Our People, Their Profile | Emily Adams, Technical Director

This season has been like no other. In order to help First Stage endure the devastating financial effects of COVID-19, we created the special relief initiative—the HOPE Fund. Donations to the HOPE Fund will Help Our People Engage, Enlighten, Entertain, and Educate by supporting the talented First Stage staff who provide HOPE for thousands of young people and families. All charitable gifts made to the HOPE Fund before June 30, 2021 will be matched 1-to-1, up to $50,000—thanks to another generous matching gift from the Molitor Foundation.

 

First Stage had the chance to catch up with our Technical Director, Emily Adams, to learn more about her First Stage story. 

 

Since January 2013, Emily has been managing the wood and paint shops at First Stage.

 

Tell us more about your job.

 

In managing First Stage’s wood and paint shops, my specific purview is the set, stage floor, trap room/elevator, and any scenery, drops or scenic lighting hanging from the grid.

 

My job is to take a designer’s two-dimensional renderings and figure out how to build it—bringing it into the three-dimensional world. I get to decide what materials we are going to use, I engineer the structures, and I work out any automation the set may require. I start by building the entire set in my 3D modeling software, and then from there, I create the technical drawings that the carpenters use to build the set.

 

I also get to drive the big trucks that First Stage uses to transport scenic elements to and from the theater. I also supervise the load-in process, and am present for all tech rehearsals to ensure the scenery is working as it should. Of course, I don’t do all of this alone! I rely on the knowledge and experience of carpenters Eric and Steve, painter Amy Sue, and master electrician Russ, and audio engineer/master carpenter Rory. Together we ensure that First Stage’s scenery looks and functions as well as it does.

 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

 

I am a runner and I love climbing, hiking, exploring, and camping in national parks. My husband and I have twelve pet rats and two dogs. I also enjoy crocheting chunky rainbow outerwear and accessories, and I collect bones and oddities with which I create artistic displays, jewelry, and lamps.
 

How has working at First Stage affected you?

 

First Stage is the company that hired me right after I returned to the area of being in Los Angeles for five years. The stability that First Stage has afforded me has made it possible for me to build a life here sooner than I thought. The people I work with are dedicated, talented professionals and I feel very at home here.

Any time I watch a performance, I get to see it through the eyes of the audience. Their palpable energy and appreciation constantly reminds me why we do this. By the time a show is in performance I’ve been working on the next show’s set for weeks or months, so it’s always inspiring to experience our work from the position of the audience who hasn’t seen it before.

 

What does your craft mean to you and why is local artistry important?

 

My craft is my emotional and creative outlet—whether it is my job at First Stage or my hobbies of crochet and oddity work. My job at First Stage has become much more desk-centric in recent years. I used to be able to work as a carpenter, painter, or sculptor on our shows in addition to the engineering/logistics side of things; however, I can’t do that as much anymore because of the increasing complexity of our designs. Having creative hobbies is how I decompress now at the end of the day.

 

If you’d like to see my work, I have a bunch of crochet work and bone jewelry listed for sale on the First Stage Etsy shop, as well as on my own Etsy shop, OddityMonger.

 

Supporting local artists creates critical connections with folks living and working around us, and consuming local art enriches the fabric of who each of us are. I love how different works affect different people in unique ways—helping us understand and discover other facets of people we think we may know well.

 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.