The University of Montevallo held a dedication ceremony for its new Center for the Arts building November 18, which included the stage of their DiscoverShelby Theatre being named in memory of Rebecca Luker. The late Music Man and Secret Garden star graduated from the institution in 1984 before embarking on a long Broadway career.
Luker's husband, Moulin Rouge Tony winner Danny Burstein, was on hand at the ceremony for the dedication, along with Luker's mother, sister, nephews, and other relatives.
Along with the named stage, Luker will have a brick paver engraved with her name, and her signature will be projected onto the stage before each fine arts event in the space. Luker's friends and colleagues have also collected a digital archive of tributes that will become part of UM's collection.
Luker made her Broadway debut in the original ensemble and as a Christine understudy in The Phantom of the Opera, later starring in The Secret Garden, Show Boat, The Sound of Music, The Music Man, Nine, Mary Poppins, Cinderella, and Fun Home, receiving Tony nominations for Mary Poppins, The Music Man, and Show Boat. She passed away in 2020 following complications from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
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