Meet the Volunteers: Emily Padden
We are very excited to have acts fly to Hawai’i and be part of our Fringe. We continue to have wonderful artists join us from afar. And now we have our very first volunteer who contacted us to help during Fringe 2015. Emily Padden is currently involved in the theatre industry in New York. If her plans work out she will join us in February. Excitedly we asked her to tell us more.
Thank you so much for contacting us to volunteer.
No problem! I love fringe theatre!
You are the first to contact us from out of town to volunteer. I thought you had made a mistake. Tell us about your decision to make the connection?
Ha! Well, as I mentioned, I love fringe theatre, and I’ve been interested in seeing Hawai’i for awhile now. (I think Hawaiian culture is fascinating, and I love learning about different places and the people who live there.) On a whim, I decided to see if Hawai’i had any fringe festivals so I could do both, and here I am!
As a very new Fringe, we are excited to be part of the worldwide fringe family. How did you get involved in the fringe community in your area?
I’m originally from the Boston area, which has a really great, fringe-y, independent theatre scene. (Some really cool work goes on there that isn’t necessarily in the mainstream houses.) College friends and I formed a small theatre company, Junkyard Dog Productions, and soon we found ourselves enveloped in the community, quickly making friends within the scene. Seeing the creativity that flourished, I was definitely hooked! Near the end of the Dogs’ run, we traveled to the Edmonton International Theatre Festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to perform a show that our resident playwright, Elizabeth DuPre, wrote. It was hard, we had a ROUGH time….but I wouldn’t take it back. And I promised myself that fringe was something that I would always try and be a part of. (Which I have been – in a way smaller capacity! – in New York City.)
What does fringe mean to you?
Freedom. Independence. Possible wackiness! New ideas, or ideas that people may not have necessarily seen yet on a shoestring budget, because it’s about the work. (Of should be.)
Hopefully your plans will allow you to join us and I know it will be a huge burden financially. O’ahu Fringe will make a call out for a host to possibly house you. What are some qualities that you have which would make it an interesting time to stay with a new friend in Hawai’i?
I am a people person – no really! I’m bubbly and love to learn, and am not afraid of hard work, so if you need something done, I’m your girl! I’m also not afraid to try new things (except bungee jumping, sorry guys, that ain’t going to happen!), and to have new experiences. I’m from a decent sized family (I’m from a family of four girls plus my parents) so I can make do with little space and at the same time understand the importance of giving people theirs. Oo, plus I surf! I’m not good, but I surf nonetheless! :D
Thank you.
Thank you guys! I’m excited! :)
Thanks.
O’ahu Fringe is also excited to connect with Emily and wish her all the very best. Please if you can help her out with accommodation as she volunteers for Fringe, please fill in our form – Host an Artist. To learn more about Emily, please visit her LinkedIn profile.