There aren’t many theater actors out there who get to experience a show the way Anthony and I have experienced it. Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite movie since childhood, and when I found out my favorite theater in the woods was putting on a production way back in 2008, it felt like destiny. I just HAD to play Belle in their show, and I dragged my new boyfriend of two months to audition with me. We worked hard and got lucky, and ended up cast as Belle and Beast for the production. I felt like all my dreams had come true! Anthony was a charming, sweet Prince-turned-Beast, and I was just thrilled to get to sing my favorite songs in a big yellow ballgown. The cast and crew were so patient with me, despite my 18-year-old opinion that I knew everything I could possibly know about Belle and how to play her on stage.
Anthony and I were both seniors in high school that year, and doing the show felt like the culmination of all my years of school shows, vocal lessons, and choir training. I was set to go off to the University of Washington to study music, and Anthony was going as well. We already knew we loved each other, so we decided to stay together all through college.
Despite knowing how most high school sweetheart relationships end, we stuck it out through our time in college and our relationship deepened. When I decided to leave Washington to go perform as Princess Ariel and Queen Elsa at Disney World, Anthony followed after me only a few months later. I got to experience life as a professional actor, and we lived in Florida and Los Angeles for a few years before deciding to come back home to Washington. We also got married!
We have been married for almost seven years, and together for fourteen. I had some serious health problems in 2019 and Anthony was a firm rock by my side the whole time. When I found out my beloved Kitsap Forest Theater was doing Beauty and the Beast again for their 2020 spring show a fire was lit in me and I was determined to get well enough to play Belle again. It had been twelve years since our original production, and I had deepened my understanding of the craft of acting, and had been as “real” a Disney princess as anyone gets to be. How marvelous would it be, I thought, to get to play the roles that had helped us fall in love all those years ago.
Luckily for me, that’s exactly what happened! Anthony and I were once more cast as Belle and Beast. Unluckily for all of us, four days after our readthrough, the whole country shut down from Covid-19. We held out hope that we’d still be able to pull the show off that spring, but as time passed it became clear that we’d have to postpone. I spent my time focusing on recovering from my treatments and surgeries, and had the theatrical spark fanned again in last year’s production of Little Women, The Musical at Kistap Forest Theater.
Finally, after two years we get to put on this new production of Beauty and the Beast! The cast is brilliantly talented, the sets are magical, and the costumes are glorious. It’s been incredible to reconnect with our KFT community and to bring new people into the fold. I have gotten to spend time with family and some of my dearest friends, all while rehearsing for this incredible show.
As an actor I feel so fulfilled knowing that I have a new depth and life experience to bring to the role of Belle. I know how to make her a full, vibrant character and how to invite our wonderful audience to come on this journey with us. But the best part for me, after all these years, is that I have gotten to do it all with my partner, best friend, and the forever Beast to my Belle. We are both looking forward to getting to share this show, and our love, with all of you!
Tickets available at www.foresttheater.com/tickets. Show runs Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm until Father's Day, June 19.
Ila Faubion Dresseen, May 31, 2022