Putting on a musical can be quite a job, however Jordan Clark, the drama teacher here at Lewis-Palmer High school, has the passion and tools to make musicals great. This year’s Beauty and the Beast will be Mr. Clark’s fifth musical put on at LP. Oklahoma, Urinetown, Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Adams Family were the other musicals that have been performed in previous years.

While choosing this years musical, Mr. Clark decided to go with an enjoyable family friendly show, thus creating the idea to do Beauty and the Beast. With over one hundred students involved in the show ether in cast or on crew, Mr. Clark has to rely on student leaders and other directors to help make the show as productive as possible.

“My favorite part for putting on musicals is how collaborative they are; there is no way any one person could put on the show by themselves,” Mr. Clark said.

Mr. Clark has been involved in his school’s drama department since he was a high school student. In high school, he performed the role of Javert in Les Miserable. He goes on to say that he has always loved working with high school students and acting, so being able to bridge the two together is perfect for him.

“Being a director, I get to spend time with kids and walk with them in parts of their life, not only as a director, but also as a mentor and as a counselor of sorts,” Mr. Clark said.

“From my perspective, Beauty and the Beast has a team that shares the common goal of presenting the best musical that they possibly can,” Mr. Clark said. “I feel like all cast members are coming to achieve that goal very well.”

According to Mr. Clark, what makes a good actor is someone who does their research and puts as much effort into their role as they can. He continues to say an actor should be able to understand their characters goals and objectives better than anyone else can.

When talking about why he enjoys acting and being a director Mr. Clark said, “I have always loved the idea of storytelling and being able to use an art form in which storytelling can be expressed in such a three dimensional, honest, human way.”

With Beauty and the Beast premiering on November 8th, Mr. Clark thinks that as long as cast and crew put their best foot forward, the show should turn out great and the audience should really enjoy it.