Behind the Curtain: Theatre Internships

Every great performance begins long before the lights rise. For students pursuing theatre, internships open the door to real-world creativity, mentorship, and the magic of live production. In this article, we dive into the experiences, challenges, and opportunities that help young artists grow behind the scenes.

For students pursuing a career in theatre, internships are one of the most important steps they can take toward building their skills and discovering where they belong in the theatre world. Whether one is interested in directing, stage managing, performing, or working behind the scenes, hands-on experience is crucial, and most of the time, the best way to get it is through summer internships. Two Olivet students, Marina Prather and Sydney Lang, show how these opportunities can shape a future in theatre in ways a classroom never could.

Marina’s Story

Marina Prather landed her theatre internship during the summer between her sophomore and junior year, but it didn’t happen overnight. She spent weeks searching through Handshake, Indeed, and dozens of Google searches. After working through countless postings, she found an opportunity at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre in Massachusetts. On a last-minute instinct, she applied, never expecting it would turn into the experience it would be.

At the end of her sophomore year, Prather packed up her life and moved sixteen hours away from home to work from May through August. From the moment she arrived, she was thrown straight into the heart of production work. In her very first week, she was pulled into tech for a show she knew nothing about, and that fast-paced introduction became a defining moment. Throughout the summer, she worked on sets, props, and backstage tasks for four different theatrical productions. She wasn’t just observing, she was participating, problem-solving, and learning with every rehearsal and performance. That internship not only strengthened her technical abilities, but also built her confidence and her understanding of how professional theatre operates.

Sydney’s Story

Sydney Lang’s story shows another side of how theatre internships can shape a student’s future. She found her opportunity at BAM Theatre in Chicago through a social media post about internships. What started as a summer internship turned into two consecutive summers, and ultimately, a long-term job.

At BAM, Lang has done a little bit of everything. She teaches youth theatre, works as an assistant director, and has gained hands-on experience in lighting, sound, and other technical areas. She has worked backstage, created props, learned stage management, choreographed for shows, and contributed to almost every part of making a musical come to life. Each summer she added new skills to her toolkit, and that experience led BAM to hire her beyond the internship. Her story is a testament to how theatre internships can open unexpected doors, and sometimes even lead directly to employment. Lang now works at BAM as an on-call worker for live theatrical performances. For more about live event opportunities, read an article about the CMC program here.

For prospective theatre students, Prather and Lang’s experiences highlight an important truth: there are a variety of internship opportunities out there. It takes time and persistence to find them: searching job websites, checking theatre websites, following organizations on social media, and sending applications even when one might think it’s too late. Sometimes, like in Prather’s case, the right opportunity pops up during a late-night Google search. Other times, like for Lang, it appears in the form of a simple Instagram post.

While not all theatre internships come with high pay or glamorous positions, the experience they offer is invaluable. The backstage work, the mentorship, the creative environment, and the chance to try new roles all help shape a more well-rounded theatre artist. And in some cases, the connections may lead directly to future job opportunities.