Â鶹ÊÓƵ

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Podcast: S8 Ep. 31
Date: October 27, 2025
Title: Â鶹ÊÓƵ Moment: Emily Buesing spotlights the life of a working artist | S8 Ep. 31
Host: John Rollins

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JOHN ROLLINS: Welcome to the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Moment, where we showcase all the great things happening with Â鶹ÊÓƵ faculty, staff, students, and alumni. I’m John Rollins, Associate Director of Community Relations and Public Affairs here at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, and I want to welcome you all to this week’s show. My guest today was a 2020 graduate of the Department of Theatre and Dance here at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, and now she’s back serving as assistant director for the department’s upcoming production of “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Joining me today on the podcast is Emily Buesing. Emily, welcome to the show, and thanks for joining me today here on the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Moment.

EMILY BUESING: Hello John, thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here.

JOHN: Glad to have you! How does it feel being back on campus?

EMILY: It’s really cool. It’s fun to come back. You know, I just passed a spot when I was walking up here to the studio earlier, and I was like, “Oh, me and my friend filmed a dance project right there.” So just all these memories are coming back to me, and seeing the new students and how they are in the department is really cool too. So, yeah, I love that.

JOHN: I love whenever certain things bring back memories. So let’s go ahead and get started with “The Importance of Being Earnest.” For listeners who may be tuning in and don’t know about the play, how would you describe it?

Emily: That is a great question. “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a comedy, first and foremost. It was written in the 1800s by Oscar Wilde, but it’s still a very popular play, and it’s done a ton because the language is super accessible. It’s filled with jokes and witty banter and things that make you really lean in and listen. First of all, it’s kind of a comedy of manners. Oscar Wilde wrote it to poke fun at people in Victorian England and all their mannerisms and such. It’s also a name-swap comedy—a case of mistaken identity—so there are lots of shenanigans that come from that. And lastly, it’s a show about looking for authentic love. So there’s a little something for everybody.

JOHN: All kinds of stuff, yeah. I like that—it’s kind of all over the spectrum. And you know what’s interesting? I know that the Theatre and Dance Department did a production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” last semester. I was talking with Alan Brinks about how some of these older works are kind of timeless—they work in all these different eras.

EMILY: Absolutely, yes! And a lot of people are doing it right now. I think that just in this time of our lives, people could really use a good laugh. It’s such a funny show, so I think that’s why it’s getting done a lot—and I’m excited that it’s getting done here.

JOHN: So, you described yourself in an email as a working artist, so I’d love to hear more about your work—what that entails, especially outside of this particular Â鶹ÊÓƵ gig. And beyond that, we’ll have you introduce yourself. Let’s hear more about you.

EMILY: Great! Yeah, so I call myself a working artist because, like most artists, I wear many hats. But the main one I wear is being a working performer. Since moving to Houston to start building my resume in the theater space, that’s been my main gig—and it’s kept me employed, which has been incredible. On top of that, I’m also a teaching artist for a couple of different companies in the area. Specifically, right now I work for the Alley Theatre as one of their teaching artists. I work in their Staging STEM program and in their Play Makers program, which are both incredible. I love getting to pass on my knowledge of theater to students. I think that about sums it up!

JOHN: Let’s have you introduce yourself a bit more—just some background. I mentioned you graduated here from Lamar in 2020, which had to have been an interesting time to graduate, for sure. So I do want to ask: when did you realize performing was your thing?

EMILY: Oh, that’s such a good question. I think, like a lot of people, I knew when I was really little that I wanted to do it. My grandma had a VHS tape of Mary Martin’s Peter Pan —the live recorded version—and I watched it until we ruined the tape. I wanted to be on that stage and do that thing. But growing up, I was homeschooled through high school, so I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to experience theater. I kind of took a risk and jumped into this program here. When I started at Lamar, I was able to get cast in a lot of plays, and that really reassured my confidence—that this is what I love to do, and I’m pretty good at it. So I’m going to keep on trucking that way.

JOHN: It lets you know you’re capable. You came from homeschool, and then to college—Â鶹ÊÓƵ—that’s, what, 17,000 students? Surprise! And then you started landing roles in these plays, right? One of them was The Importance of Being Earnest, if I’m not mistaken?

EMILY: Yes! This was the first play I was cast in as a freshman here at Lamar. Similar to this production, we had guest artists directing from Houston—the former artistic directors of Fourth Wall Theatre Company. They were here working on the show. I got to play Cecily when I did it, so it’s a very full-circle moment to come back almost 10 years later as assistant director. I get to bring back what I knew from the play back then, and also everything I’ve learned since, and share that with this new set of students and actors.

JOHN: Yeah, you’re basically like a mentor returning to campus—now you’re on the other side.

EMILY: It’s really cool. I’m getting to pour my knowledge into them, and at the same time, I’m learning a lot from the director, Jen. She’s pouring her knowledge into me, and it’s great.

JOHN: You know, something I bring up a lot—whether it’s theater, dance, or whatever it may be—is that you can come in as a freshman and have those opportunities. At larger universities, you may not be cast until junior or senior year, but at Lamar, you can try out and potentially be on stage as a freshman.

EMILY: Absolutely! That’s definitely a benefit of the department size here. I was able to graduate with a lot of hands-on knowledge under my belt, which for theater or dance—or any of the arts—is super important. Every semester, a student can work on a play if they’re putting in the effort, versus at bigger universities where they might not have those opportunities. I’m really grateful for my time here at Lamar; it taught me a lot.

JOHN: Now, I know you mentioned earlier that you work as a teaching artist at the Alley Theatre in their education department—which is incredible. For those who may not know, the Alley Theatre is located in Houston and is one of the largest U.S. professional nonprofit theaters outside of New York City. What a cool place to work! Tell us a little more about your role as a teaching artist. What does your day-to-day look like?

EMILY: Yeah! As a teaching artist, I’m on contract with their education department. Aside from performance, the Alley’s biggest focus is education—that was one of founder Nina Vance’s passions. For me, that means I get assigned to residencies in schools or other locations. In the Staging STEM program, I partner with teachers to incorporate theater into STEM principles. It changes every residency. For example, I’ve done one about the phases of the moon—we used theater to help kids learn in a different way. Some kids learn best by listening or writing, but others need to move to really absorb things. That’s a really cool part of what I do. I’m also involved with Play Makers, the Alley’s summer program, which is more relaxed and fun. The kids come in, and we collaborate to create stories together. So if I’m booked and busy, my mornings are usually spent in a school doing a teaching residency, and my evenings are spent in rehearsals for a play.

JOHN: I love that. You bring up STEM—it's really come to the forefront in education—so being able to tie that with theater is pretty neat.

EMILY: Absolutely. A lot of people forget that the arts are just as important as everything else, and they pair so well with other subjects. It’s really cool to be able to show the kids that.

JOHN: Exactly. And to your point, you graduated in 2020—when everything was closed, and opportunities were limited. But that was a time when people realized just how important the arts really are. When you were stuck at home, you were watching movies, listening to music—all things that fall under the arts. So let’s hear a little bit more about The Importance of Being Earnest and your role as assistant director. What does that look like?

EMILY: Sure! As assistant director, I’m basically an extra set of eyes, ears, and hands to help the director, Jen Onopa. She’s fantastic, but directing is a huge job—she’s constantly adjusting things during the rehearsal process. I look at some of the smaller details and communicate with her so we can tweak the play to be the best it can be. I’ve also gotten to do a few small things—like choreographing little moments in the show. It’s not a musical, but even straight plays have a bit of movement choreography, especially with comedic moments. I’ve staged a small scene or pulled actors aside to work through moments while Jen focuses elsewhere. I’m really enjoying being in the rehearsal room—learning from Jen, giving back to the students, and sharing what I can. The show is incredible, and I feel very lucky to be part of it.

JOHN: Our students are lucky to have you, too—not only have you been part of that show at Lamar, but now you have all this other experience to share. Is this your first time in that assistant director role?

EMILY: It is, yeah—especially with college-aged students. I’ve directed a kids’ show before, but that’s completely different from working with actors who can make creative choices and take control of their performances. So it’s my first time as assistant director, and I’m really enjoying it.

JOHN: We touched on this earlier, but I’ll ask anyway: how do you feel that a degree from Â鶹ÊÓƵ Theatre and Dance has set you up for your career?

EMILY: Like we said, being part of this department gives you a lot of hands-on experience, which is so useful. In a department this size, you end up doing a bit of everything. When I was here, I acted—which was my emphasis—but I also worked backstage, stage-managed, helped with costuming, and learned about running crew. All those skills transfer well to the real world. For example, after I graduated in 2020 and theaters were shut down, I worked for a nonprofit as their education and community engagement coordinator. The skills I needed there—communication, engagement, connecting with audiences—were all things I learned through theater. So in many ways, this degree set me up for success.

JOHN: That’s a great point. In so many job descriptions, “communication skills” and “comfortable speaking to audiences” are listed.

EMILY: Absolutely. A theater degree teaches you to think outside the box and collaborate with people. There are so many useful skills that come from theater beyond being on stage.

JOHN: Teamwork, right? You have to collaborate. You might be on stage with three other people—or 20!

EMILY: Absolutely.

JOHN: That’s awesome. So let’s go ahead and share all the details for the event—date, time, and location. How can faculty, staff, students, alumni, or community members find out more?

EMILY: I’d say start by going to either Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Theatre and Dance social media pages or their website. You’ll find information about this show and other upcoming shows. There’s a link to purchase tickets—which are super affordable, so there’s no excuse not to come and support! All the dates and times are listed there as well.

JOHN: Just to go over those dates quickly: performances will take place Thursday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov.2. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday performance is at 2 p.m. You can visit lamar.edu/lutdtix to purchase your tickets. Emily, thanks again for joining me on the podcast. Thanks for all you’ve done for Lamar—and for coming back to pour into our students now. I think it’s awesome when alumni return to be part of all the great things happening here.

EMILY: Yeah, it’s my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me today. It was really enjoyable.

JOHN: It’s been my pleasure. Best of luck on all your future endeavors.

EMILY: Thank you so much, John.

JOHN: That’s a wrap on another episode. Make sure to search Â鶹ÊÓƵ Moment wherever you get your podcasts to keep up with events, activities, programs, and people right here at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. I’m John Rollins, your host—thank you for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.