Philip Adams

Philip Adams is a Fayetteville original who returned to the area after an extended walkabout, living and working in small towns in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, New Jersey, Tennessee, the Dominican Republic, and Peru.

Philip’s meandering career has spanned teaching, theatre and film production, farming, construction, politics, research, and finance. He’s worked with collaborators ranging from Maya Angelou, Vampire Weekend, and the Aspen Institute to teenagers with disabilities living in poverty across Arkansas.

A classically trained vocalist and theatre artist, Philip brings a foundation of creativity, curiosity, compassion, and connectedness to his life and work. In his longest-running role to date, he is currently portraying the Executive Director of the nonprofit FORGE Community Loan Fund. FORGE pursues equitable access to finance and opportunity for low-income individuals and rural communities in Arkansas, southwest Missouri, and Eastern Oklahoma. What started as an idea conceived by local farmers in a hotel room in 1988 is now a $12M fund that has served more than 1000 local members.

Philip is a graduate of Hendrix College. He holds a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, with a minor in Theatre Arts.