The person I worked with the most at ProArts Playhouse was Lin McEwan. Lin is the Executive Director of the theater, which means she oversees taxes, sound technicians, ticket sales, sets, costumes, theater decor, donations, and any other task that is overlooked in a theater, such as vacuuming or washing the curtains.
Working to form stage setting was a big part of my internship. The play that I helped set up had two scenes, meaning the stage had to shift to look like a new place when the lights went out for intermission. It was fascinating to watch the clever and simple ways they switched out paintings, added props, and shifted furniture to create an entirely different place.
Working to form stage setting was a big part of my internship. The play that I helped set up had two scenes, meaning the stage had to shift to look like a new place when the lights went out for intermission. It was fascinating to watch the clever and simple ways they switched out paintings, added props, and shifted furniture to create an entirely different place.
As part of my internship, Lin gave me two videos of the same play, altered for different audiences. The first was at a film festival, one act long and on a stage with very few props. The second play was at ProArts theater and rewritten with a second act and more visuals.
Watching how the script was redone showed me that if I wanted to write a screenplay, I would have to decide what type of stage it was going to be on before I could begin writing. If it was for a local theater, the storyline would have to take place in one or two rooms and the cast would be small, whereas a better known theater could spend more money for different scenes.
An important part of working with others is making it clear when you don’t understand something or need more direction. Before the internship, I was hesitant to ask for help unless I desperately needed it, but I learned how to ask questions for the benefit of my own understanding and interest.
I also expanded my skills through observation. I saw how the theater could find use in every scrap of material to create a set and improvise at the last minute to get it perfect. This surprised me because, from the audience's perspective, everything runs smoothly and easily with no sign of rush. For example, Lin had bought some curtains for a fake window onstage that were so long they piled on the floor, but she didn’t want to cut them because they could be used in future plays. She gave me the task of tying them to look intentional and elegant. It took me a long time to get both sides of the curtain to look the same, but I liked the way they turned out, and they were used in the play.
Watching how the script was redone showed me that if I wanted to write a screenplay, I would have to decide what type of stage it was going to be on before I could begin writing. If it was for a local theater, the storyline would have to take place in one or two rooms and the cast would be small, whereas a better known theater could spend more money for different scenes.
An important part of working with others is making it clear when you don’t understand something or need more direction. Before the internship, I was hesitant to ask for help unless I desperately needed it, but I learned how to ask questions for the benefit of my own understanding and interest.
I also expanded my skills through observation. I saw how the theater could find use in every scrap of material to create a set and improvise at the last minute to get it perfect. This surprised me because, from the audience's perspective, everything runs smoothly and easily with no sign of rush. For example, Lin had bought some curtains for a fake window onstage that were so long they piled on the floor, but she didn’t want to cut them because they could be used in future plays. She gave me the task of tying them to look intentional and elegant. It took me a long time to get both sides of the curtain to look the same, but I liked the way they turned out, and they were used in the play.