Alfred University alum Joshua First nominated for Emmy for work on ‘The Politician’

As an Alfred University undergraduate, Joshua First ’03 was in charge of makeup for the 2001 production of The Crucible. He also began an internship that year at The Julliard School in which he branched out into hair styling. Now, at the age of 40, he has been nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on The Politician, the Netflix political satire that debuted in 2019.

“The Crucible was the turning point for me,” he says.

He is waiting for the awarding of creative arts Emmys Sept. 11-12. The awards ceremony will be aired on FXX Sept. 18, the day before the prime time airing of Emmys on Sept. 19.

Joshua shares his own nomination with four other people working on hair styling for The Politician: Liliana Maggio, Timothy Harvey, Matthew Wilson, and Lisa Thomas. The group was nominated for their work on the episode “What’s in the Box?” in which lead characters competing in an election to the New York Senate scramble over the contents of ballot boxes. Sound familiar?

Joshua was in charge of the hair styles of approximately 500 extras, whose appearances had to be consistent with the opposing styles of each candidate. “I was in charge of making sure none of those extras stood out, but also reflected the identity of their campaign,” he says. “I’d take a look at 500 people, and if somebody stood out, I’d assign them a make-up person and a chair.”

Now 40 years old, Joshua lives in Long Island City, Queens, NY. He has lived in New York City for the past 18 years, beginning with his internship at Julliard. His spouse of three years, Scott Partridge, works for American Express, which Joshua describes as “a nice nine-to-five job.” The working hours for a television series such as The Politician can be grueling, he says.

His sister, Anjali Fahy, graduated from Alfred University in 2017. His brother, the late Justin Fahy, also attended Alfred University.

Joshua says he got his first job in theater on Broadway, in December of 2003, only seven months after graduating from Alfred University with a bachelor's degree in theatre. “I like working.” Looking back at his undergraduate years, he points to three individuals at Alfred University who mentored him: retired Professor of Theater Steve Crosby, who directed The Crucible; Professor of Theater Becky Prophet; and former Alfred University Technical Theater Professor Michael Dempsey.

He currently is working on a new project for Apple TV, following work he did on Apple’s Little Voice production. “I can’t talk much about it,” he says. “But it’s going to be an exciting show that comes out next year.”