Story By: Madison Smith
MONTEVALLO, Ala. – For student stage manager Emmie Koehn, the backstage of a theater has always felt like home. Cables, cue sheets and controlled chaos are familiar parts of her daily routine, and after nearly three years with the University of Montevallo’s Theatre Department, she has built a reputation for her focus and steady leadership. Now, as she prepares to step into a new role as assistant director for the department’s spring production of “American Idiot,” Emmie is taking her first significant step toward expanding her creative resume.
Emmie began her career in middle school after transferring to a performing arts program. She continued performing through high school before becoming increasingly more involved in the technical aspect of theater.
“I started off doing props,” she said, “and then I moved into stage management.” Emmie received second place at the Alabama State Thespian Festival her senior year of high school for her stage management portfolio, further encouraging her to pursue technical theater as a career.
College was not originally a certainty in Emmie’s future. Without the right scholarship opportunities, Emmie was unsure if she would be able to pursue a four-year degree.
Thankfully, Emmie’s high school experience led her to interview for Montevallo Theatre’s BFA track and to receive the presidential scholarship, which covers all of her academic expenses. Since enrolling, Emmie has stage-managed/assisted several major department productions. Her credits include “Eurydice,” “Cabaret,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and most recently “Alice by Heart.”
Emmie also served as head stage manager for the 2025 Gold Side production, “Masterpiece: The Art of the Clandestine and Confidential,” while simultaneously performing in a supporting role, further demonstrating her range of theatrical skills.
Outside the university, Emmie has built a strong résumé at several professional theater companies, including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, where she worked on productions such as the world premiere of “Zelda in the Backyard” and “Kudzu Calling.”
“This summer, I worked with the Foundation Dance Company,” she said. “I was their project administrator and helped put on a dance festival.”
Emmie describes stage managers as “chaos coordinators” who ensure productions run efficiently. “Theatre is completely collaborative,” she said. “We make sure things move smoothly, whether that’s set pieces, actors or schedules.”
That ability to coordinate and problem-solve is part of what makes Emmie a strong candidate for the assistant director role next semester, where she will work alongside faculty member David Callahan on “American Idiot.”
Her upcoming role as assistant director will require a different skill set. Emmie is looking forward to approaching a production in a creative way rather than from a logistical perspective. “As a stage manager, I think of how things can be done most efficiently,” she said. “Being able to visualize everything onstage from a creative lens is both the most daunting and the most exciting part.”
As a stage manager, I think of how things can be done most efficiently. Being able to visualize everything onstage from a creative lens is both daunting and the most exciting part” –Emmie Koehn, Assistant Director and Stage Manager
Emmie emphasized that expanding her experience will strengthen her career prospects after graduation. “Theatre professionals are most successful when they know a lot of things,” she said. “Having skills in different areas means you’re always working.”
Reflecting on her time at Montevallo, Emmie said the biggest lesson she has learned is to trust discomfort. “I’ve learned to be okay with being uncomfortable,” she said. “There’s a lot of joy in discomfort because it requires me to challenge myself.”
Emmie ended the interview with a final reflection: “Believing in yourself and being comfortable with being uncomfortable — that’s been the biggest thing for me.”
To see the product of Emmie’s creative process and hard work, students should attend “American Idiot,” which will run April 16–19 in the Michael and Sue Meadows Black Box Theatre in the Alan and Lindsey Song Center for the Arts.
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