Hey, everyone! My name is Isabel and I recently joined the 2018-2019 team of Encore student editors. I’m excited to learn more about marketing and social media through working with Encore’s team. Today I’m happy to share my interview with Rebecca Pfeil, Encore’s Production Manager. Let’s go!
Isabel: How did you start working at Encore?
Rebecca: I started as the first Technical Theatre Intern. Over the summer I stage managed Legally Blonde: The Musical and taught the first Tech Camp with Willy Wonka Jr., which is coming back this summer! Then I went to New Haven, Connecticut to be the Stage Management Resident at Long Wharf Theatre. When the residency ended, I came back to Encore part-time while overhiring at various theatres in the area. About a year later, I was made the full time Production Manager at Encore!
Isabel: What is your most memorable Encore event?
Rebecca: I really enjoyed the Holiday Party this year. Seeing the excitement of the students as they greeted each other and played various holiday games was a joy to be around. It was great to spend time with our Encore families! Hopefully next year we will see even more there.
Isabel: What is your favorite show that you have produced?
Rebecca: This is a hard question. One of my favorite shows that I’ve produced would be Seussical. I worked on a production of Seussical when I was in eighth grade so it’s a show that is close to my heart. I was very excited to get to work on it again.
Isabel: What is your favorite job on tech?
Rebecca: It’s hard for me to pick a favorite. I love stage managing because you get to see the whole show come together from auditions, through rehearsals, tech week, performances, all the way through strike. The stage manager gets the most complete picture of the whole show and gets to be involved in all the different aspects. I also love being on wardrobe because I love orchestrating costume quick changes. Run Crew is also one of my favorites because it really takes a team to accomplish a big or little shift between scenes seamlessly in a very short amount of time. I could continue, but I’ll leave it at those three for now.
Isabel: What would you say to someone who is interested in trying a tech job for the first time?
Rebecca: Go for it! Tech is always fun and every show is different. Tech can give someone a different perspective if they’ve never done it before. It’s the magic of theatre! There might be a 30 second quick change offstage and the audience might be completely unaware that it took four people to make that happen. Tech is where you figure out how to make the magic happen.
Isabel: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Rebecca: The most rewarding part of my job is working with the students and getting to see them grow and learn over many years. There is one student who I first worked with at Tech Camp when she was 12. She is now a senior in high school, and I wrote a college recommendation letter for her this year. It’s so nice to see these students that we work with in both in education and production becoming young adults right before our eyes.
Thanks for sharing about your Encore and tech experiences, Rebecca. Come on out to Robin Hood to see the hard work of Encore’s current tech crew, as well as our talented cast and friendly front of house crew!
Photos by Larry McClemons, Aileen Pangan Christian, and Cindy Kane Photography. Blog contribution by 2019 Student Editor Isabel D.