Nashville, TN — Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) performs "The Beauty and the Beast," beginning Feb. 28 and running through March 18, 2012.

Written by Scot Copeland, NCT producing director, "The Beauty and the Beast" is an exquisitely theatrical adaptation of the French fairy tale ("La Belle et la Bête") by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont.

When writing, Copeland said he takes time to study the original tale to discover the essence of the story.

"Particularly if you are adapting a fairy tale, something that has been around for a few centuries, you've got to try to figure out why it's important," Copeland said. "I try to dig into that and do the only, absolutely true adaptation that has ever been done."

"The Beauty and the Beast" opens with a preview performance on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the preview performance are specially priced at $6/child and $12/adult. Additional public performances are scheduled for 2 p.m. on March 3, 10 and 11, March 17 and 18.

A special access performance will be offered on Saturday, March 17 at 11 a.m. for children with special needs. While NCT welcomes all children and families to any performance, on this morning families who have children with special needs are invited to enjoy this performance as a community. Tickets for this access performance are general admission, $12 per person.

All performances are open to the public, and reservations are recommended. Individual ticket prices are $12 per child (ages 2 to 17) or senior citizen, and $19 per adult. Group discounts are available.

Scheduled Extra Events

• Saturday, March 3 is NCT's "Opening Saturday" event, where the audience is invited to come to the theatre a little earlier than normal to enjoy free pre-show entertainment and activities, which begin at 1 p.m.

• Saturday, March 10 is NCT's free "After-words" event, and the audience can stay after the performance for a question-and-answer session with the cast.

The play, recommended for families and children age 7 and up, stars Marin Miller as Belle and Eric D. Pasto-Crosby as the Beast. Additional cast members include Chip Arnold, Peter Vann, Cori Anne Laemmel and Jamie Farmer. Copeland will direct the production. Set design is by Scott Boyd with lighting design by Scott Leathers, sound design by Dan Brewer and costume design by Patricia Taber. Music composed by Paul Carrol Binkley. "The Beauty and the Beast" is sponsored by Publix Super Market Charities. The Tennessee Arts Commission and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission provided additional funding support for the production as did Target, The Memorial Foundation and The Shubert Foundation.

For tickets and additional information, visit www.nashvillechildrenstheatre.org

Photo by Michael Scott Evans