Alex Rettie is a Production Assistant Intern at Gulfshore Playhouse.

Hello blog world! My name’s Alex Rettie, and I’m a Production Assistant Intern this season! I’ve had the great pleasure of working as the PA on The Revolutionists and wanted to tell you all about the wonderful time I’ve had working on this show and being one of the only males on the production team.

But first, a little bit about me. I’m originally from Salt Lake City, Utah so the nice cool weather we’ve been having the last couple of weeks has made me feel right at home. I went to school at Utah Valley University where I got a Bachelor’s of Art in Theatrical Design and Technology with an emphasis in stage management. Yes, that is a ton of words, but really it just means I got my degree in being a stage manager. I love reading, spending time at the beach—who doesn’t when you live this close to one—and spending time with other people’s dogs because I don’t have one of my own.

Coming to Gulfshore Playhouse, I had never heard of The Revolutionists before, but I was very happy to be able to work on this newer show. Little did I know I would be one of two males working on this show. It was amazing to see how each of these strong, vibrant women attacked the problems they faced head-on with passion and focus. And I don’t just mean the characters. During the first week of rehearsals, we spent most of the time we had at a table reading through the script and dissecting moments, lines, and feelings that came up. I was blown away by the knowledge everyone had on either their characters or the show. Angela Janas knew exactly how Charlotte Corday killed Jean-Paul Marat and had such an insightful grasp on how to make her human. Shannon Marie Sullivan constantly looked at how Olympe would have perceived these women walking into her life and how Olympe would see them as additions to her story, while still maintaining a humor and wit that was required for a comedy. Dria Brown’s understanding of what Marianne Angelle would have gone through being a spy from the Caribbean was mind-boggling and the strength with which she approached every topic that came up was inspiring. And don’t even get me started on how much knowledge Marina Shay had about Marie Antoinette, and how many ideas she had to make Marie hilarious was incredible.  I was stunned by the sheer talent we had for this show.

I was stunned because we rarely see that many talented women in one room in the theatre. Theatre is a predominately male field, but in the last couple of years, more and more women have been showing us that what a man can do, a woman can do just as well. It’s proving to the world how we need to start treating everyone the same, and that “Egalite means equality for all!”