Rebecca Brooksher

Hometown: New Orleans, LA

Currently: Playing Kelly, the widow of a troubled young man who served in Iraq Pablo Schreiber in a mysterious dual role, in Dying City, Christopher Shinn's well-received drama at Lincoln Center Theater.

Renaissance Woman: From sports to singing to science, Brooksher pursued a variety of interests growing up—until her appearance in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia at the University of Arkansas convinced her that theater could be the perfect outlet for all her passions. "I loved learning the math and the theories behind it, and the language," she says of Stoppard's brainy script. "I had wanted to do everything else—creative writing, history, biology—all the things I love. After that particular play, I realized that in acting, you can do all those things and then let it go and become someone else."

Juilliard or Bust: Inspired by a production of Othello at London's National Theatre, Brooksher decided she needed an extra level of training after college, so she entered Juilliard's four-year acting program. Appropriately enough, she auditioned as Desdemona. The young actress found the experience intense, and she confesses that life on 207th Street in Manhattan was difficult at first. "I really didn't enjoy the first year I was here—I didn't like the subways, I didn't like the cold—and it's hard to see outside of your own little 'box' at Juilliard," she observes. "There were a lot of [younger] people in my class who had never been to college and were still growing up. The balancing act was hard." Eventually, the Class of 2005 settled in together. "It was a great class," Brooksher says now. "I really loved them, and they're all doing extremely well."

Rebecca and the City: Brooksher headed to L.A. after graduation, quickly becoming disillusioned as acting jobs proved scarce. "It's easy to lose track of why you get into the business," she says. "It can seem like such a rat race." Returning to New York, she auditioned for Dying City—and was instantly captivated by Christopher Shinn's dialogue. "A lot of writers, especially young ones, are writing things that are not really stageworthy," she declares. "It's more like TV banter that doesn't go anywhere; I auditioned for a lot of that. When I read [Dying City], the audition was easy because it was what I wanted to say. It felt right. And it's by a young writer, dealing with stuff that's going on right now. That's pretty phenomenal and rare."

Art Isn't Easy: Brooksher dug deep in creating the character of Kelly, a young woman still shell-shocked by the loss of her husband the year before and newly reunited with his volatile twin brother. "I had lost a friend in a very tragic way two and a half years ago," she explains, "and that was a big part in figuring out where to start. A year is not that long when it's unexpected and sort of gruesome." Director James MacDonald held the first cast meeting at a bar, which helped form personal connections that proved helpful during the creative process. "I did feel very 'low man on the totem pole' coming in," Brooksher admits. "I was also the only woman in the room, and I had to speak for half the audience. It was tricky negotiating that and feeling comfortable enough to say, 'This is what I think.'" She adds with a chuckle, "Once we got going, we had it out sometimes. We yelled at each other, and that was okay—we became more collaborative."

Circle Time: Brooksher notes a variety of audience reactions to Shinn's thought-provoking drama, which takes place on a rotating set timed to achieve a 360-degree turn over the course of the 90-minute running time. "The Wednesday matinees are sort of like, 'No, that was the other brother! There were two of them!' or 'Did you notice the stage was moving?'" she wryly laughs. "But a lot of younger people will wait at the stage door afterward to say, 'It's really great—and I have this question!'" Best of all, she's been called "the discovery of the season" by New York Times critic Ben Brantley. "There are surprises every day," Brooksher says with a smile. "It's been a blast, though that's a funny word to say about this show. I had a tough time [in the business] at first. I thought you had to be a 'name' on TV before you made it on a good quality stage. I'm very blessed."