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269-223-SHELLY KEHRLE-SULSER
Executive Editor
Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”
will be performed live in Battle
Creek Aug. 9-11 by Unity Theatre
Co. in partnership with Kellogg
Community College’s (KCC)
Lifelong Learning Program as the
culmination of a weeklong theatre
camp at Binda Performing Arts
Theatre, said Unity’s founder and
director, Jack Austin.
“The camp rehearses for two weeks
July 29 through Aug. 9,” explained
Austin, a KCC Bruin Youth Summer
Camp instructor.
The public can attend the produc-
tions by purchasing $10 tickets on
the KCC website or via unity-theatre.
com/tickets.
More than 40 campers ages 10 to
18 who registered in March comprise
cast and crew.
Assisting Austin with the camp
and production is Lifelong Learning
Assistant Director Abbie Brennan,
as well as Unity Theatre Company
Choreographer Tsea Lynn and Music
Director Logan Robertson.
Costumer is Bonnie Moser.
“I chose Beauty and the Beast
because it’s obviously a classic,”
said Austin. “I love to shows that
include magic and kind of just
enchanting themes. And this one is
super fun too. I mean, you have a
love story. It’s just a classic story.
You can’t really go wrong with it. It
hasn’t been done in the area recently
and actually they’re taking away the
licensing for ‘Beauty and the Beast’
at the end of the year. So this is the
last chance for community theaters to
be doing Beauty and the Beast for a
while so I want to take advantage of
that it goes away for a bit.”
Both Austin and Robertson are
students at Western Michigan
University.
Austin, a 2022 Lakeview High
School graduate, founded Unity
Theatre Company last year whenJack Austin’s Unity Theatre, founded
last year, will stage it’s second
theatre camp production, Beaty and
the Beast, Aug. 9-11 at the Binda
Theatre on the campus of Kellogg
Community College. (File photo)Unity Theatre Co. nominated for
Josie Independent Music Award
the summer camp troupe performed
“Matilda the Musical.”
“In those two weeks,” said Austin,
“they learn music, choreography,
lines, all of the stuff it takes to put
on a full length musical. It’s hon-
estly incredible what they do in two
weeks.”
After only a year of operation,
Unity Theatre Company has been
nominated for “Music Business of
the Year” at the Josie Independent
Music Awards at the Grand Ole
Opry after Austin entered the organi-
zation for consideration.
“This nomination means we’ve
been recognized for our contribu-
tion to the music industry through
a theatrical lens,” he said of the
submission-based nomination. “We
are the only theatre company to be
nominated in this category and the
only business from Michigan.”
Austin has also been nominated in
three categories for his personal per-
formance career and songwriting for
the second consecutive year, he said.
This year, he is a contender for
Rising Star of the Year, Vocalist of
the Year for pop and for Rock Song
of the Year for his original song,
See MUSIC AWARD on 10