Meet Rebecca Van Kirk | Actor & Social Media Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rebecca Van Kirk and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rebecca, how do you think about risk?
I spent all of my education in a private school setting. I was a good student and all, but I didn’t like school, if you know what I mean. It was pretty clear to me by my second or third year of high school that college was not in the cards for me. I was the only student in my graduating class that didn’t apply to college, which felt extraordinarily scary at the time. It seemed like everyone and their mother was asking me, “What’s your plan after graduation?” and I literally had no idea.

I grew up doing theater, but had a damaged relationship with it post-graduation and was all like, “I’m never acting again blah blah blah,” so I decided to give stage management a whirl. It was there I realized I had much more fun on-stage than behind it. Auditions popped up for one of my dream shows in Rome, GA, so I was like, “I’ll give it one last go.” Sure enough, that audition spiraled into me pursuing theater as a career.

Since then, I’ve been lucky to perform in theaters all over the metro-Atlanta area with some of the most talented people that became life-long friends. I always felt a little bit (well, a lot) of #FOMO watching my school friends go off to college without me, but I feel secure that the path I’m on is the path that was made for me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My theatrical career path is certainly unique to those of my peers, and there are a number of qualities that set me apart from other actors.

The first is my previously stated lack of collegiate theater experience. I’ve been pursuing a theater career solely through hands-on experience, for lack of a better term. Most of my recent work has been with actors/artists/creatives much older than me with much more on their resume which, in the beginning, couldn’t have been more intimidating; when I sat down and thought about it though, I was like, “I’m doing exactly what they’re doing, but much younger and with much less on my resume.” It’s one of those double-perspectives depending on how you look at it.

The other I want to mention is my Chinese-American heritage. Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up in a world where I saw a whole lot of myself in film, television, or on-stage. People (Asian women especially) who look like me were often stereotyped and didn’t get the shot at the ingenue, if they even got a chance at anything at all. I’m hoping to be a part of that change moving forward.

Aside from acting, I’m also pursuing a career in social media management! I plan to earn my certificate in digital marketing through Kennesaw State University this summer, and I’ve already connected and done some great work with Marietta Theatre Company and Authenticity Theatre. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this new path of my journey brings!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Contrary to popular belief, I actually don’t get out a whole lot… I do like to try local coffee shops when I can, but ironically, I despise coffee. Swift & Finch (Rome, GA), Honeysuckle Biscuits & Bakery (Kennesaw, GA), and Cool Beans Coffee Roasters (Marietta, GA) are some of my favorite non-coffee coffee shops, if you catch my drift. I also super duper recommend the Reeves House in Woodstock, GA, because it doubles as a coffee shop AND and art gallery. If you’re lucky, you can also catch an art class, live music, or honestly, like anything else ever. The Reeves House stays BUSY.

I’m very much a homebody and the most hanging out I do is walking the aisles of the grocery store. As an actor, I of course love seeing theater and try to see a handful of shows every month. Atlanta Theatre Buzz has the best updates on all of the theatre happenings in metro-Atlanta.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe a very large part of my journey to James Swendsen. My theatrical upbringing in school had an extremely detrimental effect on my well-being, and as previously stated, I was all, “When I graduate high school, I’m never doing this again.” When I inevitably ended up being wrong and auditioned again eight months later, I was suuuuuuuper insecure about not only my talents and abilities as an actor but also about myself. Walking into the audition room for a two-person show at a theater nearly an hour away from home felt like walking into the lunch room at a new school (and not in one of those optimistic opportunistic ways). I was the ONLY kid who was not from Rome, GA and didn’t know everyone else. It felt like a straight shot at social suicide.

In no world did James have to cast me in “I and You”, but he did. I don’t know if he would agree or remember, but I was a bit withdrawn for the first few weeks of rehearsal because I was so anxious about it being my high school theater experience. I did end up crying one night post-rehearsal out of this massive fear that I was not going to be a major disappointment. James reassured me that it doesn’t matter what others believe, because I had to believe in myself first (super cliche but also very real).

He continued checking in on me, met my worries with kindness, and told me often I was a “damn good actor,” even though every time I told him, “I don’t believe you.” Coming to rehearsals with him, Reed Castrejon (Anthony), and Alison Karch (stage manager) felt like coming home. James Swendsen and the found family at Rome Little Theatre gave me the confidence to continue doing what I love, and for that I am eternally grateful (not sponsored)!

Instagram: @rebecca_vankirk

TikTok: @rebecca_vankirk