WORKING -- Megan Rusiniak

SHE IS

On the “front line of SCR.”

A FAMILIAR FACE

Megan Rusiniak is the voice you hear past the glass, a constant face

in the mix of revolving casts and shows at South Coast Repertory in Costa

Mesa. A ticket services assistant for just more than a year now, Rusiniak

spends her days selling tickets, taking customer-service calls and

waiting patiently as buyers mull for minutes over which seats offer the

best views.

Having seen every show for at least the past year -- one of the job’s

best and free perks -- Rusiniak said she knows firsthand that there’s not

a bad seat in the house.

“It’s fun helping people out when somebody comes to you with a big

problem and it’s a big problem to them but not to you,” said the

20-year-old.

BACKSTAGE PASS

Her favorite performance of late was “Much Ado About Nothing” on the

Mainstage. After shows, she gets to meet cast members backstage when they

want to get complimentary tickets.

Rusiniak is a big fan of Linda Garringer, who played one of the lead

roles for Edward Albee’s “A Delicate Balance,” staged at SCR earlier this

year.

“She’s just [a] dynamo on stage, and she’s just a very humble person,”

the Newport Beach resident said. “She’ll always tell everyone in the box

office, ‘Hi, I’m Linda,’ but we’re, like, of course we know who you are!”

BEHIND THE SCENES

Rusiniak said she prefers staying behind the scenes rather than on

stage. She’s passionate about theater and loves being involved in the

first stages of the show-going experience.

Though Rusiniak took acting classes in high school, her goal is to

join the theater’s literary department one day and work with scripts.

“Everyone at SCR is pretty social with each other,” she said. “And I

always wondered how scripts get picked, and I’m social with some of the

people that work in there.”

-- Story by Young Chang, photo by