Internships
Internships at Piven Theatre Workshop are designed for college students and young professionals looking to grow and develop their skills in arts administration. Interns will gain exposure and experience in arts management as a whole, with a focus on their chosen or assigned department. Professional theatre internships are currently available in the following focus areas: Audience Services/Audience Development, Development and Events, Education, Marketing, and Production. Interns will be fully integrated into the daily work at Piven, and will be mentored by a member of the Piven Staff.
Currently, these theatre internships are unpaid and we are unable to provide travel compensation. However, in addition to personal mentorship and a full-picture approach to intern development, interns may receive college credit, one class voucher and two tickets to a production in the school year in which the internship occurs. Piven Theatre Workshop is located in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, and is easily accessible via the CTA Purple line Noyes stop.
Requirements for Piven Interns
- Possesses a basic understanding of arts administration, and a basic understanding of the function of each department.
- Proficient in MS Office and intermediate computer skills.
- Has a driven, positive attitude, is self-sufficient, a fast learner, and has excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
- Possesses a passion for the arts, and is preferably pursuing or has pursued theatre as an area of study.
- Availability of 10-15 hours per week
- Access to a car a plus – Piven-related travel can be reimbursed (not day to day, but specific job-related trips)
- Other requirements as outlined by the specific intern focus description.
Application Requirements
- Application Form
- Professional Resume
- Cover Letter
- Short (one page or less) writing sample for interns wishing to focus on Development/Events, Audience Services/Audience Development, and Marketing
Intern Focus Descriptions
Audience Services/Audience Development
At the intersection of marketing and production, audience services interns will learn how to research audience-building avenues, manage patron relationships, and the ins and outs of ticket sales and inventory management in our database. With a possibility to train with our Front of House manager, this internship requires a people-friendly outlook and a desire to connect with new potential audiences.
Development/Gala
Development is crucial for any non-profit. Our Development intern will work with the Development Director and Marketing and Development coordinator too maintain and update our donor database, research corporate and foundation funding sources, research grant opportunities, help draft request materials and other development-aimed outreach materials. During Fall semester, this internship will culminate in the creation and distribution of our annual fund campaign. During Spring semester, this internship will culminate in our annual Gala in the beginning of May. Interns wishing to focus on this area should have excellent computer skills, and should be comfortable dealing with large amounts of data.
School Administration
Interns in the school administration track will focus on the wider scope of our school –analyzing student trend data, scheduling future classes, handling written materials, and working closely with our School Administrator to maintain and develop our education strategy. They will also deal with the day to day work of our school – handling student registration, talking to parents and prospective students about our classes, keeping teachers updated about student activity, and working with the Marketing intern to keep our public presence active and updated.
Marketing
Maintain and develop our social media outlets, research new marketing avenues, implement assigned sections of Piven’s internal marketing plan, and organize marketing material distribution. Will work closely with the school and audience services staff/interns to create and execute event-specific marketing strategy.
Production
Interns who choose a Production focus can choose to either have a semester-long internship or a Production-specific internship. For a semester-long internship, they will work closely with our Production Coordinator to keep work in our professional theatre moving smoothly by: maintaining our inventory of props, costumes, and set pieces, developing our space rental programs, and coordinating administrative production needs. For a Production-specific internship, the intern will be present in the rehearsal room, and may fill in any number of roles as needed, at the direction of the Stage Manager or Producer.