Running for AEA Eastern Principal Delegate
Rebecca Gibel
(she/her)
📷: Nile Hawver
Personal Statement:
As your delegate at the first two Equity National Conventions, I will champion: the importance of safe working conditions, fair wages, accessible health insurance, and a union that protects us ALL. Bringing a regional perspective as your Delegate, I’ll advocate that as we rebuild, the needs of SMs and actors are at the center of every decision.
These weird and scary times allow us to champion bold solutions. We need to push to rebuild in a way that strengthens our rights and protections. I will fight for our access to health care and fair pay. Inspired and guided by #WeSeeYouWAT, I will push us forward towards a union that expressly upholds anti-racist values, policies and practices.
As your delegate, I bring a street level perspective as someone who has worked and struggled to make a living as an actor outside of the NYC/LA market for over 2 decades. I will champion the concerns of the Boston theatre community in order to make AEA more communicative in their actions and decisions, and responsive to OUR needs moving forward.
#RepresentationMatters: Please check out and support BIPOC Delegates for AEA https://www.facebook.com/bipocdelegatesforaea/
As your delegate at the first two Equity National Conventions, I will champion: the importance of safe working conditions, fair wages, accessible health insurance, and a union that protects us ALL. Bringing a regional perspective as your Delegate, I’ll advocate that as we rebuild, the needs of SMs and actors are at the center of every decision.
These weird and scary times allow us to champion bold solutions. We need to push to rebuild in a way that strengthens our rights and protections. I will fight for our access to health care and fair pay. Inspired and guided by #WeSeeYouWAT, I will push us forward towards a union that expressly upholds anti-racist values, policies and practices.
As your delegate, I bring a street level perspective as someone who has worked and struggled to make a living as an actor outside of the NYC/LA market for over 2 decades. I will champion the concerns of the Boston theatre community in order to make AEA more communicative in their actions and decisions, and responsive to OUR needs moving forward.
#RepresentationMatters: Please check out and support BIPOC Delegates for AEA https://www.facebook.com/bipocdelegatesforaea/
A Little Bit More About Rebecca:
Where are you from? How many places did you live before calling someplace “home”?
I grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and then moved around a TON after high school: I’ve lived in Virginia, Tennessee, New York (city & upstate), Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and now I live in Providence, Rhode Island. What’s remarkable about the community and relationships we make in the theatre is that each of these places felt in some way like “home” while I was there. That’s due entirely to the people I was lucky enough to work alongside.
Where’s your “happy place? Describe it.
My happy place is climbing a mountain somewhere wild with my husband, Charlie. There must be good snacks in our backpack - I find cheese requires a lot less refrigeration than most people think.
If they existed, what’s your super power? (Psst. They exist.)
Teleportation! Then I could visit all the folks I’ve grown to love working all over the place these last couple decades and still be home for dinner. AND I could eat all the great foods I miss (New Mexico green chile at El Pinto in ABQ, Gus’ Chicken in Memphis, the perfect pork sandwich at High Street in Philly, the deviled eggs at MilkWood in Louisville, wings at Becky’s in Cleveland...)
Where and on what show did you earn your card?
I somehow weaseled my way into the chorus of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” at the Arvada Center in Colorado, despite a Thoroughly Embarrassing tap audition.
What draws you to this kind of work (being a delegate or serving fellow members)?
Good acting is rooted in action and relationship to others. I believe our Union is strongest when we exercise those same principals. I’m running to be your delegate so I can advocate for safe working conditions, fair wages, accessible health insurance, and a union that protects us ALL, especially in this unprecedented and terrifying moment.
Are you active in other unions? Do you volunteer? Essentially, what do you do that isn’t career related, that rounds you out?
I’m a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, as well.
Living and working in the Providence/Boston area these past 10 years has allowed me to get involved in community organizing, volunteer opportunities, and activism. This work feels to me like an essential component of my work as an artist. I volunteer for the Manton Avenue Project here in PVD, which is a remarkable program in the under-served Olneyville neighborhood that provides kids 8-18 with free playwrighting classes to unleash their creative voices, and pairs them with professional actors and directors to fully realize their vision. The goal of MAP is to give young people of color the stage, and empower these remarkable kids’ self-efficacy skills, resilience and critical thinking. (learn more: www.mantonavenueproject.org)
As an activist, I worked with a broad coalition of Providence community members to push the City Council to pass the Community Safety Act in 2017. The CSA was developed over many years of dialogue within the community as a way to hold Providence Police accountable. (Check out the key points here: https://providencecommunitysafetyact.wordpress.com/about/)
The CSA doesn’t do enough. So now I’m working with 2 Providence City Councillors, PVD’s Fire Chief, and a diverse representation of organizations dedicated to serving our most vulnerable community members to create a police alternative here in Providence that will serve as a Crisis Response Team. We are working to write an ordinance and a resolution that will fund a pilot program here in Providence based off the work of CAHOOTS in Oregon (learn more here: https://whitebirdclinic.org/cahoots/)
Finally, I love the outdoors, cooking, eating, running, history podcasts (check out “Stuff You Missed In History Class” and “Bloody Mary: On Air” for good listens), and playing with my dog, Henry Winkler. These are all infinitely better when I get to do them with my husband, Charlie.
Where are you from? How many places did you live before calling someplace “home”?
I grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and then moved around a TON after high school: I’ve lived in Virginia, Tennessee, New York (city & upstate), Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and now I live in Providence, Rhode Island. What’s remarkable about the community and relationships we make in the theatre is that each of these places felt in some way like “home” while I was there. That’s due entirely to the people I was lucky enough to work alongside.
Where’s your “happy place? Describe it.
My happy place is climbing a mountain somewhere wild with my husband, Charlie. There must be good snacks in our backpack - I find cheese requires a lot less refrigeration than most people think.
If they existed, what’s your super power? (Psst. They exist.)
Teleportation! Then I could visit all the folks I’ve grown to love working all over the place these last couple decades and still be home for dinner. AND I could eat all the great foods I miss (New Mexico green chile at El Pinto in ABQ, Gus’ Chicken in Memphis, the perfect pork sandwich at High Street in Philly, the deviled eggs at MilkWood in Louisville, wings at Becky’s in Cleveland...)
Where and on what show did you earn your card?
I somehow weaseled my way into the chorus of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” at the Arvada Center in Colorado, despite a Thoroughly Embarrassing tap audition.
What draws you to this kind of work (being a delegate or serving fellow members)?
Good acting is rooted in action and relationship to others. I believe our Union is strongest when we exercise those same principals. I’m running to be your delegate so I can advocate for safe working conditions, fair wages, accessible health insurance, and a union that protects us ALL, especially in this unprecedented and terrifying moment.
Are you active in other unions? Do you volunteer? Essentially, what do you do that isn’t career related, that rounds you out?
I’m a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, as well.
Living and working in the Providence/Boston area these past 10 years has allowed me to get involved in community organizing, volunteer opportunities, and activism. This work feels to me like an essential component of my work as an artist. I volunteer for the Manton Avenue Project here in PVD, which is a remarkable program in the under-served Olneyville neighborhood that provides kids 8-18 with free playwrighting classes to unleash their creative voices, and pairs them with professional actors and directors to fully realize their vision. The goal of MAP is to give young people of color the stage, and empower these remarkable kids’ self-efficacy skills, resilience and critical thinking. (learn more: www.mantonavenueproject.org)
As an activist, I worked with a broad coalition of Providence community members to push the City Council to pass the Community Safety Act in 2017. The CSA was developed over many years of dialogue within the community as a way to hold Providence Police accountable. (Check out the key points here: https://providencecommunitysafetyact.wordpress.com/about/)
The CSA doesn’t do enough. So now I’m working with 2 Providence City Councillors, PVD’s Fire Chief, and a diverse representation of organizations dedicated to serving our most vulnerable community members to create a police alternative here in Providence that will serve as a Crisis Response Team. We are working to write an ordinance and a resolution that will fund a pilot program here in Providence based off the work of CAHOOTS in Oregon (learn more here: https://whitebirdclinic.org/cahoots/)
Finally, I love the outdoors, cooking, eating, running, history podcasts (check out “Stuff You Missed In History Class” and “Bloody Mary: On Air” for good listens), and playing with my dog, Henry Winkler. These are all infinitely better when I get to do them with my husband, Charlie.