Allan Appel Photo
Never in her life had Rachel Zwick gone into Home Depot — or any store — to buy a five-sixteenths combo wrench or five-inch floppy disks for sanders.
She did last week. Because those are among your assignments when you’ve scored a great summer gig as a P.A., or a production assistant, for the first national touring company for Matilda, the Musical.
Zwick, a 2014 theater major graduate of Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, has been working on this dream job since early April. She stays with it through the opening of the show at the Shubert Theater on May 16 through the local run, which ends May 24.
That’s when the show with Zwick’s contributions, modest as they may be — production assistants serve as clerks, gofers, computer in-putters, and doing whatever the staff needs — moves on to Los Angeles, the next stop on the tour for the Roald Dahl novel-based musical.
Zwick gets to be behind the scenes to see everything from the needs of the carpenter to the actors and directors as a professional touring company “builds” up for cross-country touring.
“This is unlike anything I thought I would be taking on [at this stage] in my college career. This is the real deal, ” Zwick said during a break from work.
She had just left her computer console in the darkened Shubert theater seats. Up on the stage newly constructed pieces of the set were being steadied into place.
Wuzzardo and Zwick.
In her second semester studying theater at Southern Connecticut State University, Zwick received a call from Shubert Director of Education Kelly Wuzzardo.
Everything that Matilda’s touring company carpenter will need must fit in this cabinet.
Wuzzardo had heard from the Shubert’s carpenter that the musical’s production company was looking to hire a young P.A. with a car. She immediately thought of Zwick.
Zwick had received a general theater education at Co-Op that included being assistant director for a school production of the Importance of Being Ernest and assistant director and stage manager for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.
Zwich had also availed herself of internships coordinated with the high school and the Shubert.
Zwick’s a graduate therefore not only of the performing arts high school but also of its Shubert-based internship programs in the technical side of theater, in ushering, and in production management. Zwick also had worked as a counselor for two summers at the theater summer camp, another of the internship programs.
“She’s the only one who’s done all four internships,” said Wuzzardo.
“I also knew she had a car,” for all those Home Depot trips.
Zwick accepted the job right away. She was not without some butterflies. “Ms. Wuzzardo taught us that if I need help, ask for it,” she said.
“She’s learning lots about the management side, what it takes to build a show,” Wuzzardo said.
Zwick had just received a paper invoice from the the show’s production manager. A trucking company recently delivered something to the Shubert; Zwick entered the invoice on her computer, generating a computerized purchase order for the record.
As much as singing and dancing, that’s part of theater, too. Zwick seemed to be absorbing every aspect. “It’s a phenomenal opportunity,” she said.
“I knew Rachel would make me proud and handle it,” said Wuzzardo.
She also pointed out that “our relationship doesn’t stop at Co-Op. Because she [Zwick] went through the tech program, I can hire her to work on tech at Co-Op.”
After work on Matilda Zwick said, she’s working the crew down the street at Co-Op for a rehearsal of the New Haven Ballet.
Zwick said the experience with Matilda has broadened her views on how to make a life in theater. “I was just thinking of tech and of running [managing] shows. I might look into production management, a third career path,” she said.
Then she returned to the theater, emerging moments later with a sheaf of papers, and headed to her car.