This year has provided my part of Southern California with a mild summer, a few heat waves, and the opportunity for this girl to learn what a career in theatre can look like. With my semester abroad just a week away ( I am flying out early to treat myself for all the hard work I put in this summer.) I find myself reflecting on what I have accomplished a these last few months since school got out and what I look forward to.
Living in Los Angeles County I qualified for the LA Arts Commission Summer Internship program. Which is open to 2 year college, 4 year university, and recent college graduates living in LA County. Meaning if you go to school in another city/county/state but live in LA during the summer you can intern! (I have a few people in my peer mentor group who fall under this category.)
I heard of my Internship from my academic advisor in the Theatre department at my school. So I applied thinking that the worse that could happen was a no, with the best being an internship (40 hours a week! AND the best part? it is PAID!) for 10 weeks. TLDR, I got it! I am the Education Outreach Intern for Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, California.
Never having worked for an actual, not on campus, theatre company I didn’t know what to expect. Much less for an education position, I had no idea what I was in for. However, as I sit writing this, mid week 9, I find myself thinking at how fast this whole thing went. 10 weeks seems like forever to wait for something, a concert, a film, opening night, what have you. But the actual time flashes by in the blink of an eye. So, what have I learned? What skills have I acquired that may help me in my career goals?
I have learned that working for a non-profit can be much rewarding than I thought. During my time as the Education Outreach intern I established connections in the local community to bring children to our production of The Little Mermaid. It was so heartwarming seeing how excited these kids got to see their favorite characters on stage and get their autographs afterward.
I also toured a musical about the early days of aviation called, Pioneers of Flight. We took this show to the Long Beach libraries, then various parks. Each day was two new venues and the challenges that come with that. Some days it was space, others it was technical issues. But in all, it was a learning experience that taught me valuable problem solving skills and how to appreciate the small victories at the end of the day. My favourite part was getting out of the office for two weeks and enjoying the summer sun.
As I get ready to fly to the UK, I look back at all this and feel really proud of all I was able to accomplish this summer and look forward to banging out this fall semester in Stirling.
Until next time.
Isaias Dassum 