To say that Area Stage Company’s immersive reimagining of Beauty and The Beast took the South Florida theatre world by storm may be a bit of an understatement. Along with earning rave reviews across the board and picking up several major awards including a Silver Palm and 4 Carbonells, the show sold out the entirety of its six week run last August. Demand for tickets remained high enough at the show’s close to warrant its current return engagement, which has also been selling out the majority of its performances.  

On what is in many ways a typical Wednesday evening at Area Stage Company’s Sunset Drive headquarters, showtunes seem to be emanating from every corner and posters from productions past attest to a decades-long history. Actors of all ages and abilities stream constantly in and out of various classrooms and studios, who may be attendees at one of three separate classes going on or hail from one of two separate rehearsals.

Community outreach has always been a core tenet of Area Stage Company’s theatrical philosophy, which is why we host productions that enrich the lives of both our actors and our audience. Theatre should be available to everyone and that is why our Inclusion Theatre Project is so important to us. ITP has given us a chance to engage with audiences and actors who wouldn’t normally take the center spotlight! 

Area Stage Company attended the 45th Annual Carbonell Awards on November 7th. Beauty and the Beast took home the most Carbonell Awards for a production this year, with Area Stage receiving the second most awards as a company overall. Giancarlo’s wins for both Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production of a Musical make him the youngest director in Carbonell history to receive these honors. The cast performed a rousing medley of the production’s most memorable songs, to roaring applause and high praise from audience members.

Area Stage Company (ASC) has been around a long time – first established in 1989 by John and Maria Rodaz in Miami Beach. The professional theater company and conservatory subsequently had 12 exciting years at the Riviera Theatre in South Miami and now makes a black box space and new studio their home at Sunset Place.

So, what suddenly makes Area Stage the theater to watch? It’s their son’s directorial forte in reconfiguring established material to present it in an entirely new light – something he’s getting the opportunity to do in a much more high-profile venue at the Adrienne Arsht Center.