Student Blog: Guide To Theater Internships

During summer internship application season, college students strive to intern at big-name companies that will fuel them with experience, connections, and maybe even a job in the future. As a first-time applicant, you may find yourself feeling a little blindsided during this process. It may be your first time writing a cover letter, you may never have constructed a professional work resume, and you may not even know where to find internship applications. Through this blog post, I have created a guide to help theater intern applicants navigate through this stressful and sometimes scary process.

Where to look: 

There are so many different resources to help you find internships. Some are on the surface, and some you need to dive deep in search for. 

Social Media: 

LinkedIn is a common social media source to find internships, but there are more resources through this website. I have found that if you search for a theater job (ex: “Broadway Producer''), LinkedIn will show you producers in the area you are searching for who either work in theater or are connected to the Broadway industry. With an easy click on their profiles, you can see all of their jobs that they have held in the past. Through this information you can research the companies they worked for and either email a recruiter from the company, asking if there are any internship opportunities being offered, or look on their website to see if they are hiring. 

Playbill and Broadway World: 

Playbill and Broadway World are two of my favorite websites to find theater internships. These two websites make this process simple. They keep all of the information organized and easy to find. When you go onto either website’s homepage, you will click on a specific job, and it will take you to a full page of job postings. With this, you can  alter the options to an internship in which you are looking for (i.e. location, type of job, paid/unpaid). Additionally, they will provide a link to the email where you send your cover letter and resume along with the website of the company.   

Google: 

If you have an interest in a specific theater or company, an easy Google search can lead you to great success. A lot of companies will post job descriptions on their own personal job boards. Some can be found on the surface of the website, and some you will need to search for. Along with this, you can also find emails of some of the employees at the companies. You can email people at companies asking to either talk about their experiences in the industry or attach a resume, and ask them to keep it on file for any internship or job opportunities in the future. This option can be very helpful for the networking aspect of the industry. 

These are only some ways of finding internships that fit your criteria. It all seems scary and possibly discouraging at first, but don't be afraid to apply. Quite possibly, the people interviewing may see something in you that you never knew existed, and will want to give you an opportunity, or perhaps even find a job that fits your credentials.

Cover Letter: 

A cover letter is a way to further showcase your previous experiences such as jobs, and class courses, and help the company understand why you are looking for an internship and why you would be a good fit at their company. Some companies will ask that you answer specific questions in your cover letter. Make sure you read any given instructions linked to the job post. I usually begin my cover letters with my name, where I am from, the school I go to, and the internship title in which I am applying to. I then begin my next paragraph by talking about my experiences in college. I make sure to add my major and minor along with some notable classes that can help me with my experience interning at the company. I will then talk about a work experience I’ve had in the past and what I learned from it. The last piece of information that I add to this paragraph is my prior theater experiences and what it has taught me about appreciating theater. The next paragraph is used to show your skills. It is important to be honest and proud. Make this paragraph short and sweet; don’t overfill because you don’t want to come out as full of yourself and brag about how amazing you are. The last paragraph is filled with what you hope to learn through the internship. Make sure you’re specific so it shows interest and seems personal to this specific company. It is also good to add your availability during the time frame of the internship, and where you live in relation to the office. Make sure you reread your cover letter catching any errors you made when writing it. 

Resume: 

A job resume is different from the activity resume you submitted for college, and the acting resume you bring to your auditions. A resume is almost like a brag sheet of everything you’ve done in the past. Everyone’s resume is different and filled with a bunch of different success stories from their past. To compile a resume you can find many resume templates to help you with the formatting. You don’t need the prettiest resume to stand out, but if you want the pink scented Elle Wood’s-eque resume, go for it! Content to add to your resume includes:

Education: 

Put the University you go to on your resume. Add your major and minor as well as some notable classes that you would like to showcase to employers. Along with this, if applicable feel free to add any honors or recognitions you have received such as being on honor roll or the dean's list, and include the dates of which it was rewarded to you. You can also add your GPA

Work Experience: 

Start with the one you’re most proud of at the top. From there list off whichever work experiences you want to show off. When adding your experiences, bullet off a few sentences to explain the work you did at each company. If you need help with this part, there are so many websites with examples to assist you in completing sentences. You can list if the job was in person or remote, and where the company is located.  

Extra-curricular: 

These experiences can be experiences you want to showcase from high school, college and on. This can help you show off some leadership or teamwork experiences you have worked on in the past. When listing these make sure to showcase a few bullets of the work you put into them. Add your dates and where the activity took place. 

Skills and Hobbies: 

This section is used to showcase you as a person. Are you proficient in google and excel? Add that! Are you able to speak and/or understand multiple languages? Put it on. Whatever you want to show off about you should be added. There are no right or wrong answers here. If you have any awards and honors feel free to mention those too! 

Don’t forget your start and end date. You don't need to add everything, but make sure it is heard that you are proud of your experiences. 

After re-reading both your cover letter and resume it is time to submit. Make sure everything is correct and formatted the way the company asks. After this it may take a couple of weeks to hear back about an interview. If you are selected for one make sure to prepare for that by researching the companies and having prepared questions to ask. Be familiar with your cover letter and resume, and be prepared for anything. If you aren’t selected, don’t let this discourage you. This isn’t a bad thing. This just gives you the opportunity to showcase yourself somewhere else and find the right place for you. 

Best of luck everyone!