Student Artist Spotlight: Emily Jones
Emily Jones is a junior here at Bridgewater State University majoring in theatre arts. Originally from New Bedford, Emily first became interested with theatre as a whole in first grade, participating in a plethora of different performances for a variety of age groups. As she got older, Emily became more interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects of theatre, eventually becoming heavily involved with the scenic shop in the second semester of her freshman year.
Emily has worked on a total of ten shows here at Bridgewater State, all of which she’s dedicated her time to building sets and creating beautiful landscapes for actors to perform. She had the opportunity to participate in her first scenic design project through The Taming by Lauren Gunderson, in which faculty member Emmit Bouman gave her the opportunity to design her first set her freshman year. She fell in love with the process and has been dedicated to scenic and technical theatre since.
When asking Emily why she loves scenic design, she said, “I feel as though I can read a script and take it anywhere. The stage can be anything I want to be, whether it’s realistic or abstract, giving me plenty of freedom.” Emily loves providing the actors with a set to interact with, overall giving immense life to any show that she is involved in. “The sets we create give something for the actors to connect with,” she said, “which truly brings them into the world.”
However, Emily has also grown incredibly fond of the community that comes from working in theatre. She argues that this form of art invokes emotions that don’t release themselves otherwise, creating a rich sense of humanity throughout an entire production. In our interview, AI in relation to theatre came up in conversation, especially with AI-generated actors like Tilly Norwood sparking fear in many actors. However, Emily argues, “We’re in a time where AI has overtaken aspects of our lives, but it cannot take away the humanity of theatre. Theatre has given me the opportunity to explore feelings and emotions that I haven’t had the chance to before, which is something AI or technology can never take away from anyone.”
Emily will have the opportunity to design her newest set for Bridgewater State’s rendition of Late, a Cowboy Song by Sarah Ruhl. She’s incredibly excited for the project, which will be debuting at some point next semester!
If you want to check out any of Emily’s scenic work, be sure to check out the following Instagrams:
@theatrebsu
@bsutheatredance
And Emily’s personal Instagram: em.jones510
