EDUCATION

Training the Next Generation
of Theatre Artists

Arizona Theatre Company’s intern program in Tucson has grown exponentially for the 2008-2009 season.  All of ATC’s interns are learning a great deal about what it means to work in a professional theatre environment and are gaining valuable hands-on experience that they are sure to use in the future, no matter what career path they choose. 
The ATC staff benefits greatly from the support provided by all of our interns. Each intern’s particular strengths are much appreciated by all who work with them and their endless enthusiasm for ATC is an excellent reminder of the importance of theatre to members of our community.

Laura Webb joins ATC’s Professional Internship Program from Southern Utah University as the 2008-2009 Artistic Intern. She graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts, with an emphasis in Directing. Laura has already worked with Director Timothy Near as her assistant on ATC’s production of Enchanted April and is looking forward working with David Ira Goldstein on the upcoming production of Hair. In between rehearsals, she works in the Artistic and Education Departments helping with projects such as actor headshot and resume updates, script reviews for the Literary Department and creating the Cast Welcome Board that is displayed in both the Tucson and Phoenix offices.

Laura is also involved in planning for this season’s ?AMERICA PLAYS! Celebrating Great American Stories? activities surrounding A Raisin in the Sun, attending and facilitating classroom visits for student matinee attendees, and assisting with auditions.

ATC is also pleased to welcome several department-specific interns throughout the company.  Trish Everett joins the Education Department as an Education Intern from the University of Arizona.  She recently moved to Tucson from Seattle to begin the MA program in Theatre Education/Outreach.  Trish has been spreading the word about ATC’s new Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance seminars taught by Dick Hanson, helping plan classroom activities for A Raisin in the Sun, and is gaining classroom teaching experience through the Master Class and Artist-in-Residence programs. 

Kristen Harris is currently working with Company Management.  She is a Junior from the University of Arizona working toward a BFA in Theatre Production-Design Technology with an emphasis in Stage Management.  Kristen has helped to arrange travel and prepare apartments for out-of-town artists and has assisted with ‘Meet and Greets’ in Tucson.

ATC’s Marketing Department is giving three U of A students who are interested in both business and theatre a wonderful opportunity to integrate those two disciplines as Marketing and Public Relations Interns.  Tiffani Johnson, a Senior studying Theatre Arts and Business, is working on  the Opening Night VIP and Seat Filler programs, distributing and tracking marketing materials for all of ATC’s season shows, and assisting with the Girls’ Night Out event for Hair.  Shannon Pethe, a Senior studying Political Science and Theatre, as well as Sign Language Interpreting at Pima Community College, is working primarily on donation requests and press logs.  Finally, Jessica Spindel is completing her final semester working on a major in Business and a minor in Theatre.  Jessica has worked to establish the Tucson and Phoenix publication deadline calendars, initiated a new relationship with Gallo Wines, and will also assist with Girls’ Night Out for Hair.  All of the Marketing and Public Relations Interns are earning credit through the University of Arizona for their work at ATC.

Morgan McAslan, a senior BFA student in Theatre Production with an emphasis in Dramaturgy and Theatre History, works with ATC’s Literary Department as a Dramaturgy Intern.  Morgan has worked on both Enchanted April and The Lady with All the Answers, contributing articles to the Play Guides, assisting with dramaturgical research for the directors and helping to assemble materials for the Lobby Displays.  In addition, she has also read and reviewed script submissions.

Finally, ATC is hosting five high school interns in the Education and Artistic Departments.  Anthony Diaz is a Senior at Empire High School and is interning at ATC as his Job Shadow requirement for graduation.  In addition to filing in the Accounting and Artistic departments, Anthony has been shadowing Samantha Wyer as she directs Company at the U of A.  April Price, a Senior at Mountain View High School, is participating in the Career and Technical Education Professional Internship Program at her school.  She has been working with Literary Manager Jenny Bazzell to market the Teen Critic program, assist with research and assembly of lobby displays and organize the script library.  Summer on Stage alumni Colter Ogden and JJ Ouellette have been working on updating ATC’s actor files as well as also assisting with the implementation of a new filing system for the Production Department.  Kerri Kehl, another Summer on Stage student, has helped to implement a new filing system for the Accounting Department.  All of the high school interns are also busy reading season scripts and each of the interns has contributed props for ATC’s production of The Lady with All the Answers in the form of several letters written to Ann Landers.  These letters now dress the set, also known as Ann Landers’ living room.

Click here to return to the current PREVIEW page

Click here for the PREVIEW: News, Notes and Next Archive