“It’s amazing that we were impacted in the same way, by the same play,” says Rebecca Taylor.
“Yes, it was life-changing for both of us,” agrees identical twin Grace.
The 24-year-old sisters, who are currently back at their family home outside Bloomfield, are referring to the musical “Wicked.” They saw the award-winning production in Chicago when they were 14, and although they had previously been exposed to many cultural art forms — including musical theatre — there was something about this particular selection that struck a mutual artistic chord.
“It wasn’t so much that we wanted to be stars,” explains Rebecca.
“That’s right,” adds Grace. “We simply wanted to bring that magic to others; to move those in an audience as we had been moved.”
With that goal as their motivation, and parents who recognized and appreciated the talent their daughters possessed, performance and music became the girls’ focus.
“We had a well-rounded, culturally based education because we were schooled at home,” both girls say in agreement.
“Our parents own a horse farm, plus our dad works in IT for an area company,” says Grace.
“That made it possible for our mom to be home and oversee our studies,” adds Rebecca.
In addition to their daily in-home-education classes, the sisters’ early education years were supplemented with socialization activities that engaged their artistic and creative natures.
They attended Agape Christian school in Poplar Bluff one day a week; participated in the weekly story hours at Keller Public Library; were members of Maria Chamberlain’s children’s choir; and took piano lessons from Pete Parysek and studied art with his wife Fredrika.
When the girls voiced their joint desires to pursue performance, they joined Choral Union at Southeast Missouri State University and Sikeston’s Little Theatre group. They were active in both pursuits throughout high school, while continuing their piano and art studies.
“We followed a structured school day,” says Grace, “not the casual routine that many home-schooled friends have described to me. We never went to school in our pajamas!”
“We had a classroom that looked like a classroom,” adds Rebecca, “with posters, shelves and shelves of books, and a long table where we worked.”
The students followed a set routine, with a school day that ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Because we had a horse farm, and because the horses had to be tended in the mornings, we used the time that our parents were outside, to complete our homework from the day before,” explains Rebecca.
“With no teacher in the classroom to ask for assistance during homework time, we had to learn how to figure out problems ourselves,” adds Grace. “I think that was great preparation for college where so much of your work is done independently.”
Both girls are proud of the education they received from their mother, who holds both bachelor and master’s degrees. They followed no set curriculum, but say their mother was meticulous in recording their daily class activities according to state guidelines for home-schooling.
“She probably still has boxes and boxes of those records stored away,” laughs Rebecca.
Their diligent efforts paid off when both sisters earned Bright Flight scholarships for their ACT scores, as well as academic-based scholarships from SEMO. They also were awarded Stoddard County Fair Board scholarships because of the paintings they submitted to the fair each year.
The sisters attended SEMO, where they were standout performers in the theatre department.
“We were fortunate to be cast in a production each semester of our college career,” observes Grace.
They graduated in 2016 with Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Since then, their lives have been a whirlwind of activity as they sought various venues to showcase and utilize their talents.
Following graduation, they earned positions as performance apprentices at Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre in Little Rock.
“A mass audition was held to fill only four vacancies — two female and two male,” explains Rebecca.
“We both were chosen for the female roles, so we were very happy about that,” adds Grace.
The girls agree that it was exciting to be on their own, with the opportunity to live in the city and have an apartment, yet be able to share the experience, too.
As apprentices, the aspiring actresses were required to perform “hands-on” duties in addition to their theatrical roles.
“We had to ‘earn our keep,’ so to speak,” recounts Rebecca. “We helped build sets, worked in costuming — whatever tasks needed to be done.”
Grace adds laughing, “We were just a bit jealous of the company actors who only had to perform, and then could leave!”
“One of the most enjoyable jobs we had in Little Rock was working for Fancyful Fairytale Parties,” says Grace.
“It was wonderful to dress up as a Disney princess, and make a little girl’s party something special,” Rebecca adds. She goes on to say, “Seeing a princess at Disneyworld for a minute or so, pales in comparison to having a princess all to yourself for an extended period of time.”
The sisters also had the opportunity to work together in the National Theatre for Children in Minnesota, which sent them to North Carolina to perform.
“We visited schools and libraries teaching children, through performance, about energy conservation,” explains Grace.
In Alpena, Michigan, at the Thunder Bay Theatre, the young women were again cast together as the Pigeon sisters in “The Odd Couple.” In addition, they also worked in educational theatre — touring Northern Michigan.
While the talented duo has been fortunate to work together in many instances, they also have pursued individual opportunities.
Grace has been cast in productions at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock, and at Rattlin’ D Playhouse in Hurricane, Utah, where she appeared in a musical spoof of “Butch Cassidy” called “Butch Cassidy and the Sunburnt Kid.”
“I was apprehensive about the Utah show,” reflects Grace, “but people said it was one of the funniest shows they had ever seen.”
Rebecca worked in an administrative capacity at the Dorset Theatre Festival in Dorset, Vermont; appeared in “The Holly Jolly Trolley” at the King’s Island Winterfest in Mason, Ohio; and most recently was cast in the world premier of “Mary Todd: A New American Musical” at the Bluegrass and Opera Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky.
The next phase for the talented twins begins as they prepare to build on their real-life experiences by attending graduate school.
“I have been accepted into the Master of Fine Arts program at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas,” Rebecca explains, “and will begin classes in the fall of this year.”
“I am still applying and evaluating my options,” says Grace, “but I am confident I will find the school that is right for me.”
After nearly three years of life-in-the-fast-lane, the sisters say they are ready for a more settled routine.
“The prospect of being in one place for an extended period is really exciting,” observes Grace.
Rebecca and Grace are the daughters of Ann and Scott Taylor of rural Bloomfield.