Feature: It's Not Just About What Happens Onstage: An Interview with Studio Theatre's Administrative Apprentices

A few weeks back, I wrote a feature on the Production Apprentices of Studio Theatre. The piece also talked about Studio Theatre's Apprenticeship Program and how it also focusses on other areas besides the performance side of things.

Today you are going to meet Studio Theatre's Administrative Apprentices. These are the folks whose jobs you don't necessarily think about but without them, any given production would not be possible. I'm talking about, business, marketing, and development.

For those of you that saw Studio Theatre's People Places and Things, the flying ceiling for the last scene took many chain motors to make it run, lots of material to build and cost LOTS of money to execute. In other words, the folks you are about to meet make sure the production people have what's needed from a financial standpoint as well as making sure the word is getting out so you the audience member know to come see a Studio Theatre production.

Ok, it's time to meet the Administrative Apprentices of Studio Theatre. I'll see you at the end of this feature for some final thoughts.

Clarissa Shirley

Hometown: Brick, New Jersey

Position: Marketing and Producing Apprentice

"I work in both the marketing department and the artistic department. In marketing, I maintain our social media and email calendar under the guidance of my amazing supervisor (shout out Avi!), I also contribute to influencer outreach, and we are constantly thinking of new ways to connect with our current patrons and bring new audiences into Studio. On the producing side, I communicate with our awesome community partners and assist with casting efforts. Most recently I had the opportunity to produce our Pslam's Salon event, which had very yummy catering from Ben's Chili Bowl."

McKenna Canty

Hometown: Woburn. Massachusettes

Position: Development Apprentice

"I focus on fundraising and communicating with our donors. I write letters and emails for our donation renewal campaign and our Calendar Year End campaign. In addition, I do administrative tasks like folding mail, organizing our department's online document filing system, and researching potential donors and board members. I also help with event management for our Opening Night celebrations and Inside Look special events. I've gotten to learn more about grant writing and proposals this year as well."

Parker Nolan

Hometown: Barre, Vermont

Position: Arts Administration Apprentice (soon to be renamed Business Apprentice)

"I work closely with the Business Director and General Manager to support the financial functions of the institution, collaborate with the Management team to support staff and visiting artists, attend senior staff and board meetings, and much more. I often work collaboratively and cross-departmentally on projects surrounding budgeting, hiring, workplace culture, and planning for the next Apprentice class. Each week I process our Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable, manage our credit cards, and communicate with theatrical unions regarding contracts and payments for our artists."

Were you a theatre kid growing up?

Clarissa- Completely! I started originally as a dancer and then slowly started to gravitate towards the storytelling portion of movement. I really loved musicals and as I reflect, I think I grew up alongside different cast albums. 6th grade me loved 13 The Musical, High School me loved Heathers: The Musical, College me (and me now) LOVES The Last Five Years. It's really cool that theatre can be a time capsule for a myriad of personal and collective moments. In college I was exposed to the intimate art of contemporary plays, and I fell in love with the quiet moments on stage.

McKenna- I became a "theatre kid" when I started high school, but I think I caught the bug for performing long before that. Growing up, I watched many live-recorded and movie musicals with my mom, and I was obsessed with The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, and Peter Pan the Musical. I realized I loved being on stage in elementary school. Instead of a talent show, my school held a yearly "Poetry Showcase," - a school-wide competition where one student from each class would get picked to perform a poem of their choosing in front of all the students and parents one night in the spring. I got to perform for the first time when I was in first grade, and I got hooked immediately. I was very fortunate and got to perform each year after that. My mom and I would make more and more elaborate props and costumes, once I even had a giant cardboard school bus with a "working" window. However, it wasn't until I did my first musical in my freshman year of high school that I truly fell in love with theatre. Throughout high school and college, I continued to perform in school shows. I knew I wanted to pursue working in the theatre industry in any way I could, which led me to my Development Apprenticeship here at Studio.

Parker- I'd consider myself a "theatre kid," but I didn't really discover theatre until high school. I don't remember being able to define exactly what theatre was prior to my freshman year, when I went to see a friend perform in the spring musical. It was a production of Spamalot, and the excitement and passion of my peers in the show convinced me it was something I needed to experience. I auditioned the fall of my sophomore year, was cast in the ensemble of Much Ado About Nothing, and was hooked from there.

Did you go to school for theatre? If not, what was your major?

Clarissa- I went to Muhlenberg College where I studied Directing and English, during my time there I also worked for my theatre program's marketing department. It was really fulfilling to be in the rehearsal rooms at night, and then during the day I would have an excellent sense of how a show should be marketed to the public. My favorite part of my marketing gig was writing the Press Releases for every production. I got to sit down with really remarkable directors, and actors and hear about their relationship to the material and their process. I must have 50 hours' worth of interviews on my phone.

McKenna- I graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2021 with a degree in Communication and a minor in Theatre. I decided to major in communication because I knew it would help me develop my writing skills and offer a lot of flexibility and transferable skills for whatever path I wanted to pursue after college. Minoring in theatre was an interesting experience; I had to take the bulk of those classes remotely due to the pandemic, but I still enjoyed getting to learn about acting virtually.

Parker- I went to Eastern Michigan University for undergrad and double majored in Communication and Theatre with a minor in Entertainment Design & Technology. I'd originally applied as an undecided major, but I had a feeling I'd get pulled to the dark side and wind up with a theatre degree... and I'm so glad I did. I graduated from EMU in April 2021.

I'm also currently pursuing my MFA in Performing Arts Management at Brooklyn College, and plan to graduate in May 2024. It's a full-time, remote program in the evenings that I have been able to balance with my Apprenticeship!

Many theatres across the country offer apprenticeships. What was the big selling point for you about Studio Theatre's Apprenticeship program that made you decide it was right for you?

Clarissa- I really love Studio's mission to produce theatre in intimate spaces. It is incredibly rare. And because Studio Theatre prioritizes the intimacy of their spaces, they have theatre spaces that house less than 200 people. So, my math nerd brain wanted to see the "behind the scenes" of how a non-profit functions monetarily and continues to evolve, while still sticking to their mission, which is hard to do. They also have a wonderful 2022-2023 season. (English, Heroes of The Fourth Turning, and People, Places and Thngs... to name a few) The prospect of getting to market those shows was really enticing to me.

McKenna- In February 2022, I left a corporate communication job I had first taken right after graduating. The job had been in a completely different industry, and it didn't take me long to realize I wasn't passionate about it and wanted to return to pursuing theater. I started job searching for administrative theatre positions in the Boston area (where I'm from) when I came across Studio Theatre's apprenticeship and knew I had to apply.

One of my goals post-graduation was to move to a new city since I had lived in Massachusetts my entire life. Unlike other apprenticeships, Studio Theatre offers free housing in the heart of DC in one large row house for all the apprentices in the program. This was really important for me, as I was ready to take a step toward more independence but didn't want the financial burden of rent. I was also comfortable making a big move to a new area of the country because I felt essentially guaranteed a "group of friends" as soon as I arrived. Having housing already lined up made the large transition feel so much easier. I'm really grateful I've gotten to live with my other apprentices because the proximity allowed us all to become much closer friends than if we had only been working together. I was also really excited to move to DC, which I've fallen in love with this year.

Parker- In early 2020, I applied to 20 theatre internship and apprenticeship programs (including Studio), but of course we all know what happened to our industry/the world just a few months later. When I was later searching for post-graduation opportunities during my senior year, specifically in the DC area, Studio's program once again caught my eye.

The apprenticeship program at Studio is really special. They offer a wide range of positions, provide housing (which seems rare), and are committed to providing rich learning opportunities both on-the-job and through educational seminars. For me, all of this was exactly what I was looking for as I tried to forge the beginning of my path in arts management beyond college.

Clarissa- What is the greatest lesson you have learned about doing marketing while being an apprentice at Studio Theatre?

To trust my instincts as they develop as a content designer. Many of the social media posts or stories that I feel most nervous about usually end up getting the most engagement.

McKenna- You recently stepped backstage to run wardrobe for a few performances on Studio Theatre's production of English. If the opportunity arose, would you consider working backstage on another production?

Yes, I would definitely consider working backstage again! I really enjoyed working on English. Another great thing about my apprenticeship is that, since my position is administrative, I work a fairly regular 10am-6pm Monday through Friday schedule, in turn giving me a lot of flexibility and availability on weeknights and weekends. Plus, the Studio staff is great about letting us explore jobs outside of our department, so when Madison Bahr, Studio's Assistant Production and Rentals Manager, reached out to me to help with wardrobe, I jumped at the chance.

It was a lot of fun getting to know the cast and actually having a hand in the run of a production (since I work in development, I work in our administration office, rather than backstage or the rehearsal room.) I'm always open to exploring new positions in the theater industry, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to see what it was like working wardrobe for a professional production. I handled the quick changes, took care of laundry each night, and even helped with a lighting cue at the end of the performance. While I think I'll primarily continue to pursue administrative positions in the future, I wouldn't turn down the chance to work backstage again.

Parker- If you were not working in the apprentice position you are now, which of the other jobs would you most like to do?

If I wasn't the Arts Admin Apprentice and aiming to work as a General Manager/Managing Director, I would love to find myself somewhere in the artistic department. In this program, that leads me to the Producing and Community Engagement Apprenticeship. I really value the creative process, and often miss being in the room with the art and the lovely folks who create it. I'm also really interested in the relationships between not-for-profit theatres and the communities they serve. I believe every not-for-profit arts company should hold their connection to the broader community as a pillar of their mission. Creative producing seems to frame my knack for management/admin through an artistic lens that connects to my passion for creating theatre.

McKenna- Can you tell us how working a Studio Theatre Apprenticeship has prepared you for your next theatrical adventure?

This apprenticeship has taught me so much about working in professional theatre, not only as a development team member, but as a young theater professional in general as well. I've gotten to expand my writing skills and understand the specifics and nuances of fundraising language. My department has been so kind and helpful, introducing me to many aspects of development I wanted to learn, like our donor database and grant writing. It's also illuminated some aspects I don't necessarily want to pursue; I've learned I prefer writing over event planning for example. Learning how all the departments interact to bring a show to life and the rigor that requires has been so helpful this year.

But the best thing I'll take away from this apprenticeship are the friends and connections I've made. I've become close with all my fellow apprentices, and Studio connected us with apprentices from other theaters in the DMV area as well. Getting to work in Studio's open office and friendly environment has made it so easy to approach members of the staff I wouldn't have interacted with otherwise. I feel like my confidence has grown so much just by interacting with established theater professionals, which in turn has helped me see myself as a current theater professional, instead of a recent college graduate. I feel confident that many of skills I learned here will serve me well in my future career.

Parker- Working on the finance side of things in theatre can sometimes be eye opening, I'm sure. What is the most surprising thing you have learned working in theatre on the financial side?

The most surprising thing I've learned in the theatre management world is there is never enough financial support for organizations within our country's not-for-profit system. An arts company can have an impressive and generous donor base (and many do), yet it's still not enough to support the ambitious missions of organizations. Many not-for-profit arts companies have to scale back programming (often new and experimental projects) to focus on the work that will provide more financial success and fill their gaps in funding. I love the not-for-profit theatre space and think it's something special. I know it's where I want to be in my career as an arts manager, but there are big hurdles for nearly every company when it comes to funding. If the U.S. had stronger arts funding, I think our nation would be better for it. That was a bit of a rant, but I'm reminded of this structural issue often both in school and at work.

Clarissa- What do you say to someone that is on the fence about applying for Studio Theatre's Apprentice program?

Every early career artist's path is so different, and if you continue to believe that you deserve a spot in a room, the right room will present itself. Studio was certainly the right room for me at this current juncture. Don't be afraid to ask questions and find the place that values you and validates your talents.

After your apprenticeship ends, do you plan to stay working in the DC theatre community?

Clarissa- I would love to! It depends if the right job comes along. Being here for the past year has been invaluable to my personal and professional development, I'm really grateful.

McKenna- I haven't decided yet if I will stay in the DC area yet. I'm in the process of applying for other summer jobs and apprenticeships around the country, so I'm not sure what my next step will look like at the moment. However, if I do decide to apply for a full-time administrative job in the theatre industry in the fall, DC is my first choice and where I will primarily apply. I could absolutely see myself living here for another year at least, and I've made so many wonderful friends and connections this year. I'm not sure what the future holds yet, but I certainly hope it keeps me in DC or leads me back here at some point.

Parker- I do plan to hang around! I've fallen in love with DC since moving here in April 2021, and it's a thrill to work within its booming arts community. Also, it's bittersweet, but I'm actually leaving the apprenticeship program early in a couple weeks to join Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA as their Assistant Business Manager. The mentorship and training from Studio's Apprenticeship has undoubtedly teed me up for this incredible next step.

I hope after meeting Clarissa, McKenna, and Parker that you have a better understanding of what is happening behind the scenes in Studio Theatre's Administrative offices.

When you look in a program and see a list of donors, remember that there is an entire department making sure those donations actually happen. When you see social media posts about a production, there is a group of people spending countless hours getting all of those things together. Without the people working on the business side of a production, a $100,000 Ferrari would not be able to appear onstage.

I hope this and the Production Apprentices piece also gives you an idea of how wonderful Studio Theatre's Apprenticeship Program is. Without it and folks like Clarissa, McKenna, and Parker, there would be no next generation of theatre.

Special thanks to Studio Theatre's General Manager Kathryn Huey for her assistance in coordinating this interview.

Studio Theatre Administrative Apprentices graphic designed by JJ Kaczynski.

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