Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” North American tour gets its feet on the stage at Proctors before hitting the road

Production team spent time with Collaborative School of the Arts students to demonstrate what it means to bring Broadway to the stage

SCHENECTADY— This June, the magic of the iconic “Beauty and the Beast” has come to life in downtown Schenectady, where the cast and crew are preparing to launch a North American tour that will dazzle audiences across the country. Before performances begin on the MainStage at Proctors, the crew, cast, and designers must perfect every cue and step to live up to the magic of the Disney story.

Not only does the spectacular musical have to fit on different stages, but it must also be packed into ten trucks to travel to all the different cities across the country. Which is no small feat!

The musical, based on the beloved animated feature film, takes audience members to stunning places with enchanting designs.

Production Supervisor Jason Trubitt said, “To distill all that down into a national tour, which has to travel, is the biggest challenge hands down; how to give each sort of scenic experience its proper life but also know that you have to fit everything into ten trucks and close on Sunday and open on the next Tuesday in another city.”

Members of the original creative and design team of “Beauty and the Beast” have reunited for this new tour, Disney’s first North American production of the show in over 25 years.  It’s taken years for the production to get to where it is now, but once the show is ready to tour, it’s about a three-month process to prep everything ready for the road.

“In order to tell the story properly, we are able to achieve some pretty amazing effects that transform objects and people into the characters that everybody knows. It’s quite amazing when you see the show, how instantly before your eyes something will transform. And we’re able to do that on stage because of the craftsmanship of the technicians we work with, and the designers’ creativity. The audience reactions are just unreal. They’re stunned by specific moments. They’re crying, they’re laughing. It’s really special,” said Trubitt.

“They really delivered lovely technical elements and stories, which is what Disney’s known for,” he added.

Disney production team helps to inspire students in Broadway Tech program

During the technical phase of the musical, “Beauty and the Beast” designers lent their expertise to the Collaborative School of the Arts Broadway Tech program. For two weeks, high school students were immersed in the production atmosphere of professional theatre.

This theatrical career orientation program introduced students to different facets of bringing Broadway performances to the stage. From marketing and programming, to lighting and sound design, students took a deep dive into the process.

“Disney is a huge supporter of outreach and education…  The industry’s always in search of creative and new thinkers, new minds, and new people who have a passion for what we do. We need to invest in those people when they’re younger. That kind of investment in students is very important, and Disney is a huge supporter of it,” Trubitt said.

Alex Reyes (Associate General Manager), Martijn Appelo (Technical Supervisor), Nick Borisjuk (Production Sound), and Craig Stelzenmuller (Associate Lighting Designer) all jumped at the opportunity to each share their expertise in four separate hour-long sessions during the program.

“It’s very special to be able to share your craft and your career and your knowledge with people. It’s kind of inherent in who we are as theatre people that we’re collaborative and engaging people. So given the opportunity to discuss our passions with people, we always jump at it,” Trubitt added.

Broadway Tech Program Manager Jacob Frenyea said, “There were so many students that came up to me after the process was over and said, ‘This really opened up a new perspective for me and what I want to pursue in college,’ or ‘This really allowed me to see that I’m doing the right thing, that I’m forging my path in the right direction.’”