Josie Adolf Giving Notes to her “Sally Butts for President” Cast
We had a chance to sit down and chat with summer camp teacher and “Sally Butts for President” director extraordinaire, Josie Adolf! We’ve known Josie for a long time - and are so excited to see her first directing premiere - but it’s always fun to learn a little more about the people you love! So enjoy!
Theater Project: How is your summer going?
Josie: My summer has been great! A little bit of traveling (to DC with some friends), a lot of work, and a lot of relaxing - it’s finally ~actual~ summer in Maine!
Theater Project: How long have you been at The Theater Project?
Josie: I’ve been at the theater for 12 years now. I started in the 6-8 year old camp when I was 7, and this year I’m teaching it! Ahhh!!
Theater Project: Your Dad wrote Sally Butts for President, as well as Mother’s Helper, and I Cannot Tell A Lie at George Washington School. How does it feel to be directing one of his shows?
Josie: It’s great! It’s interesting because I know the personal inspiration behind some characters and scenes (for example, I was the inspiration of the scene in George Washington where the dad showed the kid too much ultimate fighting!). It’s also nice because my dad gets to see the behind-the-scenes of the show being made, and he’s always excited that it’s actually becoming a reality.
Theater Project: Has the Theater Project helped to prepare you for college?
Josie: Absolutely. The Theater Project taught me so many lessons about respecting others and yourself, work ethic, and responsibility. I remember starting to help with summer camps and realizing what a demon I was to teach! But that’s all part of the learning process. Over time, by helping in whatever capacity I was able to, I slowly learned how to handle challenges and solve problems (which are ALWAYS different each year). Last of all, the people impacted me! Learning from Wendy, Karin, Amanda, Jen, Meghan, Al, and so many other people who have spent their time teaching me whatever new job I was attempting has made me a real person, and I can’t thank them enough for that! Also, knowing how to embrace an embarrassing situation has helped a bit. :)
Theater Project: Do you have a favorite TTP summer camp memory?
Josie: My favorite TTP camp memory was being a drunk cat in Stewart Little. It was weird and unexpected and got me hooked on this place. And stone lions obviously!
Theater Project: Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
Josie: Chocolate!
Theater Project: Favorite thing to do when not teaching?
Josie: Playing bass.
Theater Project: Are you reading anything right now?
Josie: We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra.
Theater Project: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
Josie: I matched head to toe with one of the 7 year olds I was teaching last week, and that made me laugh pretty hard. Kid’s got style!
Theater Project: Favorite show you’ve seen at TTP?
Josie: My favorite show I’ve ever seen here was Voices! I think it was the 2014 show when I was in eighth grade, before I was able to be a part of it! The year with the skit about the parents trying to figure out what BRB and LOL meant. That show made me cry because I was laughing so hard!
Theater Project: Do you prefer to be on stage or backstage?
Josie: Backstage, no question. I enjoy acting, but I love the organization of stage managing and the ridiculous things I get to do when I’m helping backstage or teaching! Plus, I love watching a show over and over again - you learn more every time. I actually passed my AP Lit exam after stage managing Dorian Gray— since I saw the show every night and worked on it for months, I had enough material to write a pretty solid essay about it! I love being backstage!!
