Fusion team makes a Beautiful effort with a Beast of a job

A LOCAL production of 'Beauty and the Beast' next month will see the design debut of local student, Maria Mallon, who has been given responsibility for designing and painting the set for the production by Fusion Theatre.

Maria has been a member of the cast for several years, but this time is swapping treading the boards for painting them.

Director Ian Milford has always been keen to broaden the artistic experience of members of the group, and this production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast has presented him with opportunities to encourage several young members to spread their wings.

Maria showed her artistic talent when she painted some of the props for the Fusion production of Titanic the Musical in 2009. In fact she has based much of her assignment work for her art exams on her experience with the local youth theatre group. Ian discussed the ideas he had for the set with Maria, and she came up with various plans, one of which he selected as perfect for his modern, and spectacular production.

Once the plans had been finalised, Maria passed them to Fusion's construction team of Colum Campbell, Peter McNally, Neil McGarry, Ian Simpson and David McConkey. Thanks to the generosity of Joseph Tumelty, the owner of an unoccupied unit at the Leisureplex, and to various local suppliers who provided materials, the team began to build the set to Maria's plan. During the freezing conditions over Christmas, it slowly began to take shape, and was duly painted by Maria and her team.

At this point, some three weeks before the show is performed in the Island Centre, the Fusion production team is delighted to have a purpose built set which the cast can start to rehearse on, and which will help them to raise the standard of their performance even higher than that which has already brought such success.

Chairperson Anne McCleary said: "It is hard to believe that we are now in a position to design and build our own sets, and to this standard. On top of that, all those concerned are volunteers. Such commitment to Fusion is simply remarkable. Maria, Colum, Peter, Neil, Ian and David have more than lived up to the responsibility and trust which Ian had in them."

Disney's Beauty and the Beast will be performed at the Island Centre at 7.30pm from 16 to 19 February 16-19 and a matinee on Saturday February 19. Tickets are available from the box office on 9250 9254 and range between 10 and 14.

Pictured above are the Fusion set construction and painting team and, right, the set designer for Beauty and the Beast, Maria Mallon.

Members of the cast who went to visit the set unit in the Omniplex park last Saturday.

Maria Mallon, the set designer

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