Q&A with Carter Lynch

Wow! The last few months have flown by. We hope that you had a great Holiday Season, and that your New Year is rolling along smoothly. We noticed that it had been a while since we updated our blog, so much has happened since we last updated.

But where do we start? Perhaps it would be best to introduce you to one of our newest cast members: Carter Lynch!

We asked Carter a few questions, and he took some time out of his busy tour schedule to answer. Let’s dive right in!

Beauty Blogger: Hi Carter! Welcome to the Company. First things first: whom do you play in Beauty and the Beast?

Carter: I am a member of the ensemble and my specific role is the Baker. However, I also regularly appear as a gargoyle and an enchanted object throughout the show.

BB: Wow, I bet that keeps you busy. Do you understudy anyone in the show?

Carter: I understudy both The Beast and Gaston, and I have performed as The Beast three times since joining the tour.

BB: I’ll bet that was exciting. Where did you grow up?

Carter: I am from Bethesda, Maryland, which is located about 15 minutes outside of Washington, D.C.

BB: Where did you work before joining the tour?

Carter: I worked at the Equinox Fitness Club in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

BB: I bet that helped you get fit for the tour! How long have you been in Beauty and the Beast?

Carter: My time here began on Dec. 28, 2010, so I have been on tour for about seven weeks with just over forty-five performances under my belt.

BB: What is your favorite part of touring?

Carter: Other than the new friendships I have formed, my favorite part of touring is seeing my country firsthand for the first time. My travel was limited before accepting this position and I have already seen more in seven weeks than I ever thought possible. The opportunity to experience the life and culture of each city we have visited has been invaluable and I could not be happier or more grateful to be a part of this cast.

BB: What city has been your favorite/ what city are you most looking forward to?

Carter: Honestly, my favorite city so far is the one we were most recently in; Oklahoma City. I dined in beautiful Bricktown, walked through the breathtaking memorial honoring those who were lost in the bombing, visited the Zoo in unprecedented warm weather and met several locals; all of whom were kind and hospitable. Oklahoma City is the first town that I can truthfully say I experienced fully. But it will most certainly not be the last. Chicago for six weeks in the summer should be mighty fine as well.

BB: When was the first time you saw Beauty and the Beast?

Carter: I saw the animated feature at the movie theater with my family, but my experience of the film was far overshadowed by that of my first Broadway experience. It was 1996 and Beauty had already been running on Broadway for two years. I was eight years old and the show was the first professional musical I had ever attended; and I never forgot the experience. I still remember talking about The Beast's transformation with all of my third grade friends. Beauty and the Beast has and always will have a special place in my heart; and when I was offered this position I leapt at the opportunity. I couldn't be happier to be a part of this timeless tale.

BB: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us about your tour experience so far. We’ll look forward to hearing from you again in the future.

That’s all the time we have for today. Be sure to check out our website: www.beautyandthebeastontour.com. You can see our schedule and find out when the show will be near you, you can also check out our cool desktop backgrounds which are sure to keep you feeling enchanted each time you are at your computer. You can even see fun preview videos of the show to hold you over while you wait for us to visit your town. Oh, and most important of all: it’s where you can buy tickets to see us live! Before you know it, we’ll be back with more updates from the company of “Networks Presents: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”

On The Road: A Touring Perspective

Living life on the road all year means many things. It means that we share laundry facilities in hotels; learn to eat full meals prepared in the microwave, and how to live with under 50lbs. in each piece of luggage we carry. Something that you might not think about though, is that many of us document our experiences on the road by taking photographs. Members of the company of NETworks Presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast decided they’d like to share these photos with the public. They used their three-week stint in Los Angeles as an opportunity to showcase a few of these pictures. The show is called: “On The Road: A Touring Perspective” and it is billed as follows:

This gallery is a photo exhibition featuring photographers on Disney's Beauty and the Beast tour (playing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood). 8-10 photographers on the tour show what they see while exploring the country and world while not performing or working a Broadway show. The exhibition, which officially opens with the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk on March 10th and runs through the end of the month, will be featured at the Harlem Place Cafe in Downtown Los Angeles. The exhibition will benefit the Inner-City Arts Organization. The photos displayed are available to purchase through the gallery.

We recently sat down with Ryan McAlpine, the organizer of the photo exhibition, and member of the crew on the National Tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. We asked him a few questions, and thought that we would share them with you. Here goes…

Beauty Blogger: How long have you been working in the business/ touring?

Ryan: I've been on the road for 4 years now, and Beauty and the Beast is my 4th tour. But I've been doing theater since middle school.

Beauty Blogger: Tell me about some of your previous touring experiences:

Ryan: My first tour was The Producers, which was mostly one nighters. It was good exposure to intense theater after college. I toured before this on the RENT National tour for 12 weeks with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, which helped validate theater again for me. It's exciting to see people relate so much to a show and a cause.

Beauty Blogger: When did you become interested in photography?

Ryan: I started taking pictures when I got on the road in '07 to capture my adventures. In the last few years I've started to try to find an artistic art for photographs and decided to find ways to share it with the public. You visit so many places on the road that if you don't try to find a way to capture your experiences, they'll drift away.

Beauty Blogger: How many photographers have contributed to the show?

Ryan: We have 10 very talented photographers in the show each with a different style. It's awesome to see all these artists come together for one cause.

Beauty Blogger: Tell us about the Inner-City Arts Organization.

Ryan: The following is part of the mission statement of the Inner-City Arts Organization:
“Our unique approach to arts education brings elementary, middle and high school students, educators, families and the community to Inner-City Arts' award-winning campus—an oasis of creativity and learning in one of the nation's poorest neighborhoods—to work with professional teaching artists in well-equipped studios and performance spaces.”

I found this group after a lot of searching for an arts group involving children. I think their work is important to the future of industries such as the one I work in.

Beauty Blogger: Is there anything else that you would like people to know about the show?

Ryan: I think this show demonstrates the creative nature of a group of people who don't often have more than one outlet to give to the public. It all goes to a great cause and has been a lot of fun to put together. I was happy to find some creative outlet that has built up since I started this show 13 months ago.

The show runs until the end of the month. So be sure to head down to the Harlem Place Café in Downtown Los Angeles and find out what all the fuss is about. And of course, come see Disney's Beauty and the Beast at The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through March 26th.

Gaston’s Best Bud

Name: Michael Fatica
Role: Lefou


Michael Fatica plays the role of Lefou in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and is today’s guest on our blog! Read on to learn more about Michael!!


Hello blog readers!! I'm Michael Fatica, also known onstage as Lefou! For those who haven't seen the movie or the show before, Lefou is Gaston's sidekick and best bud. I'm also referred to as that crazy little guy who keeps falling down throughout the story :)

We just finished a beautiful two weeks in Honolulu, followed by a week break before we venture into the fall schedule. After a week in San Antonio, we arrive in Tempe, Arizona, at the ASU Gammage Theatre! Some of the cast, crew, or musicians have toured to Tempe before and also boast that it is one of their favorite spots. One of the first things we see in each city is, of course, the theatre. We are lucky enough to play some amazing spaces around the country, and I'm sure the ASU Gammage is no different. It always adds an extra spark to doing the show in a theatre with a strong history or unique structure. I'm really excited to check out the ASU space designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and hopefully add a bit of "Disney Magic" to the Broadway Across America Season!

I have ventured to Arizona before, having visited Tucson with my family when I was in Kindergarten. Originally from Florida, I'd never seen such a dry climate and rolling landscape, and remember thinking it looked so alien. My only memories that stuck were the tragic ones: my sister fell into a cactus and had to slowly pick out the barbs, while I had an exuberant horse on a trail ride that decided to take a jaunt instead of a slow walk. I'm sure at 23 I am now more equipped to explore what Tempe has to offer. I'm looking forward to checking out the ASU campus, and to head over to Mill Avenue and see what's happening downtown.

So, while strolling through Tempe from October 19th to the 24th, keep an eye out for some extra boisterous theatre types....it might be one of the company members of Disney's Beauty and the Beast!

The Replacement Experience

Name: Sarah Claire Smith
Hometown: Winter Haven, Florida
Role: Silly Girl/Enchanted Object

Sarah Claire Smith plays the role of a Silly Girl and an Enchanted Object in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and is today's latest blogger! Read on to learn more about Sarah!!

I wasn't living in New York at the time of the original audition for Disney's Beauty and the Beast in May of 2009. I was just visiting NYC, catching Broadway shows--yet with the intent of auditioning as much as possible! (I had just come out of a ten-month contract and I needed to be inspired!) Disney's Beauty and the Beast was one of the auditions I attended during my visit. Thankfully, I was called back the entire week and went through many callbacks for different roles. Still, I didn't hear anything back immediately. I was called back for another series of callbacks in September and October…again, no offer. I was called in one more time for an understudy role in February of 2010. While in the end I was not cast, it was a wonderful experience to be called back so many times. As actors do, I went on with my life--and other wonderful opportunities came about in result! They say, "When a door is closed there is always another opening." It's a wonderful lesson to learn. Now fast forward a few months...

I spent this summer in Florida performing RENT and teaching in a children's theatre program. I was in the midst of teaching middle school kids a number from Hairspray when I got "the call." The Company Manager called to find out my availability to replace a girl who was injured. This was a familiar call. I was asked to come in earlier that year but was unavailable--because I was opening a show the weekend they needed me! While I was thrilled to get another call, I was again under contract for the next 3 weeks. Thankfully, NETworks decided to wait for me and I came on board Disney's Beauty and the Beast in early August!

I joined the Dance Captain and Music Director in Kansas City for my replacement rehearsals. They taught me every aspect of my track in two days of 4-hour rehearsals! It was quite overwhelming, but the cast and crew were very supportive. In every stressful moment I just sought peace and relied on all of my good training. On my "Opening Night" we had a put- in rehearsal with the whole cast before the show. I remember feeling surprised at how calm I was. I must have understood that freaking out would only exacerbate this stressful situation--so I just took a breath, smiled, and made my entrance onto the stage! While my first show was not flawless, I felt great about my performance. It didn't actually become "fun" until a few days later, when I could relax into the role and enjoy my time onstage.

I still can't believe that I was put into the show in 3 days! I wasn't nervous--but I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone. It was intense!!!

Here I am, now almost two months into tour as a Silly Girl and spinning napkin! Touring is a wonderful and unique experience and that I am still learning from and adjusting to. Recently we were in San Francisco and Honolulu--both incredible cities. I had to pinch myself most days to make sure it wasn't a dream. I love being a Silly Girl. We cry a lot, swoon over Gaston, and have a great time every night. Getting paid to sing, dance, act and see the country is a pretty incredible gig. I am grateful to be here and be a part of a show that lifts people's spirits and brings them to their feet every night!

Behind the Musical: Carolyn Violi

Carolyn Violi, who is the Musical Director and Conductor for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, partakes in our latest blog! Here, Carolyn tells us about her love for Frank Sinatra, Beauty and the Beast and the piano!!

Name: Carolyn Violi

Role in the Show: Musical Director/ Conductor

Hometown: Indiana, PA (hometown of actor Jimmy Stewart)

What kind of music do you listen to? I love most types of music and of course, Broadway show tunes. If I'm driving a long distance, I love to listen to the standards of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney, etc. That music will never go away. When I listen, I marvel that these artists recorded without the aid of auto tune.

Can you tell us about your history with Disney's Beauty and the Beast? I was teaching high school music in western Pennsylvania when a former student of mine, Brent-Alan Huffman, called and asked if I was interested in joining the national tour of Beauty that he was going to conduct. I wasn't sure I wanted to leave a profession I truly loved until I went to New York to actually see the show. I fell in love with it and said yes. It was a few months later that I would start on the road and stayed on that same tour for four years. People always ask me if I ever got tired of playing the show that many times and my reply was always never. Not once did I walk in the pit not wanting to do the show. It was also a gift to be named one of the conductors and get to stand on the podium.

 What kind of training and experiences led you here? I grew up taking dance lessons from age 3 and started playing piano by ear. My first grade teacher noticed that after music class I would go to the piano and play tunes we learned that day, so she called my parents to suggest I take lessons. My parents were thrilled because it was another activity to keep me busy since I was pretty precocious (well, actually highly energized!). Ok, let's be honest--I was a terror! I never sat still so it was almost a blessing that I would sit and practice. I kept on playing and after I got my degree in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, I started teaching in schools around my hometown. As the vocal music teacher I was responsible for the school musicals that I directed. I was also musical director, conductor and, oh yes, choreographer to over 20 productions. Involvement in community and regional theatres around the Pittsburgh area led me to work on another 50 or so productions, either as musical director or onstage work.

The Life of an Understudy

Steve Czarnecki, who is an ensemble member in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, was nice enough to share a blog entry with us! Read on as Steve discusses some of his other responsibilities on the tour.

Name: Steve Czarnecki

Role in the show: Ensemble

Hey all!

You may know me as an ensemble member in the current national tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. However, I thought I would talk a little bit about my other responsibilities in the show. I am the understudy for both the Beast and Gaston. Each of the main characters in our production has two people understudying them, and many of the ensemble members like myself, understudy two parts--which can be both exciting and nerve racking.

From L to R: Nathaniel Hackmann (Gaston) with Steve Czarnecki and Jeff Brooks

To date we have performed the show somewhere around 220 times. And of those I have performed as the Beast thirteen times and as Gaston twice. Preparation for all of this began around day one of rehearsals in January. The understudies and I would frantically write and rewrite staging as it was given to the principals. Of course, we would do this only when we had the free time away from learning all of our own ensemble responsibilities. It was definitely challenging as things would change from rehearsal to rehearsal and you had to adjust your notes "on the fly." However, there was the comfort of knowing that after we opened in February we would begin to have our own understudy rehearsals!

Finally the day came where I was going on for the first time. Now THIS was a situation that made me more nervous than perhaps any other performance I've ever given. We had just had our first understudy rehearsal a few days before and now it was time for me to go on as the Beast. Many, many things run through your head as you perform. First and foremost, your lines!! You've gone over them a million times but now, for the first time, you are doing them with the rest of the cast! Furthermore, you want to make the audiences experience of the show the same as they would get seeing the "normal" cast of the show. You have to keep up the integrity of the character that the other actor has established. It is scary but also wonderfully exciting! The energy of your cast mates giving all their love and support and the experience of putting yourself into a new part is thrilling. Being an understudy is one of the most important jobs in the theatre, it can be very challenging, but more importantly it can be the most fun you'll ever have!

The whole cast after rehearsal at Gateway Playhouse!

Robyn DeGuzman: Aloha!

Robyn DeGuzman, who plays Silly Girl #3 in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, is our latest blogger! Robyn shares some neat facts about herself, the tour, and life in Hawaii!

Name: Robyn DeGuzman

Role in the show: Silly Girl 3

Aloha from Honolulu, HI! I'm Robyn DeGuzman and I play "Silly Girl #3". Though I also dance in the ensemble as a fork, plate, and napkin, you probably remember me primarily from my constant fainting - I can't seem to keep it together when Gaston's around!

Constantly collapsing during our eight show weeks isn't always easy, but I've adopted a few tumbling tricks of the trade. When we started rehearsals, our fight director, Rick Sordelet, advised me to start off slowly. I experimented a lot and found which falls I was most comfortable with, and I gradually became faster and faster at falling, and even more importantly, getting back up! The movement reminds me a lot of judo, which I trained in when I was younger. I also use utilize my modern dance training from college.

As for life on the road, it isn't always easy, but we're in HAWAI'I! Snorkeling, horseback riding, visiting Pearl Harbor, hiking, and skydiving are only a few of the things our cast has experienced here! I personally am enjoying Waikiki's beautiful beaches for relaxing and surfing and trying a lot of the local cuisine, which is an awesome blend of different cultures that makes it distinctly Hawaiian. Try a plate lunch from the Diamond Head Market and Grill or some Saimin from the famous Like Like Drive Inn!

Mahalo (that means thank you) for reading. See you back on the Mainland!