From March 31 to April 2 of 2022, Pottsgrove High School’s Theater Company finally performed their long-awaited production of Beauty and The Beast! The show was a golden hit and a wonderful comeback after some time without any productions. However, the show would not have been as beautiful and enchanting without the creation of scenery and the addition of props. The show’s audience and performers alike were able to be enwrapped in the magical and romantic world of Beauty and The Beast with the help of Ms. Karoline Daly. 

Ms. Karoline Daly is one of Pottsgrove High School’s talented art teachers! Ms. Daly was first asked to join the theater directorial team in the 2019-2020 school year as an art director for the production of The Addam’s Family. Although the show was canceled due to covid-19 school closings, Ms. Daly joined the directors again for the production of Beauty and The Beast. In an interview with Ms. Daly, she stated she had a few years of experience with art/stage crew directing for theater. She had worked at North Penn Middle School for several years, where she developed her skills and brought inspiration to Pottsgrove productions. She even met Charlie, the carpenter who helps build the sets and makes her ideas come to life, at North Penn and invited him to join the Pottsgrove team! Daly stated that 2019 was a restart year—a year a new theater team was gelling their ideas together, and Ms. Fritshaffer (choir/theater director) hoped for a solid, well-oiled team. 

Ms. Fritshaffer got just what she wished for! Ms. Daly is a hard-working, prepared, passionate teacher and director—perfect for this new team! Ms. Daly showed me her photo album, file folder, and keep-sake box filled with previous show ideas, plans, and models, and the preparation and organization she took for Beauty and The Beast BEFORE the show started, since “We want to make sure we have everything in line so it is time well spent… It is beautiful to have everything planned so it’s in order and we don’t waste our volunteers’ time.” Ms. Daly knows Grove students take pride in our work, stating, “This is high school and we need to show that… I like when my honors art students volunteer and show their talents through prop creation.” As a prepared individual and quoted Disney fan, Ms. Daly thoroughly researched the show and Disney in general.  She found that “Any Disney production has a lot of indoors and outdoors, so I like to use spinners or triangle sets to turn and change scenes… I think because of this play and the resources Mr. Kelly left us, it was a gift.” That’s right! Ms. Daly takes pride in incorporating Pottsgrove Theater’s past with the present by reusing previous sets gifted by past directors and honoring them within the show. She showed me a few sets honoring both Mr. Kelly and, the late Ms. Forrest through Maurice’s machine, spinners, and the rose-glass window hanging above the castle (for Ms. Forrest). If you’re a Disney fan like Ms. Daly, she told me she had a blast incorporating hidden Mickeys throughout the stage. She wanted to have a little fun and further the magic by adding a mickey behind the wardrobe, Aladdin’s lamp, Merida’s cross-bow, Snow White’s apples, and more to the set. If you spotted them, leave a comment on the article! Besides the creation of a magical, immersive set, Ms. Daly was always prepared backstage for the unexpected… “Something I’ve learned as a prop-master is that you always have to have a backup and things happen”. She was prepared with safety pins, bobby pins, tissues, bandaids, extra glue, nails, and bins full of prop pieces/back-ups, just in case someone needed something. Ms. Daly proved time and time again that she is a prepared, enthusiastic, and essential part of the team. She made sure her new stage crew members were prepared and she was ready to face any challenge that faced the stage. 

Thank you to Ms. Daly for such a large contribution to the creation of a “Tale as Old As Time”. The show is beyond memorable and is largely due to the scenery and props you created! The Pottsgrove community cannot wait to see what you create in the future!