Summer break may be drawing to a close, but for some Theatre students, this summer was not entirely what you might call a “break.” In the Indiana Wesleyan University Division of Communication, an internship with an outside organization or company is a requirement for graduation. This summer, four IWU Theatre majors were offered internships at various locations in Indiana and got the opportunity to use their theatre skills and training in settings outside the IWU Theatre. The interns can tell you it’s the same on or off-campus – theatre is hard work!
So what all did they do? Phil Herbruck (Sr), who interned at Communication School of the Arts in Marion, IN said, “I worked in a number of different capacities, many of which pertained to my theatre training.” said Phil, .,“ These included giving acting notes to students and working as an assistant stage manager.” Phil said that he enjoyed his time working at CSA and that he plans on continuing to volunteer there during the semester.
Katelyn Presnell (Sr) was the Assistant Stage Manager at the Round Barn Theatre. She said that she learned quite a bit by being one person on a crew of only two or three. She said she learned the most from listening to the other people she worked with just talk about their future plans and employment opportunities. “People who work in theatre are basically homeless and have more faith than most Christians I know when it comes to their future plans in life,” she said.
Kendra seen her stage managing the production at Faeries, Sprites, and Lights at Minnestrista in Muncie, IN. Kendra Emmett (Jr) did an internship at the Minnetrista Cultural Center in Muncie, IN, with two different job descriptions. For the first part of the summer she was the stage manager for Minnetrista’s annual event Faeries, Sprites and Lights which is primarily a theatre event. After the event was over, she became a dramaturge. She said, “a dramaturge is a person who is hired to research the setting and details of a play and keep the actors, director, and even the audience informed about those details.” She said that she had a great experience at Minnetrista and is looking forward to attending some of their future events.
If you are a Theatre major who will be on the lookout for an internship within the next couple of years, or if you are simply interested in learning more about Theatre internships, shoot an email at iwutheatreguild@gmail.com and they will be happy to answer any of your questions.
