Faculty and Staff Biographies

Rebekkah J. Meixner-Hanks has been a member the of the Indiana University Southeast Theatre Department faculty since 2005, where she is a Professor of Theatre; Design and Production. In addition to teaching courses in theatrical design and history, she is also the department’s resident scenic and lighting designer; and as needed she has also stepped in the Technical Directors and Costume Designer’s shoes. From 2006 – 2023 she also served as the department’s coordinator / chair. With over 28 years of professional experience in the industry, Rebekkah’s scenic and lighting designs, as well as her properties work, have been seen on stages for numerous regional theatres and Universities throughout the country such as; Lees McRae Summer Theatre (N.C), Bunbury Theater (KY), African American Theater Program (AATP) (KY), University of Louisville (KY), Florida State University (FL), New Harmony Theatre (IN), Worcester Foothills Theatre (MA), The Boston Conservatory of Music (MA), Merry-Go-Round Playhouse (NY), as well as others. During that time, she has been given the honor of designing scenery for a number of world premier productions which includes These Tangled Webbs (Bunbury Theatre), The [W]right Sister (Lees McRae Summer Theatre), Bittersweet Hard Candy (IU Southeast).

In 2010, she was honored to designing the scenery and lighting for Lee Meriwether’s world premiere of her one-woman show The Women of Spoon River. In 2012, this same production was chosen to be a part of the prestigious NY Fridge Festival. That same year, her lighting design for the AATP production of The Orphan of Chao was produced for performances in both Louisville KY as well as their international performance in Singapore.

Her passion for theater and creativity have led her to create immersive scenery and lighting that help to transport audience members to a different world. Rebekkah obtained her Masters of Fine Arts for theatre design and production from the University of Louisville and holds her B.A. from the State University of New York at Oswego.