The Silent Star of Silver

Sometimes things just work out.  Have you ever thought “Where is my life headed?” and then suddenly the perfect opportunity arises?  That’s exactly what happened for Melissa Furbish.  She lived in New Orleans for years, singing in every location she could find.  New Orleans is an epicenter for music so she never really struggled to make a living that way.  But after Hurricane Katrina struck, she moved to New Hampshire and started a family.  Suddenly she wasn’t able to make a living singing anymore.

Melissa decided to enroll at Plymouth State University  as a Nursing major, as she had been working in the Nursing field since moving up North.  Quickly, she discovered that Nursing was not the path that she wanted to pursue.  Having a passion for music and theatre, Melissa decided to audition for the Music and Theatre department.  Dr. Kathleen Arecchi suggested the Interdisciplinary Studies program as a way to intermingle her interested in music and theatre with teaching and expression through the arts.  In December of 2013, Melissa graduated from Plymouth State University with an Interdisciplinary Studies degree that focused on Theatre and Education.

Melissa started her job search with no idea where to look.  At the same time, the Silver Center posted a job opportunity for Events Coordinator.  Melissa decided that this was exactly what she needed, so she went for it.  She started three months later, in March of 2014.  Since then, she has become and integral part of the inner workings of the Silver Center.  She is the middle man, in a sense.  She has a broad understanding of how a facility such as the Silver Center works and she can communicate between the different departments within the Silver Center to make sure everyone is on the same page.  She gets to work with people from all sorts of different disciplines on a daily basis, as well.  If you think about the average show in a theatre, there are a bunch of different angles to look at.  The Silver Center Staff has a weekly production meeting at which they discuss all of the different aspects of production that need to be considered.  The Audio Technician will consider what needs to be done for sound production during the show.  The House Manager will focus on what will please the audience during pre-show.   The Production Manager will make sure of any on-stage requirements.  The Business Manager considers what is manageable within the budget.  All of these people are specialized in one field and Melissa makes sure all of these different people get what they need.  You can learn more about the Silver Center Staff here.

I asked Melissa if she believed that interdisciplinarity was important for her career.  She referred again to all of the different people she has to work with to make sure a show is ready to go and couldn’t express enough how important it was.  Without each and every person that goes to those production meetings, Melissa wouldn’t be able to adequately do her job.

Without Melissa Furbish, the Silver Center for the Arts would be at a loss.  Melissa’s job is at the core of the functionality within the building that most of us take for granted on the daily.  After years as a performing musician in the capital of jazz music, she has the experience and ability to bring together each separate limb of the Silver Center to form a strong body with her as the mind.  And she doesn’t even ask for recognition.  Melissa Furbish is the Silent Star of Silver.

 

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