which can be enjoyed by family members of all ages.
That said, in order to be a resource for the entire community, Davenport points out that for families with very small children, in addition to full-length performances of Beast, on specific show dates, Exit 82 will also present Story Time with Belle and Friends, a pre-show “tea” which will take place before the matinee shows. According to Davenport, this experience can be a “good introduction to theater for children too young to attend a full-length performance,” and will be age-appropriate in that it will “not include any of the show’s scarier characters.”
Also of note is the fact that, at the Saturday Aug. 13, 2016, performance, youngsters from Children’s Specialized Hospital’s long-term care unit will be invited to attend the show. Each year, as a community organization, Exit 82 supports a local charity. This year’s designee is Children’s Specialized Hospital, and all proceeds of a raffle to be held at the performance on that date will be donated to CSH.
Beyond raising money for the community and featuring community members in the cast, Exit 82’s production of Beauty and the Beast at The Strand is sure to not only inspire a sense of occasion for the audience, but also for all of the local participants who perform in it as well.
Declares Openshaw, “You truly feel the passion and overall love of theater when you are a part of an Exit 82 Theatre production. Every single person is in that room for one purpose and that is to celebrate and enjoy the love of theater we all share and in the end, reap the rewards of a stellar production.”
As living proof that Openshaw practices what he preaches, one only needs to notice the back of his T-shirt which happens to feature a fitting quote from actress Amy Poehler. It says, “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life.”
With the creation of the Exit 82 Theatre Company eight years ago, the development of an inspiring dance number in the space of a single evening, and the production of an imaginative theater experience at The Strand for an audience of all ages, it’s clear that when it comes to Exit 82’s upcoming presentation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, there’s clearly a lot more there that wasn’t there before!
Exit 82s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will run from Aug. 5–13 with performances on Friday, Aug. 5 at 8pm; Saturday, Aug. 6 at 2pm & 8pm; Sunday, Aug. 7 at 2pm; Thursday, Aug. 11 at 7pm; Friday, Aug. 12 at 8pm; and Saturday, Aug. 13 at 2pm & 8pm at the historic Strand Theater, 400 Clifton Ave, Lakewood, NJ. Story Time with Belle and Friends, a pre-show “tea,” will take place from 12–1:30pm before the matinee shows on Sunday, Aug. 7 and Saturday, Aug. 13 with a separate admission. For more information, tickets, and more, please see Exit 82 Theatre.
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