By Leila Mobayen
Daily Bruin Contributor
On the proverbial highway of life, Amy Rutberg has always chosen
to live in the fast lane.
The 18-year-old third-year music student has already appeared in
a large number of performances, the latest being her upcoming
female lead role in the musical, “The Civil War,”
playing at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.
The Tony Award-nominated musical composed by Frank Wildhorn,
tells the story of a soldier’s wife who deals with the
emotional struggles of love and loss in the midst of war.
Despite the dry image that the era evokes, the musical does not
revolve around gunshots and war strategy like a historical
documentary. The production has no orchestra, instead a band plays
on stage. None of the characters have names ““ even
Rutberg’s character is simply referred to as the
“soldier’s wife.” The musical places, according
to the actor, very little emphasis on developing the historical
context of the war. Instead, the story deals with the emotional
aspects that are portrayed through an array of pop songs, three of
which Rutberg will sing herself.
“It’s almost like going to a rock concert instead of
a musical,” Rutberg said. “I think the name really
misleads people. We have a hard time fighting misconceptions people
have about a musical on the Civil War.”
The musical features songs which have been recorded by popular
artists Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill and Hootie and the Blowfish,
just to name a few. Furthermore, starring opposite Rutberg’s
character is Grammy-nominated country singer Larry Gatlin.
“The Civil War” modernizes historical detail with
popular hits, yet Rutberg said she learned much about the
nation’s history through her role.
“This has been not only an artistic experience, but a
phenomenal educational experience as well,” she said, joking
that before her audition all she knew about the Civil War was that
the North had won.
Rutberg, who decided to take a year off of school to pursue her
acting career, is in no hurry to graduate right away.
The highly motivated actor completed her high school education
through home schooling at age 13, then transferred to UCLA after
two years at a community college. The 18 year old now has junior
standing and hopes to return next year.
Rutberg, who has been acting since the age of nine, views
performing as a natural calling.
“This is the the kind of career that you don’t
really choose as much as it chooses you,” she said.
The young actress, who has considered other interests besides
acting, said she still participated in on-campus musicals. She also
tried double-majoring in music and sociology.
“I was double majoring because I wanted to get a
background in something other than theater and music because that
was already such a big part of my life,” she said.
Indeed, entertainment has been an integral part of
Rutberg’s life, who has been professionally acting for the
past three years. She has appeared as Janet in “The Rocky
Horror Picture Show” with David Arquette. She was Maria in
“The Sound of Music,” Kim in “Bye Bye
Birdie,” Mary in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and
she was even Romeo’s Juliet. She has also made television
appearances on “Broken Record” with Shaquille
O’Neal and as Amy on “Pacific Blue.”
After her stint with “The Civil War” wraps up,
Rutberg will head for New York for an off-Broadway production of
“Bat Boy ““ The Musical.” Despite her experiences
and opportunities with the world of film and television, she enjoys
theater far better than any other form of acting.
“It’s just the rush of a live performance,”
she said. “You know, anything can happen.”
Returning to school is something Rutberg hopes to do, if her
schedule permits it. “I love UCLA,” she said, “I
hope that I’ll eventually go back.”
As far as her future goes, she is simply waiting to see what
happens. “I definitely have other interests, you know, who
knows if I’ll be doing this my whole life,” she
said.
“For now I’m having a great time and things are
going really well for me and I just feel lucky to be in the
position that I’m in. I feel very grateful.”
THEATER: “The Civil War” will run from June 6 to 13
at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. For information, call
(714) 556-ARTS.