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
Sometimes it’s cold. I miss a warm dressing room. Sometimes is
sweltering in layers of heavy costumes. I miss an air-conditioned building. Sometimes it’s wet. I miss a roof. But all of that is worth it for the unique joys and fun challenges of producing shows outdoors at KFT. When nature obliges right on cue with a gentle breeze, birdsong, sunburst, or shower, it is truly magical. The challenges we face together as cast and crew create unity and connection. We all need that now. I have been blessed to experience an entire performance in a soaking drizzle-the audience right there with us-sticking it out through thick or thin, ever appreciative of our valiant efforts, and we of them. But most days are perfect: a little sun, a little cloud cover, a lovely summer breeze, abundant fresh air, and limitless creativity.
Playing Marmee in Little Women is a real joy, especially with so many actual family members and very talented cast members to play alongside. I love being part of an ensemble cast. Everyone encourages and challenges each other to bring the best of what we have to every rehearsal and performance. The music in Little Women is fantastic, and Marmee gets to sing two beautiful and poignant songs. I can’t wait to share them with you.
I love Kitsap Forest Theater because it truly feels like home. I remember vividly the first time I walked down the trail to the theater
when I was 15, and I knew then my heart had been captured forever. The cedar and the rhododendrons, the ferns and the huckleberrys, and the moss and fir growing alongside the trail to the theater makes the experience like nothing else. I've always been a nature-vibing outdoorsy person, so a place where I can combine my love of theater with my love of our PNW ecosystem is incredible. I've performed now on many stages across the country, sometimes for crowds of thousands, but none have captivated me as much as Kitsap Forest Theater. Now that I live on the Kitsap Peninsula, I plan on performing on my favorite dirt stage with my family as many times as I am able, and hope to pass on the love of this theater to future generations.
high school. I'd heard about the theater from a friend, and was lucky enough to land a role the first time I auditioned! I kept performing at KFT through high school, in Robin Hood: The Legend Continues and in Beauty and the Beast, and then was in Sound of Music and Into the Woods while I was in college at the University of Washington. I was planning on returning to the theater last spring in Beauty and the Beast once again, and while I'm sad that show has once again been postponed, I'm so happy that the incredible production team, KFT committee, and the cast members were able to pull off such a fun production of Little Women, despite the wild year everyone has had. 
Jo March is an incredible character, and I am so honored to be able to tell her story. I remember reading Little Women when I was 9 or 10 years old, and I, as so many young tomboyish outdoorsy girls do, saw myself in her immediately. Jo is a great example of how the dreams of our childhoods can keep burning through a whole lifetime, even if they change shape as we grow older. She has a fire in her, and has inspired girls to fight for their dreams for over 150 years. The songs she sings in this show are beautiful, difficult, and poignant, and I love performing them each time I get the opportunity. It's wonderful working with this team and with both casts, as we learn from each other and flesh out these characters. 
After battling cancer two years ago, I am so grateful to be cancer-free and healthy enough to be performing Jo in a way that I hope honors her character: full of exuberance and an abundant passion for life.