Senior Spotlight: Rebecca Moews

The 2018 St. Ambrose Theatre Department's senior class may be small, but it is a class full of passion, talent, and drive. This program sends its students out into the working world with the skills to make it through the next chapter in life. Today, the focus is on one senior who hopes to leave her mark on the world of entertainment.

Rebecca Moews is entering her senior year at St. Ambrose double-majoring in Theatre and TV/Radio Production. She has quite a few special interests.

"I really enjoy dance and tumbling and do them as often as I can," Meows said. "I also love anything Disney and Harry Potter [related]."

When asked what made her discover her love for theatre, Moews responded, "I have an older sister who has always been involved, so I did what she did. I didn't find my own personal love for it until eighth grade, when I was the Fairy Gosh-mother in a production called Cinderstein. That was also the year I saw Noises Off at a friend's high school. I was so amazed by the acting and all the action going on, I thought, 'I've got to do more of this!'"

One might wonder why Moews chose the school she did out of all the options in the area.

"I did a mass theatre scholarship audition at the Iowa Thespian Festival in high school, and Dan Rairdin-Hale called me back. His pitch to me for Ambrose stood out way more than the rest," she said. "He actually brought up specific things about my audition he liked and related them to programs at Ambrose that he thought I'd like. That got me really interested in looking into the school. The rest is history."

She said her favorite memory during her time in the Theatre Department is, "staying up late working on the set for Agnes of God with Hannah Donovan and some others while listening to alternative music and just having a fun time."

Since Moews has shared her talents as an actress at SAU, she naturally has a dream role.

"Velma Kelly from Chicago is my absolute dream role," Moews said."I've always loved the 1920s with the style and the jazz, and Velma is such a strong and confident character that has some amazing songs and does killer choreography that I hope to get to try!"

However, college life eventually comes to an end, and decisions must be made. Every college student knows the dreaded question of "So what's next?", and Moews said theatre is not her intended career.

"My plan at the moment is to get involved at some film studio, move out to either California or Georgia (or wherever I need to be), and be full-time in the industry by the end of five years without doing a side job like waitressing," Moews said.

She does have a dream job, as everyone does, which is "to be a successful voice actor for Disney or super awesome film director."

Legacy can be left in a variety of ways, and for many, it's an important part of moving on to the next chapter of life.

When asked about her desired mark on the SAU Theatre Department, Moews responded, "I'd like my mark to be a pathway that can lead others to opportunities they didn't originally picture. I've found I'm drawn more to TV and film, but my skills in theatre transfer so well to those areas. I hope future students will be open to those ideas, too."

Finally, Moews left some advice for incoming first-year students entering the department: "My advice is do not wait to get involved. Start now, try new things. Even if you think you're mostly a designer or actor, try something new! Now is the time to try and learn! You might be surprised at what hidden talents you might have! Also, the more you know about other areas, the better you will do in the area you end up in. Trust me."

We have been so lucky to have Moews as a part of our department, and it will be hard to watch her go. However, we can always be assured that she has gained the skills to make it in the working world. There is no doubt that she will make an impact on the world of entertainment.