Our People, Their Profile | Jessica Noones, Production Manager

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 Production Manager, Jessica Noones, to learn more about her First Stage story.

 

Jessica has been a part of the First Stage team for the past year and a half.

 

What does a Production Manager do?

 

As the Production Manager, I ensure that the production elements of each First Stage theater production is completed on time, on budget, and through a process that our production staff and guest artists feel supported in. In order to make this happen, I am involved in season planning, creating calendars and budgets, putting together creative teams, and shepherding each production from the creative team’s initial ideas to what audiences see and hear on stage opening night.

 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

 

You can find me hiking or camping with my 7-year-old hound mix, Pilot.

 

How has working at First Stage affected you?

                               

Facing an industry-wide shut down seven months into a new job over 1,000 miles away from home was hard, and it still is. The talented folks at First Stage who dream up and create the lighting, sound, scenery, props, and costumes for our productions give me a reason to keep pushing forward and I am grateful for that.

 

Why is local artistry important?

 

When I was interviewing for my position here, I attended First Stage’s school preview performance of TINKERBELL—along with 400 young people from nearby schools bouncing in their chairs with loads of energy around 10:00am. Oh my!

 

The lights go down, the show begins, and they are quiet and engaged. Fast forward to Tinkerbell’s light going out and the audience being asked to say, “I do believe in fairies” to bring Tink back… Have you ever been in a room of 400 little voices saying they believe in fairies or gasping and clapping when the mysterious little orb we’ve come to know as Tink flickers back to life?

 

Well, short story short, I work here now. I just had to be a part of that.

 

Dreamers and doers—right here in Milwaukee—created that moment and countless others like it, for you and the young people in your life.

 

Why should one support the HOPE Fund?

 

The First Stage Production Department is a place where passion meets purpose. It is a place where years of study, layers of sawdust, maybe even some glitter, and a lot of trial and error culminate in local artisans transporting you and your family to a place of shared imagination and play. The platforms, painted floors, puppets, and petticoats you see on our stages are made right here by our production staff, ensuring your experience is one you can only get right here in Milwaukee. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue crafting those moments for you.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.