Role of Belle thrills Canfield native

Elysia Shutrump has a long history with Easy Street
Productions.

TRACEY D’ASTOLFO

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDEN

YOUNGSTOWN — When Elysia Shutrump explores the Beast’s enchanted castle as Belle on the Powers Auditorium stage Friday, her amazement and awe will be authentic.

That’s because it will only be the second time Shutrump has seen the huge revolving split-story set, although she has been rehearsing for weeks.

A sophomore in musical theater at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., Shutrump will return to Youngstown to play the lead role of Belle in Easy Street Production’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

The Canfield native was thrilled when she got the part, and became determined to work it around her busy school schedule.

I have always loved [’Beauty and the Beast’],” said Shutrump. “I’ve known these characters since I was a little girl and I know Belle so well. I am so excited just to wear [Belle’s] blue dress, because it is so iconic to little girls. You’re not playing a character people aren’t familiar with, you are Belle. So when they asked me to do it I said ‘All right, we’ll make it work.’”

Shutrump memorized all her lines while working at Busch Gardens in Virginia this summer. She returned to Youngstown at the end of August, and completed her blocking for the show in the five days before returning to school.

She had one weekend to rehearse with the entire cast before the show, and one day to rehearse on the actual set.

“I asked a lot of my professors for advice because basically this is how it’s done in professional theater,” she said. “They bring the cast in and they have a week [to rehearse together] and then they do the show. But in this case I don’t even have a week because I can’t miss class.”

Support from teachers

Shutrump had to ask permission from the head of the theater department at Ithaca but said he was very supportive, as were the rest of her teachers.

“My voice teacher is amazing and she has been working with me on [‘Beauty and the Beast’].” My one acting teacher said I should be able to say my lines like I say the Pledge of Allegiance, be able to recite them without even having to think about them,” said Shutrump. “It’s one of those things that you don’t want to be a thought in your mind. You want to be able to focus on the other things that you need to focus on at any given moment.”

Shutrump said she practices at studios on campus, and relies on the advice of her professors to help her prepare.

“One thing my professors suggested, which I did, was put everybody else’s lines on a cassette tape,” said Shutrump. “When I go to the studio to practice, I turn the tape on and walk the blocking, so the blocking [will be second nature].”

Shutrump said she is not worried about the minimal time she has to practice with the cast.

“When I get there I’ll work with everyone else a lot, but they are so good and we’re all really comfortable with each other, so I’m not worried.”

Shutrump started performing with Easy Street Productions at age 6, as one of the original Easy Street Little Rascals.

Another role Shutrump played was Dorothy in Easy Street’s production of “The Wizard of Oz,” and she laughs about the costume similarities.

“When I played Dorothy, I got to wear the little blue dress and everyone else had on face paint and big awkward costumes. Now I am playing Belle and wearing another little blue dress and everyone else is wearing big furry costumes and teapots,” she said.