Internships are a relatively new concept, utilized by college students to gain experience, pad resumes, and learn more about their chosen field of work as a way to get their foot in the door to secure future jobs in their industry. Companies use their interns to fill odd jobs, tighten up production budgets (many internships are unpaid), and expose the interns to what goes on behind the scenes. Internships are often offered in the summertime when regular semesters are not in session. Theater summer internships require approximately 15 hours of work each week, in return for experience in a real-life setting.
Theater summer internships range from small, community affairs to huge expensive productions. An example of theater summer internships offered in a community setting is the program at Attic Theater in Appleton, Wisconsin. Each season, the program provides young theatre artists and administrators a vital transition from educational to professional theatre. Interns work side by side with professional designers and administrators to learn the latest theatre techniques and business practices.
The Youth History Initiative in Minneapolis uses potential college-aged young adults and works with area public schools in an outreach program in which their theater summer internships are vital.
The Maine State Music Theatre also has theater summer internships available for college students majoring in performing arts or theatre production. These theater summer internships are for students in the performance and production areas of theatre. Interns are provided with housing, food and a weekly stipend.
Light Opera Works in Evanston, IL has theater summer internships in the management and stage production areas of its company, to provide alternative sides to performing internships.
In the Philadelphia area, the Wilma Theater Internship and Residency program enables college students to explore career paths in the administrative side of the arts as well. The Wilma’s theater summer internships program has internships and residencies available in many departments.
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut offers theater summer internships in a number of different areas. Various intern positions include: crew, where scenery is assembled and painted; electrics, which hangs cable lighting plots in all theaters and runs the light board during rehearsals, readings, and events. Production Assistant interns working in theater summer internships help stage managers, directors, playwrights, and dramaturgs with rehearsals and performances.
Many colleges offer theater majors that often work with communications and journalism majors in many classes and on projects. Advisors in the individual departments have a wealth of information available to them, and often have a Web site database (or at least a binder) of theater summer internships for students to access. Theaters send colleges information about their theater summer internships in order to tap a demographic that is highly interested and somewhat trained in the subject matter. Theater summer internships are not just for students in that major – most companies will take on high school drama students, or college students who can demonstrate a working knowledge or great interest in theater.
One drawback to theater summer internships is that most are unpaid, except those with large production companies. The economy the past few years has forced many companies to whittle down their budgets to the absolute necessary, and stipends for theater summer internships have often disappeared.
By Virginia Zignego