Kyle Kellams: Not all careers in the arts are in front of the microphone, on screen or on stage, or even literally backstage. Alex Reyes, graduate of Bentonville High School and the University of Arkansas, is the associate general manager of the national touring productions of Disney's “Beauty and the Beast” and "Aladdin”, with “Beauty and the Beast" arriving at Walton Arts Center for eight shows beginning Tuesday, Feb. 3. We reached out to Alex.
He talked with us from New York City, and he says building a national touring production is all about planning.
Alex Reyes: All about organizing people and then even more people, and then actually getting things built, constructed, and then taken into basically our tech process, right, where we actually bring everyone together: the costumes, the hair and makeup, the lighting, and we bring all of those humans and all of those physical elements together. So really, our first performance is the culmination of all of that planning.
Kellams: So as associate general manager, are you on the phone? Are you in a theater or what are you doing?
Reyes: Yeah. So as the associate general manager, I am responsible for basically anything and everything that it takes to get this production started. From inception, we start with a budget and then after that, once it's greenlit, we start talking to our creative teams about what elements they can or may not be able to use in certain productions. And then we really start to narrow the scope of what the production looks like. And then ultimately we start to contract people, cast people, we're paying bills, we're hiring vendors. So there's a lot that goes into just getting the thing lifted off the ground.
Kellams: So how do you keep this– I mean, obviously some things have to happen before other things can happen, but when you're getting all that, do you have a big whiteboard that tells you, you know, this is a go. We've checked this off. Now we can do this. How do you keep track of it?
Reyes: Sure. I mean, Disney on Broadway is a machine at this point. We just celebrated our 30th anniversary this last year. And so the really great part about that is, there is a bit of a formula already, right? We've worked with a lot of these people, and one of the great things about “Beauty and the Beast”, especially, is, we brought back our original creative team to reimagine and reinvent the story for modern audiences. That being said, these are basically our family members, right? So in a way, we're bringing back our people to tell the story. And so there are a lot of files, there's a lot of organizing files. But again, we are talking to our friends and family. So that makes this production particularly special.
Kellams: What's the road to becoming an associate GM of “Beauty and the Beast” and "Aladdin”?
Reyes: Yeah, when I was in college at the University of Arkansas, I, you know, I double majored in music and marketing. I was always interested in the combination of both of those things. And then it was through one of my business professors that connected me with the Walton Arts Center, where I had a year and a half internship helping and assisting the booking department with their Broadway series. So I read a lot of contracts. You know, once I graduated from the University of Arkansas, I moved down to Dallas, where I worked for a larger performing arts center. And then, I became a production coordinator at Disney on Broadway, where I, you know, assisted with travel and budget. And then I started managing "Aladdin” on Broadway specifically. And that was a really huge experience. I got to work directly with cast and manage and hire, and I got to learn a lot about how the industry actually worked. And then finally, there was just an opportunity for the associate general becoming an associate general manager. And I started this role back in February. So it's been quite a journey, but very fruitful. And my experience in northwest Arkansas really paved the way.
Kellams: You mentioned that you graduated from the U of A, you also, I think, went to Bentonville High School.
Reyes: I did, yeah. So I graduated from Bentonville High School in 2013. And I wasn't a part of the theater program, surprisingly, but I was a huge member of the band program, and I was performing and rehearsing with them every day. And I'm immensely proud of how far the band program has come, specifically.
Kellams: Were you in the marching band?
Reyes: I was in the marching band.
Kellams: Okay, now let's kind of make sense, because the marching band. That is a lot of elements that have to come together for a precision half time show or competition show. And so everyone's got to do their smaller part for the greater, bigger production. Do I have that right?
Reyes: You have that exactly right. And I think you hit it right on the head like that. That's all putting on theater is, we're all contributing one small aspect of the larger picture, from the creative team down.
Kellams: So this is the 13th anniversary production of “Beauty and the Beast”. Is that right?
Reyes: That is correct. The original Broadway production opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in 1994. So it's actually been a couple, you know, a little bit longer than that. Yeah.
Kellams: Wow. So what is it about this production that resonates with so many people, many who might have been children 32 years ago, who are now adults and taking their children? What do you think it is that keeps pulling people into “Beauty and the Beast”?
Reyes: It is such a timeless story. You know, when we first cast the production, we kept getting photos of the cast members when they performed it as children. This is a story that resonates across generations. So you can be 4 years old, you can be 100 years old, and there's something that you will relate to.
Kellams: Finally, I mean, I know that you mentioned University of Arkansas, Bentonville High School and the band there. Walton Arts Center, I think maybe. Did you have dealings with Crystal bridges when you lived here?
Reyes: Yeah. So, you know, it all ties back to, you know, how beautiful and wonderful, northwest Arkansas is. And how I benefited from the growth that Bentonville especially has seen. Walton Arts Center opened in 2012, and I graduated from Bentonville High School in 2013. So in many, many ways, I was directly benefited from all of the investments in the arts, at that time. So one of the things that I did to pay back, while I was in college, I did some volunteer work at Crystal Bridges. I spent countless hours in the library there, the art library that they have on the second floor, just researching anything and everything that I could about, not just art, but they have books on animation and theater in that private library. And it is, it was just such a special place for me.
Kellams: Well, Alex, congratulations on your continued success and loved talking with you.
Reyes: Well, Kyle, I just wanted to say, you know, I'm a huge fan of Ozarks at Large, and I should have started with this, you know, weekdays at noon. One of the internships I had in college, it was a 45-minute commute. And every, every day at noon, I would tune in to Ozarks at Large, it was so nice because it really connects you to the community and individuals in the community and the happenings. It is really a remarkable program. And thank you for everything that you've done over however many years you've been on.
Kellams: A while. But thank you so much for saying that. And, it's been a joy talking with you. And let's stay in touch as you become other things for other productions.
Reyes: Thank you. Kyle, have a good one.
Kellams: Bye bye. Alex.
Reyes: Bye.
Kellams: Alex Reyes is associate general manager for Disney Theatrical Group and a graduate of Bentonville High School and the University of Arkansas. Disney's “Beauty and the Beast” will be on stage at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville for eight shows beginning Tuesday, Feb. 3. Alex spoke with us from New York City.
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