Teen plans a 'Beauty' of a ball in York

An enterprising high school freshman is bringing the magic of “Beauty and the Beast” to a dance for teens.

The Teen “Beauty and the Beast” Ball, an evening for ages 13 to 19, will be held 7-10 p.m. Jan. 16 at DreamWrights Youth and Family Theatre, 100 Carlisle Ave., York.

Spearheaded by DreamWrights volunteer Jacob Schlenker, a freshman at the York County School of Technology, the event will benefit the theater. Schlenker is a dedicated set worker at DreamWrights and has been arranging lush vegetation in the castle garden, the “Be Our Guest” table and more set pieces as backdrops for the dance.

“The concession area at DreamWrights is going to be transformed so that it looks like a ballroom,” Schlenker said.

He painted some floor to ceiling windows to have a view of stars and more stars will appear on the ceiling as four chandeliers slowly dim.

Schlenker, a culinary student at York Tech, is also organizing French-inspired refreshments, including platters of vegetables, fruit and cheese and crackers, fruit punch and vanilla cupcakes with chocolate curls.

“He’s really taken full control of this and really has a vision for it,” said DreamWrights Marketing Coordinator Hilary Trout of Schlenker’s project.

Trout said DreamWrights has hosted teen dances in past summers and Schlenker proposed a winter dance that would be thematic.

The romantic fantasy of “Beauty and the Beast” will encompass everything from the music to a photo booth with props.

A teen DJ will provide tunes which will include pop hits and songs from the musical. A “beauty” dance off for girls and a “beast” dance off for boys are planned.

Admission is $10 at the door. Semi-formal attire is requested.

Visit the theater online at DreamWrights.org.