Julie Hughett is Associate Producer at Pacific Repertory Theatre, a position with many responsibilities. It's a crazy life and now includes the responsibility and joy of raising a baby daughter. She and her husband Stephen Moorer, the founder and Artistic Director of Grovemont/Pacific Repertory Theatre, have a one-year-old daughter, Claire. Julie describes this as "putting her life into perspective."

Julie was born and grew up in Monterey. She attended Monte Vista, Santa Catalina, and Robert Lewis Stevenson schools. Her father was one of the founders of television cable and ran MPTV. As a child her parents would take her to ballets, maybe some theatre, but they were never involved or interested in the performance side of theatre.

While Julie was at Santa Catalina, she took drama from a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Rembert. She was encouraged to perform; what she remembers best was being the narrator in THE GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS. In her first year at RLS she was a cheerleader (which she loved) instead of doing theatre. But the next year she decided to audition for a play BLACK COMEDY, because it sounded like fun. Then she had to choose between doing cheerleading or doing the play (she would play Miss Fernival - the spinster/drunk -- a great part). She chose the play and then didn't stop. She describes it: "From then on, in high school I did every old lady, every character part there was."

After high school graduation Julie took a job as teller at Monterey Savings and Loan and worked there for nine years while doing community theatre. Her first role was as part of the ensemble of CARNIVAL at the Wharf Theater. Next Ramie Wikdahl called her to come audition for TALKING WITH at GroveMont; she got cast as The Twirler. At some point during the run of TALKING WITH John Rousseau suggested that she audition for A CHRISTMAS CAROL; she was cast as part of the ensemble. Julie didn't leave GroveMont from then on. She stage-managed many shows, ran lights, did TheatreFest and performed in GroveMont productions. Eventually she quit the bank to take a part-time bookkeeping job and work part-time at GroveMont. And the rest of her theatre life is part of the story of GroveMont, TheatreFest, and Pacific Repertory Theatre.

How did Julie develop her acting skills? Her only formal training was at the age of 17 in an intensive program in the dramatic arts at Northwestern University in Chicago. After that her training has been "on the job with every wonderful director and performer I worked with." Now at Pacific Repertory Theatre she is Associate Producer. She explains that "this encompasses everything from house-managing, performing, doing box office, buying supplies, throwing out the trash. That's what I do, and I'm not alone -- everyone else in the company does the same.

Julie talks about what she likes about doing theatre: "It's two-fold. In relation to TheatreFest I like giving theatre free to the public. I think the style is neat; I like street theatre. The other part is doing the plays indoors -- transforming myself into somebody else -- that pretend factor." She also talks about the value of theatre: "It gives people, the audience, a chance to exercise their minds. Most theatre requires an effort to understand it, to participate. TV just isn't enough."