Getting to know Angela Torres

When Angela Torres, management and marketing director of University Theatres, was nominated for a Getting to Know You feature, I thought, "This should be easy. Theatre folks are used to the spotlight." Angela quickly set me straight, "I'm not an actor. I'm a behind the scenes person." Luckily, with enough coaxing and charm, I got her to sit down and share her story with me. Angela has a quick wit and a bit of mischief behind her smile. She likes to challenge herself intellectually as her numerous academic projects will attest.

She is passionate about USI Theatre and understands the job has its quirks, like phone calls from folks wanting to know what time Water for Elephants is showing or the reactions from others when the theatre students are rehearsing lines or singing in the halls.

How long have you worked at USI?

According to Human Resources, just over 10 years; because they only take into account full-time positions, but I've actually been here since October 2003. I started in a part-time position and was a student worker prior. I've been a student worker, part-time staff, full-time staff, a senior administrative assistant in both Theatre and Liberal Arts, an administrative associate in Liberal Arts, an adjunct faculty and now in my current position as an administrator.

Tell me what your job involves.

I have such a varied job. I never know what I'm going to be doing one day to the next. I could be doing paperwork for grants. I could be calling up agents and talking over business and setting up actors with contracts. I work with a team of faculty and students to make sure productions are on time and on budget by handling the paperwork that's required by the University, grant agencies, actors/actress equity associations and outside vendors.

I occasionally get to work with the props for the shows and actually create props. For Next to Normal, I made fake bread out of Styrofoam, latex and paint. I get to do newspapers, pictures and playbills (basically with the playbills, I just steal the work of the art students). It's actually really nice because we get to work with the Art Department and graphic design students. Whoever is teaching that class will assign it as a project and they'll create the poster and playbill cover. I send them all the information because there is so much information that each of the companies require. Then the students put it together and the directors get together and vote on which one we want to have, then I take it and make sure all the information is correct.

How many degrees from USI do you have from USI?

Technically I have two degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Communications, and a Masters in Business Administration. With the BS in communications, I have majors in theatre and economics (yes, that's right, both theatre and economics fell under a communications degree back in the day); I then obtained my MBA; next is the minor in health administration; and right now I am working toward both a minor in geography and a post-baccalaureate certificate in professional accountancy. After I finish with the minor in geography, I will have obtained a small goal of mine - to have a "degree" in each of the four colleges here on campus. I've always enjoyed taking classes and learning new and interesting things, so it actually is relaxing for me, except for maybe test days.

Working in the Theatre Department must make for some interesting memories.

Yes. One memory I have was sitting in the office and hearing this blood curdling scream. We sat a moment and heard talking so we're like "Eh, everything's ok." It was Eric Atheide's acting class and they were just doing a scene. It's just one of those things. If you don't hear somebody come running or hear another yell, then it's just a scene. But it shook up a couple of people in the Art Department upstairs. With theatre you never know what to expect. It's great.

If you were on the cover of a magazine, which one would it be and why?

I would do my best to not be on the cover of a magazine. I like to stay behind-the-scenes as much as possible. But if I had to choose, it would definitely be the USI Magazine because it's USI.

If you could try out any job for a day, what would you like to try?

I love to learn new things, and would be up for almost any job. There would be a limit to jobs that had a bad smell or required me to taste something.

If your life was a movie, what genre would it be and who would play you?

My husband helped me out on this one - he claims the genre would be mystery as he has yet to figure me out. I also tend to change how I do things after a period that seems to be consistent. Anna Kendrick would be the one to play me. Although I am definitely not funny, Kendrick would be able to pull off the many facial expressions I use to display my feelings.

What is your favorite 80's movie?

There are so many great 80's movies that it's hard to pick a favorite. The original A Nightmare on Elm Street would have to be high on that list. It's one that I base other horror films against for the creepy, keep you from sleeping factor.

I have a problem where I watch way too many movies, so if it's a predictable plot line, I've got it all figured out before they get to the end. I have to keep it to myself because I used to tell my husband, "Eh….so and so did it." He would get so mad and ask "How do you know this?" I'd say "It's a predictable plotline. Come on, you can see it a mile away."

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to spend time with my husband, Scott. I like to spend time with my dog, Kastor. He's my baby and he's spoiled rotten. I take him all over Evansville.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

This isn't really advice that I was given, but it's something I heard somewhere that has stuck regarding work. "Do something that makes you happy. If you're not happy, it's up to you to change it."

You have multiple personalities - name three and tell me about them.

Just three? There is the work personality, the home personality and the other personality. At work, I'm go, go, go all day long, and typically with a smile. By the time I get home, the smile and energy are long gone. When I was working for my in-laws, my husband would tell his parents that they got the "good" Angela and he got the "bad" Angela. Another personality is the quiet observer, which is prominent when I'm out with groups of people.

What song best represents your personal philosophy?

Right now, because of the geography and geology classes I've been taking, I'd have to go with R.E.M.'s - It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I feel fine).

I listen to all sorts of music but I make up my own lyrics, so I don't really know what the words are. Actually I surprised one of the students one time because they had heavy metal playing on the computer and I started singing along with it. They just looked at me and said "You know that?" I can actually say I've been to a Manowar concert, as well as an Amy Grant concert, so it's both ends of the spectrum.