The shows at St. Dominic High School would not be possible without Mrs. Melfreya Findley’s right hand man; Jake Emge. This friendly giant is the St. Dominic alum who works wonders behind the scenes of each magical show our Crusader Players perform.

From the lights, to the smoke, to sound cues and the set, Emge does it all. He begins by collaborating with Mrs. Findley on each show, figuring out special effects, designs she would like for the set and making sure the equipment is ready to use. Then, he makes a list of what needs to be accomplished by the end of crew days, spending at least five hours making sure the schedule is finished in time for tech week.

On top of contributing to the shows here at his alma mater, Emge also works as a Corporate AV Programmer. He travels to companies in need of installations or programming repairs across Missouri. To work on the shows, Emge has to let his boss know weeks ahead of time when he needs off, ensuring that he doesn’t have any installations during tech week or the night of performances.

“I made a promise to Joan Potthast that I would not leave until she did. And then, by [the time she left] I loved working here, I loved helping the kids and I loved what you guys taught me,” said Emge.

Not only is Emge important to St. Dominic; he is a husband and a father. His beautiful family visits him during crew days and dress rehearsals, bringing a smile to the students’ faces. Although Emge admits staying away from his family is hard, his silver lining is being around the students of St. Dominic so often.

“My favorite part is watching you guys grow. Seeing the progress from freshman year through senior year, and how much you guys learn, the dedication and everybody’s love for the theatre,” Emge said.

Emge’s importance to the shows cannot be stressed enough. Not only is he essential to the theatre program, he has learned from being around St. Dominic High School.

“Treat the people in the audience as if they are the most important people in the world. These shows affect people and get down to their souls. They have to be taken seriously,” said Emge.

Emge and the rest of his crew hope to see you at St. Dominic’s next production this coming spring, Oklahoma!