Zach Wetzel on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Zach Wetzel shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Zach, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
In partnership with Jay Melberg and Catherine Ricafort McCreary, we are chasing the dream of Beyond Broadway. This incredible Cabaret performance will premier at the ATC Cabaret Theatre on May 9, 2026 and continue at Green Valley Recreation the following month. Beyond Broadway is a fast-paced tribute to classic and modern Broadway songs, with other genres like pop and rock thrown in, all backed by a 5-piece band. If we stopped this dream no one would get to experience this unique concept.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
CATHERINE RICAFORT MCCREARY has performed in eight Broadway shows as an actor, singer, and dancer. Best known for her featured roles on Broadway as villainess “Karen the Computer” in SpongeBob Squarepants, and “Mahi” in Jason Robert Brown’s Honeymoon in Vegas (where she originated the show-stopping number “Friki-Friki”), Catherine’s triple-threat performances across Broadway’s Mamma Mia!, Cinderella, Allegiance, Disaster!, Holiday Inn, and Miss Saigon earned her the historic Legacy Robe. Catherine has recorded vocals on many original cast albums, including Duncan Sheik’s Alice By Heart. TV appearances include The Tony Awards, NBC’s The Sing-Off and The Ellen Degeneres Show as an award-winning acappella vocalist of “The Backbeats”, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and The Today Show. Catherine was a featured tap-dancer in the Tony-nominated Broadway cast of Holiday Inn: The New Irving Berlin Musical, where she can be seen tap dancing and jump-roping on TV in PBS Great Performances. Catherine is a software engineer and co-founder of Artists Who Code, an organization featured in the LA Times and Forbes for helping 300+ artists learn to code and pivot into software engineering jobs during the height of the pandemic. Originally born and raised in Arizona, Catherine is excited to be back and bring her stage experience from NYC and international stages full-circle to the AZ arts scene as a director, coach, and performer. Arizona credits: 2024 Zoni-nomination “Reno Sweeney” (Anything Goes @ MCC), Phoenix Theatre Company (asst. Director/Choreographer of Tiananmen; starred in 2024 Festival of New Theatre), Musical Theatre Alliance of Arizona (“Adelaide” in Guys & Dolls, Stage Director of Big Fish), Judge of the Southwest Semifinals of the ICCA (International Championship of College Acappella). @cattricafort

Zach Wetzel is from Los Angeles. ARIZONA: Matilda (Saguaro City Music Theatre); Ragtime (Arts Express Theatre); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Musical Theatre Alliance of Arizona); Tick Tick Boom (Winding Road Theater); Troubadour Cafe (Phoenix Third Street Theatre); Disney’s Descendants (The Phoenix Theatre Company); La Bella and the Beast (Live Theatre Workshop); Beyond Broadway (Gaslight Music Hall); My Way (Sandhill Productions); Man of La Mancha (Stage Foundation Theatre); Bending Towards the Light (The Jazz Nativity); An Elvis Tribute (Unity of Mesa); Twilight Tunes (ATC Cabaret). UTAH: La Boheme (Covey Center for the Arts); The Pirates of Penzance (Pardoe Theatre); Don Giovanni (DeJong Concert Hall); Beyond Broadway (Tuacahn). EDUCATION: BM Vocal Performance, Brigham Young University. @mister.wetzel

Jay Melberg (Music Director) currently teaches piano and voice at the Phoenix for the Arts (for the past 32 years). Directed over 70 musicals and plays in many local theaters and is currently performing in Beyond Broadway cabaret band around the state. Honored to receive several Zoni , Prizm and NYA awards for musical theater. Also currently composing his ninth musical “Private Lives” premiering in Fountain Hills Jan 2026. The Phoenix Center for the Arts is the best local community center that supports the arts.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
Catherine Ricafort McCreary is a true professional and has provided guidance to our project. Catherine and I worked together on Guys and Dolls and will perform again together in Spamalot in Phoenix.
-Zach Wetzel

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
Jay Melberg is a master music director. He is award-winning and is the glue that holds this project together.
-Zach Wetzel

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie the industry tells itself is that everyone must like you. Beyond Broadway has found its audience in Arizona and we hope to add more people to our fan base. No show is universally liked. But ours has a great following. Come and see this incredible story for yourself May 9!

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
We feel most at peace onstage. Our concert has already traveled to CPAC Green Valley and the Gaslight Music Hall. We are taking it around the state.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/beyondbroadway/beyond-broadway

Image Credits
Britten Leigh, Gretchen DW, Alex Alegria