Meet Natalia, Abby, & Lindsay | Theatrical Polymaths

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia, Abby, & Lindsay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, Abby, & Lindsay, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In early 2024, three girls, soon to be RTC’s founders, were in very different places in their theatrical ambitions… Natalia Giovanni, a graduate of the University of California Irvine, had just passed one year in LA and was weeks away from quitting her job at a coffee shop. Lindsay Jane, a graduate of the University of Missouri Kansas City, had recently moved to LA and had taken a job at the same coffee shop as Natalia. Abby Rowland, a recent graduate from USC, was eager to find a theatrical community in LA. Serendipity kicked in when a mutual friend, Alyssa Riha, decided to hire all three girls for her 2024 production of Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour. With Natalia as Director, Lindsay as Stage Manager, and Abby as Producer the girls found a familiar work ethic and passion for theatre. Once Children’s Hour had its final curtain call, the girls were stuck like glue and the Rotation Theatre Company was born. Find out more about their shows & thespian community at RotationTheatreCompany.org!

The name “Rotation” comes from the girls’ collective interest to operate as theatrical polymaths from show to show. When RTC did its first summer Shakespeare production, Hamlet, Abby rotated to Director, and both Natalia & Lindsay rotated to Actors! Essentially, the girls would like their company to capitalize on theatrical artists who can easily pivot from hat to hat while still maintaining professionalism and proficiency. Beyond Rotation’s mainstage productions (The Thought of Us, original play by Lindsay Jane 2025) and smaller events (Dream Role Cabaret, workshop by Natalia Rose Giovanni 2026), the company’s founders hope to one day institute a curriculum for thespians of all ages to learn how to become multifaceted artists.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Rotation Theatre Company didn’t start with any one person, it began with three women who each had the same passion for theatre but different strengths.

Lindsay Jane entered the fold as a talented actress and professionally trained stage manager! She brought habits of mutual respect and organization to the company. Through her dedication to consistent, honest communication, she has instilled teamwork as a pillar of our company. Given Lindsay’s key qualities, she would like to share her insight on the following question: 
“What is the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?”
LINDSAY: “Mainly, if your heart isn’t in it, it will fail. Particularly when it comes to theatre, it has to be the only thing you can dream of doing. Creating anything in the theatre from the ground up takes more time and energy than most things, and it is crucial to go in knowing that. Aside from that, the other main lesson is that nothing can be taken personally. I realized how lucky I am to communicate transparently with Abby & Natalia and to know that their intentions are always for the betterment of the company and never for personal gain.”

Abby Rowland also entered the group as a fantastic actress but also emphasized the importance of dependability and integrity. Abby was the producer for the group’s first show, “The Children’s Hour,” and her devotion to producing a project with standards creates an air of respect for what Rotation is trying to do. Abby bridges the artistic and logistic, ensuring we always strive for creative but realistic choices in our work. Given Abby’s key qualities, she would like to share her insights for the following question…
“Why did you pursue your artistic or creative career?”
ABBY: “As children, we were told we should find a job we like, one where you enjoy what you’re doing, one where work doesn’t feel like work… We all took that to heart. Live theater, acting, directing, producing- it’s all a honed version of the make-believe games we played as kids. It’s imagination as a career. We could not ask for something more fulfilling than that. When you look closer, though, at why creating art on stage is so enticing to us, the answer is this: Storytelling is, in essence, the pursuit of understanding what drives someone. To play a character, you have to understand them, you have to accept them as they are. And in doing so, you help an audience accept them, flaws and all. Theater is an exercise in empathy, in being open-minded, in building community. We think there is no greater pursuit than that.”

Natalia Giovanni began as a musical theatre performer who brought in her sense of innovation and knack for navigating the business world. She has a well of ambition and motivation that never runs dry and pushes the team to reach the finish line when the work can feel overwhelming. Given Natalia’s key qualities, she would like to share her insights on the following question…
“How do you think about work-life balance?”
NATALIA: “To quote Elizabeth Gilbert, “To lose balance for love is part of living a balanced life.” Speaking from only one-third of the founder team, it’s not always easy to go home each night after working 2 survival jobs and then have enough energy or positive perspective to work on the RTC business. Building a business is not for the faint of heart, and neither is choosing a career in the arts. Yet, we do it for love. I think we, as artists, act as the surveyors of the human experience which inevitably humbles all our witnesses to a level of personal balance. To sum up, I believe that the work we do is more often unbalanced than not, but the service we provide brings balance and perspective to our audiences. Accepting this as my role in the world has not been easy, but what’s the beauty in easy? Come to the theatre and find out.”

Our strengths and habits are so important individually, but what makes us successful is the effect when they work in tandem. A team that knows how to delegate, communicate, and always strive to be better than before.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend visited LA, I would take them to as much live theatre as I could. This city is the film capital of the world, but it has a vibrant world of live performance if you delve deeper. The Pasadena Playhouse is celebrating their centennial celebration and launching a season of fantastic classic plays, then head over to the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre in Noho to see RTC’s first original play, The Thought of Us. Then I would take them to Leo’s taco truck, it’s some of the best food you can get in LA that isn’t a sit-down restaurant. RTC supports any fellow business that is LA city at its core- family-owned and quite the hidden gem. Lastly, I would take them to Huntington Gardens. A serene place to escape the hustle and bustle, it doesn’t feel like it’s even in the same area. That’s what you can get in Los Angeles in one day- many wonderful experiences that feel like they would exist world apart- but are all here at your fingertips.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Special Shoutout to our RTC board! AKA, the factor to our success.

To describe these individuals in one word, they need gumption, and each RTC board member sure has a lot of it!

Rotation would not be alive without our lovely founders Abby, Lindsay, & Natalia, but it is important to note that it wouldn’t be seen without its resident Visual Artist, Justin White. Justin is responsible for almost every image you see at RTC, and goodness does he have gumption! This past month alone, Justin has taken on storyboarding, photographing, directing, & editing the play posters and the trailer for our next play, The Thought of Us; he is even making his RTC actor debut as the character Ezra in the play as well! The moment Justin White decided to bring his brilliance, the girls knew Rotation would soar sky high!

While Justin is the eyes of the company, Adrian Aguilera is the ears! Adrian’s first original score for RTC’s 2024 production of Hamlet certainly earned him the gumption adjective. He composed, performed, and recorded about 30 music tracks for the play, which helped augment Rotation’s combined cinematic/theatrical style. Since then, he’s been working on more ambient tracks for The Thought of Us and even creating a bona fide song with lyrics and a 3 piece band. Adrian’s one-man orchestra is another way Rotation is in this for the long run.

Finally, since we’ve met the eyes & ears, let’s quickly recognize the brain and the legs! Joshua Woodhall, aka the brain, is our ever-resourceful business manager! Joshua is full of gumption for his wealth of business knowledge both in the theatre and cinematic world. He got Rotation’s name into Broadway World and the Noho Arts District website, and he also handles company operations such as finances and upholding our mission statement…

 Rotation aims to redefine the industry standard for who is and isn’t “right” for a role, nurture and promote multifaceted artists, and create opportunities where they otherwise would not exist by alternating the roles of producers, directors, stage managers, and actors from one production to the next. 

The symbolic “legs” of our establishment is someone who keeps RTC’s productions looking spectacular, someone who could build RTC its very own playhouse if we only had the funds, it’s our set designer, Peta Mckenna. Peta has a professionally stacked resume as a set designer for clients such as The Grammys, MET Opera, and LA Opera. If Peta’s resume is not enough to define “gumption” then it’s good to mention that she also acts as RTC’s costume tailor and as the host for the company’s annual Dream Role Cabaret, the gateway for underrepresented thespians to debut their talents and enter the professional world. Peta will be debuting her scenic talents with RTC’s next production The Thought of Us by Lindsay Jane.

Now how’s all that for gumption?

Website: https://www.rotationtheatrecompany.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rotationtheatreco/profilecard/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rotationtheatrecompany

Other: TikToc: https://www.tiktok.com/@rotation.theatre?_t=8sFUPYgamFz&_r=1

Email: rotationtheatreco@gmail.com

Image Credits
Justin White | RTC Visual Artist
Austin Carmine | Dream Role Cabaret BTS
Derek Jeske | The Thought of Us BTS