Before Highland Park middle and intermediate school students retold a classic fairy tale, they got a taste of Broadway magic themselves.
Kerry Butler, a Tony-nominated actress whose stage credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast and roles in more than ten other Broadway productions, and Pierce Cravens, who played Chip in Beauty and the Beast before becoming an actor and producer, visited MIS/HPMS ahead of the school’s production of Beauty and the Beast Jr.
The two shared stories, answered questions, and offered hard-won perspectives to the fifth through eighth graders who had spent months building props, mastering choreography, and perfecting demanding vocal parts.
Cravens recalled his own time in the wings with humor. During Ragtime, he snuck in games of laser tag — until the beams began bleeding into the sound system.
“The audience was hearing ‘pew, pew, pew’ from backstage,” he said, to laughter. “(The stage managers) were not very happy with me.”
On the subject of rejection, both were candid. Butler, who spent more than a decade auditioning before her Broadway breakthrough, told students she still faces rejection daily. Her turning point came when she leaned into what made her distinctive, a self-described “really, really nerdy” quality that unlocked her gift for comedy.
“Every single one of you is different and unique and special,” she told the young performers. “And when you find that thing that makes you special, embrace that.”
Butler spent over two hours coaching students on vocal technique and emotional authenticity, encouraging them to inhabit their characters’ inner lives rather than simply deliver lines. The effect was not lost on the cast.
“It felt like I was under her wing, like she was teaching me how to actually be on Broadway,” said eighth-grader Sophia Colenso, who played Madame Wardrobe.
Fifth-grader Piper Henderson, who played Chip, a child turned teacup who longs to be human again, had a specific plan for putting Butler’s advice to work. Butler had encouraged students to draw on genuine personal longing to fuel their characters’ emotions.
“Kerry Butler told me to think of something that I really wanted,” Henderson said. “So, during ‘Be Our Guest,’ I’m going to think of a new dog.”
Butler and Cravens’ visits were made possible by a grant from HP Arts, the Raider Drama Booster Club, and HPMS theater director Genevieve Croft. Butler flew in from New York for the occasion; Cravens, who now lives in Highland Park, was a local connection who helped bring it together.
The day closed with a cabaret performance for students’ families, with Butler offering songs from her time on Broadway, before a duet with Shannon Howerton, who co-directed the MIS/HPMS production alongside Croft.
“I’ve been a theater kid since I was probably six years old,” Howerton said. “To perform with a genuine Broadway star — that’s a dream I’ve had since I was a little kid.”
For her final number, Butler walked onstage arm-in-arm with the eighth graders who alternate in the role of Belle, sharing the spotlight with much of the cast.
“It was so inspiring to hear about people who had made it — and how they were like me once,” said eighth-grader Maggie Boone, who played Belle. “They loved theater. It was incredible.”
