Omaha Community Playhouse Leads Adia Matousek to College and a Career as a Production Coordinator for Nike

 

Written by Joe Scioli

Adia was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a 2016 graduate of Westside High School and was active in the theater program there. During her junior year, Liz Kendall Weisser, a director from the Omaha Community Playhouse (OCP), visited Westside to tell students about OCP's Theatre Technology Apprentice Program (TTAP). Weisser explained that TTAP was a program for high school and early college students that provides hands-on training backstage and technical aspects of theater in partnership with Metro Community College. Adia was interested.

When Liz returned to Westside during Adia's senior year, she signed up. Adia was unsure about college, but she wanted to learn about a career path in theater and thought she could make great connections through the TTAP program.

At first, Adia learned about the box office, props and stage management. She realized she enjoyed stage management the most and focused on that for the following year.
Adia especially loved working with Lara Marsh, her former supervisor who ran the Nebraska Theater Caravan. From Lara, Adia learned about managing the company, planning a tour and how the backstage crew worked during tours. "She was amazing, knowledgeable and had so many experiences that she brought to the job that made her so good at what she did. She is an amazing teacher, and I admire her," Adia said.

TTAP did far more than teach Adia about the workings of a show. As a result of TTAP, Adia decided to attend college and pursue a degree. She attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Design and Production.

At TTAP, she made key business connections and lifelong friends. She still stays in touch with Greg Scheer, a production coordinator at OCP, and associates with other apprentices in her program.

What was Adia's favorite experience at TTAP? She loved working on A Christmas Carol, a 40-plus-year tradition at OCP. She appreciated that many individuals returned year after year to work on the production backstage. Christmas is Adia's favorite holiday, and she had so much fun working on the famous production. She made memories that she will remember forever.

Where is Adia now? Adia made a career change after college and is a production coordinator at Limitless Creative Design Agency. Although Adia is no longer working on performances, she uses the leadership and organization skills she developed at TTAP. She now coordinates events for Nike and other brands.

In her free time, Adia reads, plays the Animal Crossing, watches Netflix, and takes care of her two dogs and many plants.

All in all, Adia learned so many valuable life skills from the TTAP program. She is very thankful for what she learned at OCP.

Interested in learning more about TTAP? Contact the Theatre Technology Apprenticeship Director by email at ttap@omahaplayhouse.com or visit our website: https://bit.ly/OCPTTAP