Micah Frank

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has worked with Becky that so many of her students have gone on to have successful careers in the arts. Becky came into rehearsal everyday with a Playbill tote bag and a huge smile on her face. Her excitement and passion for the work we were doing was infectious. And though we were kids performing in a youth theater, working with Becky at J*Company was not kids play, it was the real deal. Becky always entered the room having done her homework and expected us to have done ours. I remember in fifth grade we were rehearsing a number called "Dancing Liberty" in the musical "Hello, Tomorrow" and it became clear that most of us hadn't memorized the lyrics to the song. Becky could see right through our trick of mouthing the word "watermelon" over and over again when we didn't know the words. She stopped the song and lined us up in two rows and had us each step forward one at a time and sing the next lyric from the song. Those who didn't know it were not allowed to rehearse the number that afternoon. It was a powerful moment and its significance became more clear with time - Becky wasn't just rehearsing us for a show, she was rehearsing us for a career in the theater. She was teaching us a valuable lesson - show up with passion, prepared, and ready to play. And, because of her, I do.