Backstage with Cameron Monroe Thomas of Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Cameron Monroe Thomas is having the kind of “pinch me” year every musical theatre major dreams about but rarely experiences so soon. At just 22, the Jacksonville native and recent Texas State BFA Musical Theatre grad is already fluttering across stages nationwide as Babette in the National Tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast — a role she’s shaping with equal parts rigor, joy, and irresistible sparkle.

And she’s doing it all barely six months after turning in her cap and gown.

Cameron Monroe Thomas as Babette. Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Evan Zimmerman

“I’m a recent grad of Texas State University… and right now I’m currently playing on the National Tour of Beauty and the Beast,” she said, the excitement still bright in her voice. For Thomas, the journey has been both whirlwind and wonder-filled. Raised in Jacksonville her whole life, she moved to Texas for college — and the leap from student life to an eight-shows-a-week professional reality has been nothing short of seismic.

“It’s been so many things. Exciting. Challenging. Surreal,” she says. “I never expected to get a job of this caliber right out of college… it’s a dream come true.”

But dreams — even the golden, Disney kind — come with a learning curve.

“It's been a huge adjustment, “Thomas explained. “Going straight from college where you have your routine set for you and you kind of follow the same rigorous schedule, and then transitioning — we had a four week long rehearsal process and then straight into eight shows a week. It's definitely been a huge adjustment physically and mentally as I am learning who I am outside of academia and who I am in the professional world without school. That's been an interesting, challenging and exciting adjustment. But it's just been amazing, honestly, getting to live out one of my dreams of being on tour and doing such an iconic show. It's been amazing to just see the joy on the audiences' faces across the country, and it's been amazing.”

Unlike Belle, Beast, or Gaston, Babette doesn’t have decades of animated legacy behind her — she exists only in the stage musical. Which meant Thomas had to build her from scratch.

“That was the biggest challenge… figuring out who I wanted Babette to be while aligning with what the creative team wanted,” she detailed. “There wasn’t a lot to base the character off of.” So she dug deep into character analysis — then went deeper. “We had the amazing opportunity of talking to Linda Woolverton, the original book writer. It was so helpful to see who Babette was in her eyes and to bring my own personality and flair to the role.”

Six months into touring, Thomas’s Babette is now a coquette combination of elegance, wit, and femininity — her biggest hurdle now being the weather changes from city to city. But, if there’s one thing Thomas is adamant about, it’s how profoundly Texas State influenced her.

“I am a completely different singer, actor, and choreographer now,” she said. The program, known for producing versatile, industry-ready performers, expanded not just her skillset but her sense of artistic self.

“Those four years were truly formative,” she continued. “ It really helped shift my brain into appreciating what I bring to the table and being confident in that and knowing that whatever is meant to come my way will come my way as long as I just put myself into whatever I do and put my full heart into it. I think that's one of the ways that Texas State prepared me for this industry.”

She credits Texas State for teaching her how to continuously learn and adapt across singing, dancing, acting, choreographing, and even teaching.

“That's what this industry is — continuous growth and continuous change… not staying stagnant.”

The future is wide open for Thomas, and she prefers it that way.

“I’m so open-minded,” she declared. “Broadway is a dream of mine. If I were to book something film and TV wise, that's also something I want to explore. If my next prospect is being on the choreography team of a show, that would be incredible.”

She also hints at a full-circle Austin moment.

“I’ve worked at Zach Theater a lot through my college years, and it's an amazing theater,” Thomas praised. “I love it down in Austin and love that community. I've talked with them about choreographing a show for them one day, so that could bring me back to Austin.”

For now, though, she’s savoring every feathered, flirty moment as Babette — and she think audiences should savor the moment as well.

“I think audiences should expect to laugh, get emotional, and just enjoy themselves,” she said. “I think, once they leave, they're all going to just feel a bit lighter. What is happening right now in the world and in the country, it's very volatile and it's affecting a lot of people. I think audiences can expect that for two and a half hours, they can forget about that and just enjoy a beautiful story and have a little bit more joy after they see our show.”

Austin audiences can catch Cameron Monroe Thomas on stage as Babette in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast December 2-14, at Bass Concert Hall. Tickets start at $36, and are available at TexasPerformingArts.org and BroadwayinAustin.com