Barbara Stauffer-Brewi doesn't fit the mold of a Southern lady.
As an actress, dancer, director and ordained minister, Stauffer-Brewi has never fit anyone's preconceived notions--she's flaunted them.
"Nobody expects a woman to be a minister who'd be on stage," Stauffer-Brewi said. "I guess that's one of those unique quirks, or one of the things that leads to my insanity, is that maybe I've thumbed my nose at convention."
Stauffer-Brewi, managing board director of the Auburn Area Community Theatre, has been in love with theatre since she was 14. She was living in Clanton when she was cast in a production at the Town & Gown Theatre in Birmingham.
"We drove over an hour every night to get to rehearsals," Stauffer-Brewi said. "We weren't paid, of course. We had the privilege of working with them."
Stauffer-Brewi received her undergraduate degree in music and theatre at Indiana University. Her husband's medical residency brought the couple back to Alabama, where she joined the staff at Auburn First Baptist as the minister of education.
Her search for a theatrical community in the area brought her to the AACT.
"In theatre, you can step outside of yourself," Stauffer-Brewi said. "That's one great advantage. But the other part of it is you build a life and relationships with people that you would not ordinarily have."
Her involvement with the theatre began with acting, and Philip Beard, an AACT actor, has been performing with Stauffer-Brewi since 2004.
"She's a lot of fun to act with," Beard said. "I've experienced her as a very group-minded, team-playing actress. More recently, I've gotten to know her as a director."
Stauffer-Brewi is currently directing the community theatre's production of "Hairspray." Instead of the small ensemble comedies common to the theatre, Barbara chose to put on the first large-scale musical production the company has ever done.
"This is the first thing I've directed here at Auburn," Stauffer-Brewi said. "There was no one else who was willing to step up and do a musical, so I said, 'I will do it!' We had the money and it was the right time."
Despite the obstacles she faced, Stauffer-Brewi put together an enormous cast of multicultural young people with musical abilities.
"In this play she has done something that hasn't been done before," Beard said. "She's helped organize, direct and energize a dramatic production that should have been done before, but hadn't."
Stauffer-Brewi said she believes the theatre is a vital part of Auburn's community.
"It's very important for a community to be able to showcase its talent," Stauffer-Brewi said. "It improves the quality of life for everybody."
Andrea Holmes, AACT artistic director, said Stauffer-Brewi has been instrumental in expanding the group.
"We have some long-range goals of having our own building, and that's what Barbara is good at: thinking ahead to the future and having some ambitious plans, bringing new ideas on fundraising and networking and reaching into the community," Holmes said. "That's where Barbara excels."
Stauffer-Brewi's passion for theatre transcends box-office sales and sold-out shows. For her, the biggest draw is being part of a community.
"There's a kind of intimacy in the theatre that you grow to have," Stauffer-Brewi said. "As you go through the trials and tribulations and lose your temper with these people, it becomes an intimacy almost like family."
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