Stars Behind the Stars: Jessica Emmanus ’19
Stars Behind The Stars is a bi-weekly series featuring theatre makers behind the scenes.
This week, we sat down with alumna Jessica Emmanus ’19. Emmanus is a Gemini whose recent work includes Company, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.
Tell me about your first time in Theatre.
Jessica Emmanus: In middle school my school was putting on a show and they wanted a stage manager, but they didn’t know what a stage manager was, so I joined and just winged it. I thought the stage manager was this role that was higher than God so it was the perfect chance for me to be the popular kid for two seconds. I was wrong because a teacher put me in my place immediately. The teacher said my purpose was to help the show get further along until the performance. Later, I started stage managing in high school where they also didn’t know how to use stage managers. I noticed a pattern where all these shows were chaotic because they didn’t have a person pulling it together, which made me want to learn more about theatre and about stage managing.
Did you ever perform?
JE: I briefly acted in high school, mostly because I wanted to stay involved [in theatre]. Sometimes I was lazy and just wanted to do a small part in a play rather than crew work or stage managing. In college I dabbled with directing but I fell back into stage management. I noticed that no one knew what a stage manager did but they knew they needed one. So I was really excited to learn more. I went straight from my bachelors to study at Columbia because I still wasn’t entirely sure what a stage manager did either
How does being a Gemini appear in your work?
JE: As a Gemini I’m very adaptable, super talkative and can be funny. I’m often the life of the party. I’m a Leo moon so I’m the most needy and talkative. Being a Gemini I’m the most adaptable in the rehearsal room, with different people. I am a pillar of calm, not just because I’m tall. I can bring out fun Jess when people need it or serious Jess when people need support. I am really great at taking a step back and listening. As a stage manager we have to wear many masks and as a Gemini it’s easy to do that.
What’s one of your favorite theatrical experiences?
JE: Whenever I’m working I don’t like to see theatre unless I’m with a group of friends. I must say though, Tina is a great show, and not just because I worked on it. The company does that show 100% every night. Adrienne Warren is full out every night and magical. At the end of the show she gives it all and then she walks backstage and collapses in a chair. She gives it 120% to these audience members who paid hundreds of dollars to see her. Some of the coolest experiences I’ve had are the shows I worked on.
What’s a lesson you learned during your time at Columbia?
JE: Patience. Patience with yourself and others. The directors we worked with are already professionals, and the stage managers have to try to achieve their desires which are often big. For example, when I worked on Lordes at Columbia, there were 40 women all wearing the same dress, doing choreography, and moving in the same space. That was a tall order for a director at Columbia, with a budget that doesn’t traditionally support 40 performers. Having patience and talking with the director and producer about realistic ways to achieve the vision was important for this one.
Tell me about some of your other productions.
JE: I started working on The Cher Show during my second year at Columbia. I worked on The Cher Show in Chicago for the out-of-town tryout. Then I went straight to Williamstown for the summer internship program. After that I did The Cher Show again but only the rehearsal period for the Broadway show. Later I went to Tina and then after that I moved on to Company, directed by Marrianne Elliott. She is a brilliant director and she said she wouldn’t do the show unless the lead was a woman. It was amazing to see her storytelling in the rehearsal room and on stage. I also worked on the recast of Harry Potter. I went into the show not knowing anything about it and everyone was surprised that I hadn’t read the books.
What was it like to work on Harry Potter in the recast?
JE: It was so interesting because every element of that show is very specific. The recast involved hiring an entirely new cast of almost 40 actors. Not only did we have to fit the show back into the rehearsal room but the show was running 8 times a week at the same time. They had to hire extra stage managers to help in rehearsals. The cast had to learn how to do all the choreography and magic tricks in the rehearsal room, without the moving stage and technical elements from the stage.
What are you currently working on?
JE: I am the Secretary of Communications for Black Theatre Caucus, which is a small company promoting Black excellence during this time. We are in talks with a bunch of organizations, specifically BIPOC led organizations, to talk about intimacy in theatre and Black masculinity as seen in theatre. We also put out scholarships and help promote companies that are being more equitable to Black and BIPOC artists. It’s also about showing theatre people who are doing the work and what can be done to be more equitable.
What’s next for you?
JE: I have some readings at Local Theatre Company in Boulder, Colorado. They are doing world premiere readings and soon. I’m also hoping that when Broadway comes back there is a plan. I want to know which shows are coming on first and how that’s working. Who’s coming back? I am hopeful that we come back to a sense of normalcy. It’s just a question of when.