GRAYSLAKE – “Lumiere, can you light up your candles?”
“Lumiere,” played by Caleb Christensen, nods and brandishes both hands, ensconced in two prop candles that match the one covering most of his head.
As if by magic, the LED lights switch on and his candles seem to dance and flicker with candlelight. Christensen stands beneath the iconic “Beauty and the Beast” stained-glass rose with Cogsworth (played by Jeremy Podolske), Maurice (Matthew Gattone) and other cast members playing inhabitants of the Beast’s enchanted castle.
The crew makes a few final lighting adjustments and it’s on to the next scene.
It’s “tech week” for the Lake County chapter of Christian Youth Theater Chicago.
The theatrical group has officially moved into the theater in the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts at Grayslake’s College of Lake County and Jan. 28 is its first time stepping onto the stage to begin final preparations before opening night.
This night, the focus is on the tech and lighting crew. The actors are present in various stages of costume and makeup, but they are there more as stage markers to allow the lead director and the tech crew to program the lighting for each scene.
During rehearsals, the cast and crew will be at the theater from 5 to 9 p.m. each night finalizing and perfecting their cues, costumes and makeup and smoothing out any hiccups to allow for a flawless production for their audiences.
Opening day for CYT’s winter performance of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” is for school performances – open to school groups or field trips coming to see the show.
The theater opens the doors to the public for four performances beginning at 7 p.m. Feb. 1. The show will run through the weekend.
Beyond the theater doors in the foyer, other “enchanted objects” are taking a snack break and chatting among themselves while they wait for their next cue to return to the stage. CYT actors range from 8 to 18 years old, and the theater is a veritable grab bag of children, tweens and teenagers.
Lake County Chapter Coordinator Amanda Lynch watches them all with a smile on her face.
Lynch has participated in CYT since 2013, when her daughter first began performing with them, and this is her second year as chapter coordinator. CYT Chicago and its chapters are open to all children interested in pursuing theater, whether it’s enrolling in acting classes, signing up for CYT camps or auditioning for a production. (She does specify that children must be signed up for a class to be eligible for auditions.)
“Because we are not a school program, we have kids that are from everywhere,” she said. “Some of the most talented kids in Lake County come to our shows because it’s so rare that you can be in a show that has professional-looking lights and professional-looking sets ... but that also has this really warm and supportive community.”
This is 11-year-old Siena Pietraszak’s eighth performance with CYT Chicago. In the past, the Lake Villa resident has played Twin Two in “Peter Pan” and a Jitter Bug (among other roles) in “The Wizard of Oz.” In this production, she plays an enchanted knife.
Pietraszak pauses before hurrying backstage with her fellow enchanted flatware to express what it means to be part of such a community.
“If you have a bad day or week, you just come and dance it out,” she said. “You can talk to anybody. Everyone’s always there for you and everyone’s always so kind and loving and friendly. And you get to do theater.”
Tickets are available through CYT Chicago’s website for the Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 night performances, as well as the matinees on both Feb. 2 and Feb. 3.
IF YOU GO
What: “Beauty and the Beast”
When: 9:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Jan. 31; 9:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 1; 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Feb. 2; and 2 p.m. Feb. 3
Where: College of Lake County James Lumber Center, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake.
Cost: $15 for adults in advance; $13 for children up to 17 and for seniors over 62; $17 at the door.
Information: www.cytchicago.org