Inside ‘Beyond the Gates’ Cotillion: A Shocking Death, Drama, and Debutantes

A pivotal week is about to unfold on Beyond the Gates as the much-anticipated cotillion takes center stage — just as a shocking death rocks the residents of Fairmont Crest.

“These episodes are really like nothing that we feel like people have seen before,” teases executive producer Sheila Ducksworth, who also serves as president of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture. “Yes, there have been cotillions on television before, but the way that we’re doing it, in the milieu in which it’s set, is just incredibly unique. It’s an institution that has existed in Black America for over 100 years, and it really speaks to legacy, it speaks to culture, it speaks to heritage, and also resilience.”

To capture the grandeur of the cotillion, the show pulled out all the stops. “This series of episodes, they’re huge, they’re big,” Ducksworth previews. “They required a separate stage. It’s everything that you would want in a real cotillion, and I have to say that that has been the foundation of our show is that we take a lot of time to get it right. What would the floors look like? What would the walls look like? What would the entire experience look like and feel like? We didn’t want to just have one or two or three debutantes and escorts. We have nine of them. So, we have a really great showing of folks that are taking this rite of passage, and we wanted it to feel just so real.”

Quantrell Colbert/CBS

Mounting a production of this scale required extensive coordination across every department. “It’s really an incredible endeavor to put this cotillion together on so many levels, for it to look as good as it does, and also to give the audience the highlights of what a real cotillion could look like,” Ducksworth notes. “So just like with any show, it is truly all hands on deck, but this was to a much greater magnitude, because we had so many people that populate these episodes.”

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That attention to detail extends to every aspect of the episodes, from the gowns to the choreography to the music. “When you speak to some of the things that really make this episode special, you talk about the wardrobe,” Ducksworth continues. “Jeresa Featherstone is our costume designer, and you will see the most gorgeous white dresses that these nine women wear, and all the people coming to the debutante ball, what they’re wearing, it’s just a sight to behold. You’re going to see the handiwork of our choreographer, Jamaica Craft, who is bar none the best in Atlanta. We have used her on several occasions. She has put so much into this, and the choreography is definitely a traditional waltz with a touch of contemporary that I think the audience is really going to love. Our music is run by Kurt Farquhar, who is the most prolific composer in all of television today. He did our theme song, and does our composing episode to episode, but he actually composed himself this waltz music, so when people hear it, this is the handiwork of Kurt Farquhar. We’re definitely pleased that this is all custom-made and handcrafted.”

For Ducksworth, seeing every element finally come together in the episodes that kick off today was especially rewarding. “Oh, my gosh, [they are] just everything that I could possibly want,” she enthuses. “Truly, it really is a work of art. The production value is really off the charts, and I think people will really appreciate it. One of the things that I’ve noticed about our audience is that they pick up on everything and every little detail. There’s a lot of conversation or comment on it, and I really appreciate that because there’s so much detail that goes into the show. It’s not just the colors; it’s every little thing. And where we can have something mean something, we do. We just had a conversation last week on a new set that everyone’s going to see in October. We’re really excited about it. It’s a brand-new set, and the conversation was, ‘What can we add to the set, what kind of heirloom, that could tie into something else?’”

 

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Between the elegance of the cotillion and the drama surrounding the younger cast, Ducksworth says viewers are in for something memorable. “Tune in, because it’ll be something that you’ve never, ever seen,” she sums up. “Tune in because there is importance to what we’re saying with the show, but also just the sheer enjoyment of being able to see what one of these cotillions looks like and feels like. I think people will just be beside themselves; we definitely are working for that to be the goal. You’ll see a lot of stuff with the younger set that you haven’t seen before, and a lot of that plays into the cotillion and then beyond the cotillion.”

Still, not everything unfolding is cause for celebration, as a far more ominous storyline is taking shape. And according to Ducksworth, the fallout will send shockwaves through Fairmont Crest and leave lasting consequences in its wake. “As usual, there are so many surprises with the show,” she teases. “And we have a storyline that is embedded in this episode that is really a game-changer.”

Beyond the Gates, Weekdays, CBS, Check Local Listings