Theater Professor Michelle Rebollo recounts successes, memories, inspirations
LAUREN JOHNS ART & LIFE EDITOR
Theater Professor Michelle Rebollo recounts her successes, fondest memories and inspirations that paved the way for her career. From a young age, Rebollo loved performing. She took dance lessons as a kid and later joined the choir. “I didn’t really start pursuing theater until college,” said Rebollo. “I had a degree in speech and communications first and minored in theater. I was very engaged with speech performance like poetry, prose or storytelling.” According to Rebollo, dramatic interpretation of poetry or prose was a process that involved selecting an eight minute piece and creating an introduction. Quite often, the actor played eight to nine characters in one go. Rebollo preferred interpreting other people’s works rather than her own. She also believed performing and teaching were on the same spectrum. Once a single skill was mastered, such as public speaking, one had the basis for other skills as well. “Performance is more than just acting,” said Rebollo. “If you think of it in a continuum, with public speaking on one end and acting on the other, I wanted to be a cogent public speaker and captivating storyteller to someone who could perform a well-developed character on stage.” Rebollo’s passion for teaching and directing prevailed from the beginning. “In fourth grade, I’d decided to take the movie ‘Dumbo’ and interpret it into a play,” said Rebollo. “I got other neighbor kids to be characters and wrote a script, using paper bag puppets for additional characters. I made my sister play ‘Dumbo’ and had my mom invite the neighborhood, make posters and bake cookies. We even made costumes out of felt. 20-some-odd years later, it occured to me that I’d been directing longer than I thought.” Rebollo further developed her leadership skills through coaching opportunities in her high school and college years. “We would help middle schoolers do poetry and prose and then, when I was in college, we would coach high school students,” said Rebollo. “We would run camps through our universities or be in charge of certain events. I’ve always felt comfortable giving people advice, helping them improve their overall poise and things to think about vocally and physically. That all just translated into teaching, acting and then directing.” Rebollo stresses to her students that true professionalism is withstanding pressure, carrying oneself with grace and having self-confidence. Being prepared for anything is most important. “Throughout the years, my greatest motivators were my college coach and my college theater director,” said Rebollo. “They both had enough confidence in me that I knew I was moving in the right direction. I also take inspiration from Anne Bogart and her books on directing. She gives so much to her readers along the lines of self-discipline and her understanding of the craft,” said Rebollo. She says that she was the odd one out in her family. Growing up in El Paso, Texas, her Homemaker mother and Junior Analyst father knew nothing about her interests, but encouraged her to do whatever made her happy. In 2017, Rebollo received the Faculty Lecture Award for her efforts. She wrapped up a series of one act plays directed by students called “Zoo Story” and “Black Comedy” as well. “My favorite part about my job is my students,” said Rebollo. Rebollo’s appreciation for her students is a two way street according to Evan Turek, an active performer. “Besides being so open and present, Rebollo has so much expertise that when you’re around her, you just want to soak up everything you can,” said Turek. “She has you strive to be better in every way you can be. Now I’m more equipped for a future in theater.”
