Debuting Artist: Emily Valley

Can you share a bit about your background and how you first became involved in theatre design?

I’ve been involved in theater pretty much my whole life. Honestly, my first dabble in costume design was costuming myself with fun pieces from my grandmother when I would perform for my family as a child, or tracing my body on a piece of fabric to try and make myself gowns. (That method never worked out 😂). I grew up in Colorado and studied theatre at the University of Wyoming. I was a performance major but began to explore costume design during my time there. After graduation, while working at Midtown Arts Center as an actor, approached Kenny Moten, the artistic director at the time, about costuming a show. He’s support and collaboration from that moment forward were truly the catalyst for the work I do today. I discovered how much I love creating pictures on stage and supporting the story through costume.

How did you first hear about OpenStage, and what drew you to work with us for this show?

What is your specific role or area of expertise for this show, and what excited you the most about working on this production?

What is the most interesting or unique aspect of your design/technical work for this production?

I love how we have played with color. Our beige, cream and brown 1930s townsfolk contrast from our colorful and zany reefer den characters.

Can you describe any particular challenges you’ve faced while working on this show, and how you’ve overcome them?

I’ve not worked with stage blood really ever so the trial and error of that brought a lot of learning. But we have such a collaborative design team and because so much or our individual work in this show overlaps, we worked through those things together.

Why do you think Reefer Madness is significant or relevant to audiences today? 

There are things today that due to fear, lack of understanding, or pure stubbornness in perspective, lead to spreading misunderstanding, lies, and fear. While this story is an over the top satire, it also rings true to the ongoing fight to clarify what is true and what is fabricated. Reefer Madness let’s us get a laugh with it’s sheer absurdity and humor.