The Summer of 2016 I completed a six week internship with the Vermont Shakespeare Festival. I had an incredible experience promoting their production of Julius Caesar and managing their box office. I also got to participate in a play performed by the interns at the end of the season. I was a witch, servant, and soldier in Macbeth. Lastly, I got to take various classes about acting, stage combat, movement, voice, text analysis and other theater-related skills from our director, Nick.
One of the main goals my supervisor and the Creative Director, Jena, had for me was to boost Vermont Shakespeare Festival’s social media presence, which I did by posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WordPress to promote both their upcoming show and the Summer Training Institute, which is the intern program I was involved in. I posted almost every day, whether it be pictures, video content, blog posts, or character tweets. It was my job to connect the public to the show and I did so through my social media presence as well as in person at Farmer’s markets and through poster distribution. Additionally, I created three promotional videos for their company, which can be found in the same menu I made this post.
At the end of the season cast, crew, and interns all gathered to give out awards and gifts to each other. All of the Summer Training Institute intern participants received a card with a personalized message both from Jena and Nick, the directors of Julius Caesar and Macbeth, respectively. Mine said the following:
“Emily! You have had an amazing impact on Vermont Shakespeare Festival and we will be forever grateful!” – Jena, Creative Director of the Summer Training Institute
“Emily, your energy, spirit, enthusiasm, and willingness to throw yourself in is everything you can ask for as a director. Thank you!” – Nick, director of the Macbeth intern play and teacher of the Summer Training Institute
If you are ever in Vermont during the summer I highly recommend checking out theater by Vermont Shakespeare Festival! This summer they will be performing Twelfth Night. My summer internship with them was a rewarding and transformational experience that greatly built up my confidence, public speaking, marketing, and management skills.