Staff Spotlight: Rebecca Nolph

We caught up with Carolina Theatre Operations and Rental Manager, Rebecca Nolph, and learned about her most memorable moments at the theater.

CTD: Can you share a little about yourself and how you started working at the theater?  

The Nolph clan hails from the Steel City, and we moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina when I was about 2 years old. I studied Anthropology at Winthrop University and while at school, I worked at a record store in Charlotte, Manifest Discs & Tapes (RIP). This is where my love of music, records, and going to shows truly began to take over (in the best way). I met and worked with the most amazing, peculiar people who opened up and transformed my little world.

After college, I moved around for a good spell – Colorado to Philly to Indonesia for a stint then back to Colorado and ending up in the Carolinas again. Full circle – so it goes. During that time, I worked at museums, libraries, a comic book/board game store, a wildlife sanctuary, and a few restaurants scattered about. I decided to settle in Durham in October of 2019 (great timing) and started working at the theater as a part-time house manager and concessionaire. When the theater reopened in 2021, I was brought back on in a new capacity – as the Operations and Rental Manager. I now live in Roxboro with my partner, and we love our little farm life.

CTD: What does a typical week look like for you and what do you like most about your job?  

My weeks are very not typical, which I don’t mind at all! Depending on what shows or events are happening, I could be here to work 8 shows/events in 5 days or have a quiet week with just regular admin hours, or it could be somewhere in between. The rentals are always different too – they can be conferences, meetings, concerts, storytelling events, professional and local ballet companies, local orchestras, dance companies, graduations, the Mayor’s State of the City Address, film screenings, the Full Frame Film Festival, and on and on.

I believe I most enjoy helping create wonderful and memorable events for our guests and the renters alike – whether that be a local first-time filmmaker screening his debut film and creating a red carpet event for him, a grandmother coming in to see her granddaughter graduate, or a group of friends seeing “Cowboy Bebop LIVE” together because they love anime and bonded over the show. It is incredibly rewarding to help bring these visions to life and see the product of such hard work making an impact.

CTD: What are some of your most memorable moments of being at the theater?  

A moment that sticks out is when 200+ people became so still and so quiet in Cinema One while G Yamazawa’s very sweet mother, Mayumi, performed a shortened Japanese Tea Ceremony during an event held by G featuring a documentary on their restaurant, “Becoming Yamazushi.” You could have heard a pin drop; it was very powerful. Another is chatting with Demetri Martin after he pulled up in an old Honda Civic with all his own merch in a couple of suitcases, and he helped us count everything in – such a sweet and down-to-earth guy!

CTD: How have things changed around the theater and in Durham since you started working here? 

The overhaul in Fletcher this summer has been incredible. We updated so many little things (and big things) that it is going to make running shows easier, more efficient, and just overall more positive. We’ve upgraded our technology, signage, and our point-of-sale systems to make everyone’s experience, guests and staff, that much better. Durham has certainly grown and changed, but I know that the Carolina Theatre will remain a fixture of Downtown Durham for many, many years to come. I like to think of the Carolina Theatre as the heart of the city, but I COULD be biased.

CTD: What are some interesting and little-known facts about the theater you can share?  

The most beautiful time to be in the building is first thing in the morning, when the sun is rising behind the trees in the plaza and shining in our front windows. The Connie Moses Ballroom beams with such a sense of warmth and protection in those early hours. It is truly magical.

CTD: What are you most excited about for the next five years at the theater? 

I’m so excited for our Centennial in 2026!! We are ever-growing and expanding, and I cannot wait to see how we evolve. In the shorter term – I’m also really excited about seeing “Nosferatu” in October with a live score performed by Mallarmé Music!

CTD: What is your favorite show or film you saw at the theater?

How about a top 3? I’ll have to say – Mike Birbiglia, “The Tingler & House on Haunted Hill” Vincent Price double feature, and anytime Paperhand Puppet Intervention has been here for one of our Arts Discovery educational shows.