LEWISBURG, WV (WOAY)- The bells of Notre Dame and their famous bell ringer have made their way to Lewisburg.
The Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Carnegie Hall, and the Greenbrier Valley Chorale will be putting on “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” This will be the first time the three organizations have teamed up to put on a show.
“We got our three boards together to make sure that they were in agreement with us,” said Cathy Rennard, President and CEO of Carnegie Hall. “And of course, there was just no question that this opportunity doesn’t come around every day that we needed to jump on this, and move forward.”
Choosing “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was an easy decision for this first-time collaboration.
“So basically we chose the piece based on what we can do to feature the chorale because they are such a staple here in Lewisburg, and we wanted to be able to feature them,” said Paul Stancato, Producing Artistic Director of Greenbrier Valley Theatre. “And then, once we had our title with The Hunchback, then we went to New York and found all the actors to play the lead and supporting roles. We got very fortunate because we were also able to bring in a local talent.”
Lewisburg local and WVU musical theatre student Emarya Montgomery was called in to fill a role in the show.
“She’s an ensemble member and a gargoyle. So I think that in the gargoyles, there’s four gargoyles. So I think that if you know Emarya, you’ll be able to spot her right from the get,” said Stancato. “That’s not because she looks like a gargoyle. She wears a mask. I swear.”
This cast has around 50 people putting on a staged concert version of the beloved Disney musical.
However, Stancato says there is more that brings the show to life than just the cast on stage. So, if you want to hear the bells of Notre Dame, go check out Carnegie Hall this weekend.
“When we bring shows together, the audience is the final piece of that puzzle. Live theater and live entertainment are so vital, especially since we’re still coming out of the pandemic, and it really is a shared experience. It is really important that we experience it live and together,” explained Stancato. “So having the audience here is going to be that final piece of the puzzle, but they’re going to see the final product, and they’re not going to see all of the work and all of the behind-the-scenes people that go to make this up. I think that what’s important is that we also pay them tribute or, between our set designers, our box office people are the press in marketing. It really does take a small army to put a show up.”
The show opens tomorrow night at 7:30 pm. They will have additional shows on Friday at 7:30 and Saturday and Sunday at 3 and 8 pm.
You can visit the link below for tickets, but hurry, though, as tickets are limited!
carenegiehallwv.org
