When Cottonwood Heights decided to perform Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” last summer, detractors thought they wouldn’t be able to pull it off. They worried that the big production was too much for an organization of its size to take on.

But when the 2024 BroadwayWorld Salt Lake City Awards announced the nominees for regional productions and touring shows, the Cottonwood Heights production received 15 nominations. It won for Best Costume Design, with the award going to designer Lauri Baird.

“Lauri wasn’t just the costume designer,” said Kate Hoflich, Cottonwood Heights culture coordinator. “She was the overall design manager for the whole show. So she coordinated the entire vision from the lighting and the set, and, of course, the costumes and the wigs and the whole aesthetic.”

Along with Best Costume Design, the production was nominated for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Brighton Sloan), Best Scenic Design of a Play or Musical (Cottonwood Heights resident Bill Fox), Best Choreography (Heather Sessions Gaillard), Best Music Direction and Orchestra Performance (Robert “BJ” Bedont), Best Performer in a Musical (Summer Sloan Alvey as “Belle”), Best Performer in a Musical (Zac Freeman as “Beast”), Best Performer in a Musical (Garrett Stephens as “Gaston”), Best Performer in a Musical (Cottonwood Heights resident Jin-Xiang Yu as “Mrs. Potts”), Best Supporting Performer in a Musical (James Carter as “Lumiere”), Best Supporting Performer in a Musical (Spencer Mack as “Le Fou”), Best Supporting Performer in a Musical (Benzley Packard as “Silly Girl”), Best Ensemble and Favorite Local Theatre.

“I think that our production team made it stand out. We kind of assembled a dream team,” Hoflich said. “I think that having the director and overall designer work so closely together, and they’ve been working together for a long time, that they brought in people they knew would work well with each other. I think it was all about the team that we assembled.”

“Beauty and the Beast” was performed at Butler Middle School (7530 S. 2700 East) in July 2024. Hoflich said audiences loved the scope of the production with its many costume changes, dance numbers and big chorus.

“Just the volume of costumes alone was intense. I think we had eight costume racks just stuffed with costumes,” she said. “I think we had 40 wigs and the wigs were no joke. One of the wigs was the wig that Madame de la Grande Bouche wore. It had a compartment that opened like a jewelry box that she could pull things out of.”

Lauri Baird will be back this summer as the director of Cottonwood Heights’ 15th musical production. “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” is based on the beloved series and is a relatively new show that Hoflich thinks audiences will love.

“We’re really proud of Lauri and with the next musical, we’re hoping to bring back that high-level production value. The Arts Council is ready to roll. It’s such a labor of love for everyone involved.” λ