Seated back stage in the dark during another night of rehearsal for Wiley and the Hairy Man, junior in theater, Rachel Bullard, has only a small desk light to allow her to see her notes in the prop book at her work station.

“I was kind of thrown into this position right before production as assistant stage manager and from then on, the rest is history,” Bullard said.

Throughout the entire show, which is produced by Fain Fine Arts Theater Department, Bullard remains in the back at this work station with her drawer full of knickknacks and play notes. Bullard is usually in the spotlight of a show as a cast member, like in her role in the department’s most recent play, Diary of Anne Frank.

“I’m a performer so what I’m used to is acting because that is primarily what I want to do,” Bullard said.

Originally Bullard was part of the publicity crew, but a call from the original assistant stage manager, Wendi Wainscott, changed everything.

“She contacted me right after her audition for a role in Beauty and the Beast at the Wichita Theater and offered me the position,” Bullard said. “She needed to know at that moment because she had to inform Elizabeth Lewandowski about the change as soon as possible. I had no time to think about it, but I took the position anyways.”

The hierarchy of production crew is as follows: the director, the stage manager and the assistant stage manager. Bullard’s position requires a great amount of attention to detail and tasks.

During the rehearsal process of the show, Bullard arrived early to set up the stage, and occasionally put up props. She also worked closely with the actors by standing in for an actor if he was absent and making sure the cast knew their lines.

Bullard makes sure everything runs smoothly on the stage during performances while the stage manager is in the booth calling light cues and other cues from above.

“When the show is up, the director can’t do anything else because once he’s directed the show, that’s it,” Bullard said. “It’s up to me and the stage manager to run the show.”

When the show starts, Bullard is responsible for everything that happens on deck and manages everyone backstage.

“It’s a whole lot of responsibility and a totally new atmosphere for me because I’m a performer,” Bullard said. “This is the technician side, and it broadens my view on theater and of all the different jobs backstage.”

The director of the show and associate professor of theater, John Dement, said there have been some setbacks in the production, but the cast and crew have really adapted well to the obstacles thrown at them.

At one point, another actor was integrated into the show because the lead role, Zac Binx, broke his toe while moving a piece of stage equipment three weeks into rehearsal.

Bullard said she was relieved when Houston Pokorny, sophomore in theater, agreed to perform the lead in half the performances.

“Originally I was taken aback by the news, but then I was thankful that we have someone in the department to easily adapt to a show in a week,” Bullard said.

Despite the obstacles Bullard had to face during rehearsals, she kept her composure and her passion for the arts. She she said her mother, Kathy, inspired her at a young age to pursue a career in theater because her mother also studied theater in college.

“Ever since Rachel was about the age of 4, she has been in theater skits and church programs,” Mrs. Bullard said, “Theater has always been a part of Rachel’s life and it has been a natural thing for her.”

Mrs. Bullard attributes the success of her daughter to Rachel’s high school theater teacher and former MSU graduate, Shawn Duthie.

“He took her to the next level and pushed her to be in every production she could be in since her freshman year of high school,” Mrs. Bullard said. “He stopped by my shop and told me how impressed he was of Rachel’s growth after seeing her performance in The Diary of Anne Frank.”

Bullard’s transition from performing onstage to backstage also included her work as a makeup designer for the chorus of the Sweeney Todd production.

“Doing technician work makes me know how much work is contributed in a show that the actors don’t necessarily know about, Bullard said. “The actors get the recognition on stage, but the backstage people run the show without the audience knowing.”

Rehearsals for the production have been going on since Oct. 14 and the crew and cast are working hard for more than four hours a night to bring the show together.

“It’s almost like a second job,” Bullard said. “I’m at rehearsals 30 hours a week, I have a job on campus, and I have school.”

Although the hours are strenuous and there have been a few hiccups, Bullard has taken on her new role with stride and looks forward to tomorrow’s opening.

“I thoroughly enjoy this new leadership position,” Bullard said. “It’s given me a whole different view on being a theater technician and I would definitely do it again for another production.”

The first night of performance will be Thursday, Nov. 21 and continues throughout the rest of the weekend.

“I hope the audience walks out thinking how fun and lighthearted that last hour of entertainment was,” Bullard said. “Nothing too deep, but just peachy.”