Teams building sets for 'Beauty and Beast'

Local builders can hammer together great houses, but how about a castle fit for a beauty - and a beast?
 
That's the challenge a new theater company needing sets has posed to a local building supply stores, lumber yards and vocational students. So instead of building decks or working on home improvement projects, four teams have come together to build all the wooden wonder behind "Beauty and the Beast," the very first production of Desert Pointe Productions.
 
"These are Yuma people who really know how to give back to the community," said Geoffery Dewhurst, an organizer with the nonprofit performance company. "These are people who are here for Yuma, to do well by Yuma."
 
Teams who have answered the challenge are Arizona Western College's Building Trades program, Home Depot, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and Tom Lemmon Drywall. Building supplies have also been donated and discounted by 84 Lumber.
 
The curtain rises on "Beauty and the Beast" next month, so construction is fast under way on the sets, which are being split up among the teams. The bulk of the main set is being built by AWC Building Trades, with students working under the direction of Professor Dave Parish.
 
"AWC is really coming through," Dewhurst said. He added that Parish is also lending the group some taxidermy for the tavern scenes. "We even have some big moose antlers from a lady who used to hunt in Alaska."
 
The remaining teams are building everything from a village to a tavern.
 
Although a challenge, the sets project really isn't a competition. Dewhurst said all teams will be considered winners and will be honored on a "Wall of Fame" throughout the run of "Beauty and the Beast."

Dewhurst said the idea for the challenge was born out of a pretty practical need.
 
"It was 'Hey, do you want to do all this by yourself?'" he said, grinning. "I thought it might be a good idea to ask for help."
 
Dewhurst added that he knew Desert Pointe's call for help would be answered.
 
"When you ask this community for support, they tend to give you that support. That's what is neat about our town."
 
But there's still a little more help needed. A few set pieces still don't have builders, most notably a smoking and whirling "contraption" invented by character Belle's father.
 
"It just needs to look really cool and scientific," Dewhurst said, "with as many bells and whistles crammed into it as possible."
 
Help from painters and framers is also needed.
 
Businesses or organizations interested in helping Desert Pointe Productions with set building can contact the group through its Web site at www.desertpoint.org.


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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.