Theatre Major Ashley Nossett had two dreams for the summer : spend time backstage at one of her favorite Broadway musicals, and land an internship at another. If this was an audition, you might say she nailed them both.
Over the summer, Nossett (Brownsburg, IN) corresponded with the stage manager for The Phantom of the Opera and was invited to shadow him for a performance. She spent an entire evening meeting actors and crew members, watching the stage manager call the show, and learning the secrets of Broadway’s longest running musical. Being backstage in The Majestic Theatre, the home of The Phantom of the Opera, has been one of her dreams for years.
Nossett had also been conversing for months with the stage manager for Wicked, one of Broadway’s current hits, regarding the possibility of an internship. “I had originally gotten in touch with the stage manager for a class project last fall,” she said, “So when the time came for me to start thinking about internships, I figured I’d give it a shot and see if Wicked was offering anything.” During her trip, she met the stage manager in person and interviewed for the position. She was offered the internship less than ten minutes later.
Nossett will live in New York City for up to five weeks in December and early January, interning at the Gershwin Theatre for Wicked. She will work closely with the stage managers and much of the crew to learn the ins and outs of Broadway theatre.
Nossett is a rising Junior who has already filled numerous roles in the IWU Theatre Guild including a lead performance in Pygmalion during the 2012-13 season. She embraces the everyone-does-everything philosophy of IWU’s Theatre program and enjoys the time backstage as much as acting.
“I’m a little bit nervous, but I feel like my theatre classes and stage management experiences at school have helped prepare me for what I’m going be doing, so I can’t wait to get started!,” she said.
