My days have been fairly lined and limited by more tedious intern work. Lots of phone calls to venues, lots of coding of events and venues.
But a glimmer of light has been shining through- once again, I'm talking about Mr. Marmalade, the show I will be directing in the Spring. I have briefly mentioned that I'm directing a show next semester, but haven't given great detail. I've been reading the play over and over, developing a production team, and getting tons of ideas for what I want to do with it. Also- I've just started to organize and plan for auditions (which will take place February 18th-19th for those who are interested...!) but now I will give a bit more detail as I've decided that this blog might indeed be a good way for me to track my experience through that as well.
Anyhoo. I just got back from meeting with Duncan Reilly, a friend of mine, fellow Obie, and a great musician. He went to high school with me and composed/ arranged some awesome music for the first play I'd directed, my devised piece: No One Way. I asked him if he would be willing to compose music for this show as well and he accepted. We had a great talk and idea swapping session over sushi (...alliteration)
I'm going to be taking a lot of inspiration from the internship. For example- I've always been really into putting movement into my plays and scenes and learning how Devon, the director of D&P does it was really helpful. She makes movement less of an abstract idea and more of a broken down scene. She usually calls these movement sequences "gesture dances." I described them to Duncan as a scene where you have removed all the words and intensely sped up the blocking and made the emotions less subtle. There you have it- a gesture dance! I'm also looking to play around with these ideas of shadows. The play they're working on deals a lot with shadows and the idea of duality between two people or a person and her shadow, or shadow twins- two people mirroring two others. For Mr. Marmalade, I want to use shadows more literally. The play is very creepy. I want certain things to be literally in the shadows of the lights. I also want to play around with silhouettes in the light.
Currently. I am reading up in some of my theater books- Games for Actors and Non Actors by Augusto Boal... a really really great theater resource. Or really, just a great resource for building community in group settings. and A Sense of Direction by William Ball (a book I was supposed to read for theater class, but never really got around to finishing...)
You can never have enough knowledge or input. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Oberlin so I can finally apply all I've learned/seen/done.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
The true meaning of hard work.
Last night I labeled 750 postcards with addresses in 3 hours. Hard work... no, really. Kidding. Not hard. But boring as hell. The true life of an intern has kicked in full fledged.
Assignment #2:
1. Label 750 postcards for the Dog & Pony Mailing List (check!)
2. Call all of the venues for the events and confirm their willingness to distribute postcards.
3. Divide postcards into even amounts (let me remind you, there are 15,000 postcards) and sticker with "coding labels."
4. Pack into boxes and distribute said postcards.
It's a rough job, but someone's gotta do it. hehe.
ps.- not at all related, but on a personal level. I have been running every day as, you know, a new years resolution to get into better shape. But I've actually been doing it. I run to 30 minute segments of movies and I pleased to say I have finished The Parent Trap and I'm halfway through Clueless.
pps.- no rehearsal this weekend so this'll be the last post for a while unless I am suddenly inspired to write. Also, my sister left for school and my dad and brother are away on a temple retreat leaving mama and me alone. Thus- it's time to bust out the musical movies and have some lady time.
Assignment #2:
1. Label 750 postcards for the Dog & Pony Mailing List (check!)
2. Call all of the venues for the events and confirm their willingness to distribute postcards.
3. Divide postcards into even amounts (let me remind you, there are 15,000 postcards) and sticker with "coding labels."
4. Pack into boxes and distribute said postcards.
It's a rough job, but someone's gotta do it. hehe.
ps.- not at all related, but on a personal level. I have been running every day as, you know, a new years resolution to get into better shape. But I've actually been doing it. I run to 30 minute segments of movies and I pleased to say I have finished The Parent Trap and I'm halfway through Clueless.
pps.- no rehearsal this weekend so this'll be the last post for a while unless I am suddenly inspired to write. Also, my sister left for school and my dad and brother are away on a temple retreat leaving mama and me alone. Thus- it's time to bust out the musical movies and have some lady time.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
To Quote Camp Rock: I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be
A few weeks ago, my near and dear friend Alex made a comment that made an impression on me. She's working at a politician's office in NYC and said something along the lines of- "It's politics everywhere. It's just reminded me why I love it so much and I felt like FUCK YEAH. This is what I want to do!"
Last night I had exactly the same reaction. I got to the rehearsal space at about 6:40pm, at which point the cast and crew were already playing a warm up game. I was invited to join, but chose to sit this one out- they were playing President/Assasin/ Bodyguard (whatever you want to call it)- that game where everyone throws a ball at one person who has to be guarded by another. Regardless. I tend to shriek every time the ball comes near me so I decided not to massively embarrass myself.
Then rehearsal really got started. They were working on cleaning up some of the fight choreography so Shannon, otherwise known as the world's (or at least Chicago's) most BAD ASS COMBAT CHOREOGRAPHER. I took a workshop with her a few summers ago at of course, CHERUBS.
Then the director pulled coupled characters (so- two characters who went together based on the story line) out together and orchestrated these gesture based dances. I am such a fan of this kind of work. I've done a little bit of it in some shows I've previously directed- but I'm looking to do a lot more of it in Mr. Marmalade.
Watching them all work (the crew, the actors, the director) reminded me and really, reinforced in my mind that this is my passion. There's just honest to God no other thing that would make me as happy.
After the rehearsal was done I watched as the entire cast and crew got together for a closing ritual. Every show should have one- and as somewhat of an outsider- it's a really beautiful thing to watch. It's cast bonding at it's very best.
I came home satisfied that the 2 hours of transportation for the day (1 hr there on the train, 1 back) were worthwhile and inspiring, but also dissatisfied that there was nothing for me to do at home. I was completely filled up with this great energy and desire to work and I had absolutely nothing to do.
So on that note- I miss you Oberlin. I miss the never ending spiral of activities that is constantly circulating campus. I miss the continual stream of people I encounter every day- the familiar faces which whether or not I know the person whom they belong to, are comforting. And while this internship is a nice alternative lifestyle, I'm ready to go home.
Last night I had exactly the same reaction. I got to the rehearsal space at about 6:40pm, at which point the cast and crew were already playing a warm up game. I was invited to join, but chose to sit this one out- they were playing President/Assasin/ Bodyguard (whatever you want to call it)- that game where everyone throws a ball at one person who has to be guarded by another. Regardless. I tend to shriek every time the ball comes near me so I decided not to massively embarrass myself.
Then rehearsal really got started. They were working on cleaning up some of the fight choreography so Shannon, otherwise known as the world's (or at least Chicago's) most BAD ASS COMBAT CHOREOGRAPHER. I took a workshop with her a few summers ago at of course, CHERUBS.
Then the director pulled coupled characters (so- two characters who went together based on the story line) out together and orchestrated these gesture based dances. I am such a fan of this kind of work. I've done a little bit of it in some shows I've previously directed- but I'm looking to do a lot more of it in Mr. Marmalade.
Watching them all work (the crew, the actors, the director) reminded me and really, reinforced in my mind that this is my passion. There's just honest to God no other thing that would make me as happy.
After the rehearsal was done I watched as the entire cast and crew got together for a closing ritual. Every show should have one- and as somewhat of an outsider- it's a really beautiful thing to watch. It's cast bonding at it's very best.
I came home satisfied that the 2 hours of transportation for the day (1 hr there on the train, 1 back) were worthwhile and inspiring, but also dissatisfied that there was nothing for me to do at home. I was completely filled up with this great energy and desire to work and I had absolutely nothing to do.
So on that note- I miss you Oberlin. I miss the never ending spiral of activities that is constantly circulating campus. I miss the continual stream of people I encounter every day- the familiar faces which whether or not I know the person whom they belong to, are comforting. And while this internship is a nice alternative lifestyle, I'm ready to go home.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Meeting Mr. Nobody (or, the longest entry ever...)
So today I attended the first really exciting rehearsal. And boy, oh boy was it an exciting day! (AKA- I'm exhausted so be prepared for a long, rambly, and overly detailed entry.)
Woke up at 9:30 am, showered, ate, made lunch, packed my bag, and was out of the house by 10:30 am and on my way to the Central St. Metra. I boarded the train at exactly 10:57 am, ready and excited for my trip to Red Moon Theatre (one of Dog & Pony's several rehearsal locations). The conductor came by to collect money for my ticket and it was then that I realized I had no less, but more importantly, no more, than $4.00 cash... not even enough to pay for the metra ticket and the CTA transfer it would take to get me to Red Moon. After a minor freak out and major phone call to my darling father, my route was changed to include a stop by Oglevie to get some $cash money$ before heading on to Red Moon.
Just then- I received a text message saying "Meet you at Steppenwolf. 2pm. Marta." If my marketing meeting were being held at Steppenwolf, it wouldn't make much sense for the rehearsal to be held somewhere else. I quickly called the assistant stage manager to check up on the facts... she confirmed that, indeed, the rehearsal was at Steppenwolf (and profusely apologized for not having emailed the change to me).
So after a bit of a scare and a small detour, I ended up at the garage space of Steppenwolf Theatre. At the right place, the right time, and some money in my pocket. It was about 11:07 am and the rehearsal was already in progress. They were running an opening sequence with the twins (the main characters of the show).
I was shocked to find that there was a new familiar face in the room. We recognized each other immediately- "You were a cherub!" She exclaimed under her breath. Emily had been a faculty associate (affectionately known as "a fack ass") during Cherubs 2008 (two-thousand great!), my year.
So, yes. Cherubs everywhere. Literally. And it gets better! You'll see...! Emily and I both got back to watching the rehearsal. For those of you who don't know- a theatre rehearsal process is a beautiful thing, often exciting: full of new ideas and discoveries, but also- incredibly tedious. Especially for an onlooker- watching a scene being done 10-15 times in a row can seem a bit excessive. I took to drawing on my hand and sketching notes in my book. I still had yet to feel a real connection to anything about the show. I didn't understand the scene- since it's a devised show and I hadn't seen it or been given a script, it didn't make much sense. I hadn't met most of the actors or production team. So it was more than easy to lose focus.
However, soon a lunch break was called. A woman came marching straight up to me and introduced herself as Casey. Thus was the beginning of a whole plethora of introductions over the next 5 minutes. It seems that she had broken the ice of talking to the random onlooker in the floral skirt. I met Ethan, a boy who'd been sitting with Emily. The two of them are understudying the show. Turns out- Ethan was also a cherub! Really, we're everywhere. It's wonderful. This was the first time I'd really had conversations with the cast.
Break ended and Devon called for the cast to do a run from the top. Now this was very exciting- I was getting to see the play.
Devon has very specific style which I absolutely ADORE. It is so intune with what I like about theatre, what I believe theatre should be, and what I, myself, want to do. One thing she does especially well is involves the audience. This particular play unfolds around the audience- meaning: the audience walks around to different parts of the stage to view different parts of the play. At several times there are multiple scenes going on at once so each audience member must choose what to watch. It not only personalizes the experience, but creates more interest and potentially gives the viewer a reason to come back and see the show again. (These are obviously not the only reasons for doing theatre in this style- just two that I felt I'd point out)
This is not to suggest that the play is free form. Rather, it is strategically crafted to draw the viewer's attention to what is most important for him/her to grasp while also throwing in various details that will add, in some way, to each individual's experience. There are some moments though when the audience needs to be focused on a specific scene or must gather in a certain area. The audience is guided through the show by a character who is at a certain point in the play revealed to be called Mr. Nobody (quite coincidentally the name of my imaginary friend from the time I was 3-7 years old).
The entire show was put together absolutely beautifully. It truly embodies everything I love about devised theatre. It is based on the lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons- also known as the silent twins. They spent most of their lives communicating with only each other. They were also story writers. The play showcases the odd and fairly tragic routine that was their lives as teenagers- being made fun of for not speaking as well as the color of their skin (they were the only black family in the Welsh neighborhood where they moved), struggling with school and relationships with others as well as with each other. These are expressed through both the twins writings (they became authors) and scenes between the girls and others- though the twins say absolutely nothing throughout the show. In which lies the simultaneous beauty and irony of the title "The Twins Would Like to Say."
Since the twins do not talk it's a heavily visual show. I also met with a good friend of mine from cherubs today (as I said- cherub filled day) and we talked about how much more we enjoy theatre that really caters to our eyes as well as our ears; that expresses material and emotion through silence as much as text. Lovveee it.
I sat in on the production meeting after the rehearsal and found not only that I knew the costume designer and sound designer (both from Cherubs, of course), but also that the production team is working on some pretty incredible design stuff. I offered my skills to all of them- just as an extra set of hands/ whatever they need. Hopefully I'll get to be even more involved. I have this dream for them to neeeeeed me.
"oh no! without Sarah this show can't possibly go on!" Ha, a girl can dream? I'm doing my best though. Sorry if you actually took the time to read this incredibly long post- maybe the title intrigued you or you wanted to prove that you could read the "longest entry ever" (congrats, you're almost done!). Whatever your reason- sorry there's no big sha-bang! like finish. Just straight fact.
That Sarah girl is boring... oh well. Tomorrow they're off from rehearsal and therefore so am I!
Woke up at 9:30 am, showered, ate, made lunch, packed my bag, and was out of the house by 10:30 am and on my way to the Central St. Metra. I boarded the train at exactly 10:57 am, ready and excited for my trip to Red Moon Theatre (one of Dog & Pony's several rehearsal locations). The conductor came by to collect money for my ticket and it was then that I realized I had no less, but more importantly, no more, than $4.00 cash... not even enough to pay for the metra ticket and the CTA transfer it would take to get me to Red Moon. After a minor freak out and major phone call to my darling father, my route was changed to include a stop by Oglevie to get some $cash money$ before heading on to Red Moon.
Just then- I received a text message saying "Meet you at Steppenwolf. 2pm. Marta." If my marketing meeting were being held at Steppenwolf, it wouldn't make much sense for the rehearsal to be held somewhere else. I quickly called the assistant stage manager to check up on the facts... she confirmed that, indeed, the rehearsal was at Steppenwolf (and profusely apologized for not having emailed the change to me).
So after a bit of a scare and a small detour, I ended up at the garage space of Steppenwolf Theatre. At the right place, the right time, and some money in my pocket. It was about 11:07 am and the rehearsal was already in progress. They were running an opening sequence with the twins (the main characters of the show).
I was shocked to find that there was a new familiar face in the room. We recognized each other immediately- "You were a cherub!" She exclaimed under her breath. Emily had been a faculty associate (affectionately known as "a fack ass") during Cherubs 2008 (two-thousand great!), my year.
So, yes. Cherubs everywhere. Literally. And it gets better! You'll see...! Emily and I both got back to watching the rehearsal. For those of you who don't know- a theatre rehearsal process is a beautiful thing, often exciting: full of new ideas and discoveries, but also- incredibly tedious. Especially for an onlooker- watching a scene being done 10-15 times in a row can seem a bit excessive. I took to drawing on my hand and sketching notes in my book. I still had yet to feel a real connection to anything about the show. I didn't understand the scene- since it's a devised show and I hadn't seen it or been given a script, it didn't make much sense. I hadn't met most of the actors or production team. So it was more than easy to lose focus.
However, soon a lunch break was called. A woman came marching straight up to me and introduced herself as Casey. Thus was the beginning of a whole plethora of introductions over the next 5 minutes. It seems that she had broken the ice of talking to the random onlooker in the floral skirt. I met Ethan, a boy who'd been sitting with Emily. The two of them are understudying the show. Turns out- Ethan was also a cherub! Really, we're everywhere. It's wonderful. This was the first time I'd really had conversations with the cast.
Break ended and Devon called for the cast to do a run from the top. Now this was very exciting- I was getting to see the play.
Devon has very specific style which I absolutely ADORE. It is so intune with what I like about theatre, what I believe theatre should be, and what I, myself, want to do. One thing she does especially well is involves the audience. This particular play unfolds around the audience- meaning: the audience walks around to different parts of the stage to view different parts of the play. At several times there are multiple scenes going on at once so each audience member must choose what to watch. It not only personalizes the experience, but creates more interest and potentially gives the viewer a reason to come back and see the show again. (These are obviously not the only reasons for doing theatre in this style- just two that I felt I'd point out)
This is not to suggest that the play is free form. Rather, it is strategically crafted to draw the viewer's attention to what is most important for him/her to grasp while also throwing in various details that will add, in some way, to each individual's experience. There are some moments though when the audience needs to be focused on a specific scene or must gather in a certain area. The audience is guided through the show by a character who is at a certain point in the play revealed to be called Mr. Nobody (quite coincidentally the name of my imaginary friend from the time I was 3-7 years old).
The entire show was put together absolutely beautifully. It truly embodies everything I love about devised theatre. It is based on the lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons- also known as the silent twins. They spent most of their lives communicating with only each other. They were also story writers. The play showcases the odd and fairly tragic routine that was their lives as teenagers- being made fun of for not speaking as well as the color of their skin (they were the only black family in the Welsh neighborhood where they moved), struggling with school and relationships with others as well as with each other. These are expressed through both the twins writings (they became authors) and scenes between the girls and others- though the twins say absolutely nothing throughout the show. In which lies the simultaneous beauty and irony of the title "The Twins Would Like to Say."
Since the twins do not talk it's a heavily visual show. I also met with a good friend of mine from cherubs today (as I said- cherub filled day) and we talked about how much more we enjoy theatre that really caters to our eyes as well as our ears; that expresses material and emotion through silence as much as text. Lovveee it.
I sat in on the production meeting after the rehearsal and found not only that I knew the costume designer and sound designer (both from Cherubs, of course), but also that the production team is working on some pretty incredible design stuff. I offered my skills to all of them- just as an extra set of hands/ whatever they need. Hopefully I'll get to be even more involved. I have this dream for them to neeeeeed me.
"oh no! without Sarah this show can't possibly go on!" Ha, a girl can dream? I'm doing my best though. Sorry if you actually took the time to read this incredibly long post- maybe the title intrigued you or you wanted to prove that you could read the "longest entry ever" (congrats, you're almost done!). Whatever your reason- sorry there's no big sha-bang! like finish. Just straight fact.
That Sarah girl is boring... oh well. Tomorrow they're off from rehearsal and therefore so am I!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Waiting, rescheduling, and more or less boredom
So. I attended my first Dog & Pony rehearsal this week. While I am not obligated to attend rehearsals, I am allowed to and therefore will try to attend as many as possible! At this particular rehearsal- January 12- the team was working on a shadow puppet element of the show. VERY cool.
I met the cast as well as rest of the crew and production team. Mainly, I did a lot of sitting around watching shadow puppets. Well what did I expect? Not much else. I couldn't attend other rehearsals this week. But from now on I will be going to rehearsal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Exciting. Especially since the show is starting to come together.
Unfortunately my marketing meeting had to be rescheduled three different times this week. It was supposed to be on Wednesday. Then rescheduled to today. Then rescheduled to Sunday. Then I will get my next actual assignment.
This week has been focused more on me than on the internship. I've done a lot of babysitting, had some family time, watched way too much tv., and mainly- worked on my play for next semester. A bit of dramaturge work and attempting to assemble a full production team. Attending rehearsals is also in a way my preparation for my play. I really enjoy observing Devon direct- she's a really remarkable director.
However, I do hope that my workload and responsibilities pick up in the next coming weeks or I'm worried I'll get a little bored. But until then I will remain in my bed until noon playing scramble and listening to Ezra Furman and Jenny Lewis to start off my day.
I met the cast as well as rest of the crew and production team. Mainly, I did a lot of sitting around watching shadow puppets. Well what did I expect? Not much else. I couldn't attend other rehearsals this week. But from now on I will be going to rehearsal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Exciting. Especially since the show is starting to come together.
Unfortunately my marketing meeting had to be rescheduled three different times this week. It was supposed to be on Wednesday. Then rescheduled to today. Then rescheduled to Sunday. Then I will get my next actual assignment.
This week has been focused more on me than on the internship. I've done a lot of babysitting, had some family time, watched way too much tv., and mainly- worked on my play for next semester. A bit of dramaturge work and attempting to assemble a full production team. Attending rehearsals is also in a way my preparation for my play. I really enjoy observing Devon direct- she's a really remarkable director.
However, I do hope that my workload and responsibilities pick up in the next coming weeks or I'm worried I'll get a little bored. But until then I will remain in my bed until noon playing scramble and listening to Ezra Furman and Jenny Lewis to start off my day.
Monday, January 11, 2010
First Assignment Complete!
Dog & Pony was on a two-week break from working on the show. Luckily, this break coincided with my Winter Break so that the start of my internship is the official start of Winter Term. However, I had some "homework" to take care of for the show.
Marta- the head of the marketing team has developed a system by which Dog & Pony can figure out what type of people attend their shows and on whom they should be focusing their marketing pitches. Marta had already discovered that a fairly "artsy" Chicago crowd comprises the majority of Dog & Pony audiences. So in order to get a better understanding of who these "artsy" people are she divided up the arts scene into 5 categories and told me to make a list of events in each of these categories. So that the coded postcards I mentioned earlier can be dropped off at each of the locales or we can contact the venue and some kind of promotional event can be coordinated with the event.
ASSIGNMENT # 1
Categories of Events:
-Music
-Literary/Book
-Movies
-Dance
-Art Gallery/Visual Arts
I had to find 3-4 events per week (we are working in a slot from the end of January to mid April... so about 15 weeks!) per category.
A lot of events. A lot of sitting in front of a computer and googling "literary events in Chicago", "Chicago Hot Spots", "Special Chicago Events." But after three or four days of true bonding with my HP ProBook 4310s.. a beautiful list emerged of 130 Events (many of which repeat many times during the week/month/year).
So first assignment done and the internship begins. I believe I am meeting with the team on Thursday. Other than that I will be going into rehearsal and observing what they're doing for the rest of the week until I'm given another assignment.
Marta- the head of the marketing team has developed a system by which Dog & Pony can figure out what type of people attend their shows and on whom they should be focusing their marketing pitches. Marta had already discovered that a fairly "artsy" Chicago crowd comprises the majority of Dog & Pony audiences. So in order to get a better understanding of who these "artsy" people are she divided up the arts scene into 5 categories and told me to make a list of events in each of these categories. So that the coded postcards I mentioned earlier can be dropped off at each of the locales or we can contact the venue and some kind of promotional event can be coordinated with the event.
ASSIGNMENT # 1
Categories of Events:
-Music
-Literary/Book
-Movies
-Dance
-Art Gallery/Visual Arts
I had to find 3-4 events per week (we are working in a slot from the end of January to mid April... so about 15 weeks!) per category.
A lot of events. A lot of sitting in front of a computer and googling "literary events in Chicago", "Chicago Hot Spots", "Special Chicago Events." But after three or four days of true bonding with my HP ProBook 4310s.. a beautiful list emerged of 130 Events (many of which repeat many times during the week/month/year).
So first assignment done and the internship begins. I believe I am meeting with the team on Thursday. Other than that I will be going into rehearsal and observing what they're doing for the rest of the week until I'm given another assignment.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Starting a Blog is:
exciting but kind of scary. I suppose it makes the whole start of my internship oddly formal and official. It solidifies the beginning of something I've been planning for months and wanting to do for ages before that.
I am interning with Dog & Pony Theatre Company- a small, but successful ensemble in Chicago. They were voted Chicago's Best Theatre Troupe by Chicago Magazine. Though in my search for a Chicago theatre to intern with I highlighted that I wanted to work with a new, up and coming theatre ensemble, as John Blick, a Dog & Pony producer and actor noted, they've more so "up-and-came." Dog & Pony has been doing some absolutely amazing work that is, really, as my mom would say, right up my alley. They do a lot of devised theatre: where an ensemble or director chooses an inspiration such as a piece of literature, an idea, or an object, and forms a script and a play based on research and ensemble work around that muse. I directed a devised piece last year and I am so very very intrigued by this style of theatre.
The term intern is so very loose. Who knows what I'll actually be doing. I have a somewhat sketchy outline of my responsibilities. I will be working with the marketing and production teams on the original play The Twins Would Like to Say. I will be assisting in the distribution of 15,000 postcards (coded based on where they are given out) to various pre-selected venues around the city. I will also help develop ways to promote the show. I have also been given full access to the Dog & Pony rehearsal process. I can read their blog for the show- which explains every rehearsal they have had- detailing the creation of the play as well as the rehearsal process with a developed script. I am also allowed to attend any/all of the current rehearsals. Pretty much-- it's kind of like a fairy tale dream for me.
I want to catalogue my experience as an intern, what I hope to take away from it, what my actual findings are, the jobs I am assigned, my reactions: dreams, concerns, all of it. And, maybe most importantly, I want to find out what working in this setting is like. I do hope to one day open up my own theatre company or be a part of an existing one. So this is pretty heavy career exploration.
So now that the preface is done so that whomever is reading this whether it be: my mother, my friends, or (most likely) plain old me, myself, and I, will be aware of what my motivations for creating said blog are.
On with the show :)
I am interning with Dog & Pony Theatre Company- a small, but successful ensemble in Chicago. They were voted Chicago's Best Theatre Troupe by Chicago Magazine. Though in my search for a Chicago theatre to intern with I highlighted that I wanted to work with a new, up and coming theatre ensemble, as John Blick, a Dog & Pony producer and actor noted, they've more so "up-and-came." Dog & Pony has been doing some absolutely amazing work that is, really, as my mom would say, right up my alley. They do a lot of devised theatre: where an ensemble or director chooses an inspiration such as a piece of literature, an idea, or an object, and forms a script and a play based on research and ensemble work around that muse. I directed a devised piece last year and I am so very very intrigued by this style of theatre.
The term intern is so very loose. Who knows what I'll actually be doing. I have a somewhat sketchy outline of my responsibilities. I will be working with the marketing and production teams on the original play The Twins Would Like to Say. I will be assisting in the distribution of 15,000 postcards (coded based on where they are given out) to various pre-selected venues around the city. I will also help develop ways to promote the show. I have also been given full access to the Dog & Pony rehearsal process. I can read their blog for the show- which explains every rehearsal they have had- detailing the creation of the play as well as the rehearsal process with a developed script. I am also allowed to attend any/all of the current rehearsals. Pretty much-- it's kind of like a fairy tale dream for me.
I want to catalogue my experience as an intern, what I hope to take away from it, what my actual findings are, the jobs I am assigned, my reactions: dreams, concerns, all of it. And, maybe most importantly, I want to find out what working in this setting is like. I do hope to one day open up my own theatre company or be a part of an existing one. So this is pretty heavy career exploration.
So now that the preface is done so that whomever is reading this whether it be: my mother, my friends, or (most likely) plain old me, myself, and I, will be aware of what my motivations for creating said blog are.
On with the show :)
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