From York Prep Drama Club to Cirque Du Soleil

“I got lucky that Ms. Feibusch helped me to pick the Drama Club, and that John (Viscardi) and Fiona (Hutchison) led me to backstage work. If she (Ms. Feibush) knew that she would push me into my career, maybe she would have pushed me towards girls who code,” laughs Rebecca. “I would not have gone down this path and had the courage to do it without all of the support at York from every teacher that helped me.” After performing in a few productions throughout middle school, Rebecca remembers trying out for a role in Moon Over Buffalo, which had a very small cast. She did not end up getting a part, so Ms. Hutchison asked her if she wanted to work backstage and take a run-on part, and she said yes. During this production, she discovered that she really enjoyed the comradery of working backstage during rehearsals. After Moon Over Buffalo, she later took on bigger roles and ended up as the stage manager, calling the cues for musicals during her junior and senior years.

 

After graduating from York Prep, Rebecca continued on to Carnegie Mellon, where she continued her journey in the world of theater. While working towards her Stage and Production Management degree, she was a part of five stage management teams and called automation in the school’s production of Or, directed by Kim Weild. She was also the production manager for three shows, including the New Works series, and their transition to digital formats due to Covid-19. She completed a Stage Management internship at St. Michael’s Playhouse and was a General Production Intern at Barrington Stage Company. During the summer before her senior year, Rebecca landed the coveted role of Stage Management Intern at Zumanity by Cirque du Soleil.

 

Rebecca’s current role is as an on-call Assistant Stage Manager for Mystere, the longest running Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. The show features extraordinary performers who do Trapeze acts, Teeterboard jumping, and numerous other spectacular feats. Using the skills she developed both at Carnegie Mellon and during her Zumanity internship, she continues to sharpen her skills and instincts backstage and immediately felt the comradery of being a part of the Mystere family. On her first day at work, she got to see the exhilarating show from the audience. Rebecca finds it exciting to work in an environment with such extraordinary coworkers and says, “I’m immensely grateful for this opportunity and take seriously the responsibilities that come with my job, from planning and coordinating each days show and helping run backstage.”

 

Rebecca is currently settling into her new life in Las Vegas and is on an exciting path. She is looking forward to continuing her career in Stage Management!