Rachel Bush
Head of Stage Management
Is a Wisconsin native educated in New Mexico. Rachel shifted from the profession to academia when she joined the faculty at the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance to create the curriculum for a new BFA in Stage Management. She is currently the Head of Stage Management at UH, where she has created both regional and national relationships for her students. She is incredibly excited to be able to say that her graduates represent a 100 percent placement. Rachel was the 2015 recipient of the Ross M. Lence Award for Excellence in Teaching.
In addition to her faculty responsibilities, she serves on many university committees, is a member of the UH Faculty Senate, and is the production representative for undergraduate recruitment as well as facilities coordinator for the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Performing Arts. She also acted as the production liaison to the Tony Award winning Alley Theatre during their Alley@UH 2014-2015 season residency at the UH School of Theatre and Dance. Rachel also serves as the Production Stage Manager for the Houston Shakespeare Festival, which performs to over 20,000 people each year at Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre.
In her 20 year career, Rachel has had the pleasure of working with such talents as; Tony & Emmy Award Winner James Whitmore; Tony Award Winners: Bill Irwin, Michael Rupert, John Glover, Ed Sherin, Pam Mackinnon, and Phyllis Frelich; Obie Award Winners: Brandon Dirden, Andre De Shields, and Leah C. Gardiner; Seth Gilliam, Jeff DeMunn, and James Rebhorn among others.
Theatre credits include Steppenwolf’s Broadway revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as well as Off Broadway productions at the Mint Theater, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, The York Theatre, and Signature Theatre. Rachel has worked extensively in Regional Theatre, with the Pioneer Theater Company (Chuck Morey, AD), Philadelphia Theater Company (Sara Garonzik, AD), Syracuse Stage (Bob Moss, AD), Children’s Theater of Minneapolis (Peter Brosius, AD), Pirate Playhouse (Ralph Elias, AD), Act II Playhouse (Tony Braithwaite, AD), Santa Fe Stages (Martin Platt, AD), Opera Theater of Lucca (Malcom Fraser, AD), Stages Repertory Theatre (Kenn McLaughlin, AD) Garson Theatre, The Gloucester Stage Company (Israel Horovitz, AD) and The Peterborough Players (Gus Kaikkonen, AD). Rachel has also had the opportunity to collaborate on new and innovative world premieres such as The Ladies Man - Charles Morey, Adrift in Macao - Christopher Durang & Peter Melnick, According to Goldman - Bruce Graham, Prymate - Mark Medoff, A Picasso - Jeffrey Hatcher, Killers and Other Family - Lucy Thurber, Mme. Bonards Bath - Israel Horovitz, and Passions of Mabel Dodge Luhan - Leslie Harrell Dillen. Additionally at the University of Houston, she had the pleasure of working on new works with award winning playwrights Edward Albee and Mark Medoff.
Expanding her experience outside of the traditional theatre venue, Rachel was excited to venture into television as Production Coordinator for CBS Television’s48 Hours. She has stage managed the Presidential Investiture at the University of Houston, the Anit-Defamation League's Houston In Concert Against Hate: A Theatre Tribute to American Civil Rights, hosted by Mr. Louis Gossett Jr., and TEDX Houston, an amazing event that launched one of the most viewed TED talks of that year, Dr. Brene Brown's Vulnerability. She has continued her involvement in TEDX Houston as stage manager, committee member, and sponsor while continuing to stage manage Corporate Events & Fundraisers.
Rachel is a proud member of the Stage Management Association and Actors Equity Association.