POTSDAM -- Community Performance Series has announced the 2012 summer musical will be Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," one of Broadway's modern classics, inspired by the Oscar-winning animated version of the age-old fairy tale.

"Beauty and the Beast" will be presented from Tuesday, July 31 to Saturday, Aug. 4 in the Snell Music Theater at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. The stage version of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" is based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature and includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Menken and Tim Rice.

The musical transports audiences to the heart of provincial life in a lovely French town. When Maurice becomes lost in the woods on the way to the fair, he seeks shelter in an old castle, but the master of the castle is a horrible beast that takes him captive. Maurice's daughter, Belle, must then give up her freedom to save his life. Belle's taming of the unfortunate Beast and his ultimate transformation back into a handsome prince enthralled audiences for more than 13 years, as one of the longest-running shows on Broadway.

The production will be directed by Chad Larabee, a New York City-based director. Larabee's credits include the Off-Broadway revival of Garson Kanin's "Dreyfus in Rehearsal" and the world-premiere of the musical "POPart."

Auditions for the musical will be held on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. More information on casting and requirements will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Tickets for this production will go on sale for Producer's Club members on Monday, April 16 and will be available for the general public on Monday, June 4. For more information on joining the Producer's Club, call CPS at 267-2412.