The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State welcomes Disney's Beauty and the Beast, one of the most popular love stories ever told. The touring Broadway musical features the animated films Academy Award winning score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Heather Longley speaks with Ben Cullen, an ensemble actor on the show and the 2014 Penn State musical theater graduate. Cullen talks about touring with the national production, favorite Penn State memories and life after college.

Heather Longley: So, other than starring in a touring Broadway musical, what do you like best or what you like worst about the tour itinerary?

Ben Walker: I think what incredible about itinerary that I'm basically getting paid to see the country and then play on stage three hours every night. I think by the time this one over I will been to 47 States, and I think, four provinces in Canada, so I'm getting to experience so much of this country and go to areas that I would have probably never been able to go to by myself.

HL: So, are other things that you specifically avoid while you're on tour?

BW: Excessive alcohol consumption.

HL: OK, makes sense.

BW: It's yeah because there will be plenty of temptation, but ultimately we’re there to work not be on vacation, so that that's one thing I try to stay away from because also, staying in shape is incredibly important to me, and, to anyone I think who, especially anyone in this show.

HL: Yeah

BW: So, drinking a lot is not really conducive to then wearing tights and a mesh shirt.

HL: Ok you might become a different character at that point. might have to put you into different costume.

BW: yeah yeah - the costume still have to fit every night.

HL: I noticed on Facebook in October you mentioned a performance where there is a little girl in the front row, I believe this was it the Blumenthal Performing Arts, you said she was having the time of her life and you are why we do what we do, so can you describe what you saw how it made you feel?

BW: People talking about this girl sitting in the very front row right in the middle, who totally had her heart on her sleeve. We could tell every everything she was feeling about the show and she was clearly loving it and it was so great to, to go on stage and he's so plainly how, how what we were doing was effecting someone. It was funny because we, we had a rather early, earlier matinee than usual before that performance and there was some grumbling, but than to come out for the evening show and see that girl and realize that there was someone having that same experience in the earlier matinee, I just couldn't see them, and that anytime there's a show, anytime I do a show, no matter where where I am, there someone who's experiencing that exact same thing that that girl was experiencing. I just because I can't see them that doesn’t mean they're not there.

HL: College magazine lists Penn State as the number one university for alumni networking, how many times have you run into a Penn State alum while on tour?

BW: Oh, all the time. I make a point, especially when we're in airports, to wear a Penn State shirt

HL: OK, OK

BW: No matter how grumpy they are, I always yell “we are” at anyone I see who's wearing any sort of Penn State paraphernalia and sometimes it's funny because they're clearly not from Penn State because they don't know what to do and some strange man yells “we are” at them.

HL: OK, what are your most memorable moments as a student at Penn State?

Ben Walker '14 (in blue) on National TVwith Sam Kulp, Kevin Trippel, Aaron Speagle and Sean McCrea

BW: Two of the big ones would be Joe Paterno's 400th and 409th wins, those are both ridiculous games. I remember the 409th one, especially because one thing I did football games I'd wear a blue Morphsuit, like a blue bodysuit, and I’d crowd surf whenever we scored a touchdown and it, that game against Illinois was really cold and I think their bunch of us there and all of us were freezing and I think my seat felt like bricks. Two more that really come to mind, a production is 'Songs For A New World' that it did at Penn State, where, I can remember this moment, we’re on stage to the last number and I saw one of my buddies from my class in the front row and he just weeping and I looked at him, and had to look away, because otherwise I was going to lose it and I still had a little bit of the show to finish and then as soon as, as soon as I came out after the show I saw him and hugged him and we both just broke down. Our other class came and we all broke down, and there's a picture somewhere of, I think there were five of us there, all, we can tell all of us are just weeping because our eyes are all red.

HL: So everyone was just so moved?

BW: Yeah, that production was incredible. I think for me, both as some, educational standpoint it was great. I think I really found some new things for myself in there and if the subject matter of that show is it's so, it's so interesting is there so much to play with in it.

HL: Can be described that show to me?

BW: It's a song cycle, so it's not necessarily, there isn’t like a through line, but the idea is that each song is the moment or someone makes its decision.

HL: OK

BW: and there they go, there all over the place and some of them are incredibly moving and you don't really realize that they're about till the end. I think my favorite, probably favorite Penn State memory has to be though the day and I found out that I was accepted, because I was actually on the wait-list for the musical theater program and the deadline is May 1st to find out if you got in somewhere and on April 30th, I got pulled out of a quiz in high school because Cary Libkin was on the phone to offer me a spot. That blew my mind.

HL: That is an amazing

BW: I didn't get anything done the rest of that day because I was in a daze.

HL So, looking back now it's your experiences at Penn State and now you're employed in the theater world, what would you say to your younger self?

BW: Really just that it's gonna be awesome.

HL: OK.

BW: Granted I had kind of, I've been lucky, definitely been very lucky, because I had pretty decent success early on in this career and there's always doubt. I would tell myself, that, hey, it's it's going to be, it's going to be okay, you're not gonna, you're not gonna have to worry immediately about what you have to do because some people say, oh Ben how’s the real world and I said I'll let you know because I don't feel like touring it. I'm not in the real world yet, I’m in limbo between college and the real world.

Ben will be preforming in State College on February 23rd 2016 at Penn State's Eisenhower auditorium for tickets or information visit CPA.psu.edu or phone 800-arts-tix. You can also find tickets for the Beauty and the Beast tour at www.beautyandthebeastontour.com.

Ben Walker's '14 Interview with Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State - Feb. 2015