Joel Furmanek ’06

When he’s not racing beat up cars around frozen lakes—he says it’s a Wisconsin thing—Joel Furmanek ’06 is immersed in the world of theatre production: behind the scenes at The Glimmerglass Opera in New York, and in theatrical equipment sales and installation at Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC).

After graduating with a theatre degree and minor in art, Furmanek earned his MFA at Yale University. “Having the desire to teach someday, and a perceived need to gain more specialized training from professionals in the field brought me there,” he says.

It was during his first year at Cornell that Furmanek became involved at Glimmerglass. “I managed to get an interview and eventually a job,” he says. “I worked there the next six seasons and grew into being in charge of the electrics department.”

In an era where disposable and quick are the norm, Furmanek shows an old-world work ethic. “I take pride in my craftsmanship, my problem solving and being able to deliver what I said I could,” he says.

With this experience in the technical aspects of theatre, Furmanek moved next to the world of theatrical lighting and rigging manufacture. “Being a part of launching a brand new product line (Prodigy Rigging) here at ETC has been pretty exciting,” says Furmanek, now based in Madison, Wis. “It’s hard work but being at a trade show and realizing the buzz is about something you’re working on is pretty neat.”