Hey. Jaimelyn Gray here. I’ve been meaning to get to this tale of heroism for a while, but I’m just now coming up for air from THE TOTALITARIANS. For some of you, the run of this show may have seemed rather normal from the outside, but as others of you know – particularly if you came to the first three shows, or you’re just close to the team – you know this experience was nothing ordinary.
The rehearsal process of THE TOTALITARIANS was relatively run-of-the-mill, especially when COVID seems to not want to go away. We had a couple brushes with it during the process, but nothing major. So when we moved into the Interchange Theater on Sunday, October 9th, we were mindful of needing to stay healthy, but thought it would just be the normal stress of tech. We were right. For one day.
Tuesday we all got an email from Haley Ebinal (Francine) titled simply:
Sick today….
The email read something like, I've got chills they're multiplying and I'm losing control. Plus a headache and a cough. Etc. I did not freak out, I just simply said:
And proceed to take a COVID test. As did everyone else. All negative.
We continued tech, but by Friday Haley was tired, coughing like her lungs were trying to bust out of her chest, and had COMPLETELY LOST HER VOICE.
Mind you, Saturday, THE NEXT NIGHT, is OPENING NIGHT. Normally Friday is our invited preview, but I decided early in the week we weren’t inviting anyone. And we have no understudies. So we did what any normal very tiny theatre company does in these situations the night before opening and had Haley go through the motions on stage while our Assistant Director Rebekah Farr read her lines from the audience.
REBEKAH FARR. PUPPET MASTER.
I don’t exactly know when she said it, but Rebekah said something along the lines of “I’m a quick study” or something like that. Because while Rebekah is our Assistant Director, she wasn’t there every day, or had her mind focused on memorizing lines and blocking. That is not the job of an Assistant Director. The Assistant Director performs a similar role of the Director, hence ASSISTANT, and will do things like run lines with actors, work with actors in another room on scenes, and needs of that nature.
So I turn to her in all seriousness and say, “Well, start memorizing.”
And Rebekah takes the hint and runs with it.
The next morning I wake up to a text from Rebekah sent at 3:20 AM:
When she says “tomorrow,” she actually meant that same day after she gets some sleep. I tell her she’s a Goddess, and look to talk to Haley to see if she’s made a magical recovery.
She has not.
So then, that early afternoon from Rebekah:
To which I said, “Yes. We do.”
So that night, Opening Night, the show went on. With the amazing actor love and support from her scene partners Matthew Scales (as Francine’s Husband Jeffrey), Maggie Marks (as candidate Penny), and for one scene only Ekene Ikegwuani (as Ben), and technical love and support from Mia Palmer (Stage Manager) and Wyatt Meyer (Production Manager and Stagehand), Rebekah Farr, Assistant Director extraordinaire, talented actor, and all around amazing Artist, went on as Francine Jefferson and, frankly, knocked it out of the park.
And she continued to do that for two more performances. We actually did not get Haley back until the following Friday performance.
And it wasn’t COVID. Supposedly. No one else got sick. NO ONE. Honestly if someone had I would have lost my mind.
Was it stressful? Fuck yes. BUT. This group of Artists. I swear. Just AMAZING. And if Rebekah hadn’t been there. Yikes doesn’t even begin to cover it. But they did it. Those six, JUST SIX ARTISTS, made it happen.
And Rebekah, what an artist. A magical unicorn. These are the only pictures I got, but please, remember this tale of heroism as a show of how powerful Milwaukee Artists are and how hard they work to continue to bring art to you.
And if you see Rebekah out there, buy her a drink. Give here a standing ovation right there. She deserves it.
Not all heroes wear capes.
You can actually see Rebekah right now over at Sunstone Studios stage managing DUTCHMAN.
Be well out there.
Jaimelyn
