Steppenwolf Theatre Company Blog – Chicago Theater, World-Class Ensemble

Over the weekend, I attended a family wedding. Relative after relative inquired what I was doing this summer. “An internship,” I said. “I’m interning at a theater.” I wasn’t sure who of my extended family would understand how excited I am to be working at Steppenwolf for three months.

“Ugh,” one of my cousins said. “You work nine to five? That’s not fun, that’s a job!” There we were, on a beautiful beach, and all I could think was how many conversations and events I was missing out on back here at the administrative offices, how long I’d been away from my desk, how much I wanted to be back in this amazing environment.

I’ve learned more - about theater, writing, nonprofit work - at Steppenwolf in three weeks than I’ve learned in three years of college. Things that I was taught in theory have moved from the abstract to the practical: why read Endgame? Well, sure, it’s a fine example of mid-century existentialism, but also we were producing it and I needed to be on the same page as the people I work with. Why research the history of suburbia? It’s fascinating, yes… and our Artistic Department needs supplementary material in our program for the upcoming Detroit that premieres here in September. What I learn here as a matter of course is often more relevant to what I like to think about and do than the important but hands-off work of being an undergrad.

What do I do as the Literary Intern? I copy-edit blog entries like this one, maintain working copies of scripts in production, and research anything for anybody that asks. It’s ranged from the rules of golf to the care and keeping of parrots, and there’s always a great reason someone needs to know. Here, everything has an immediate application: it’s fast-paced, it’s tangible, and it’s fun. The rehearsal hall needs that information on bird-keeping now, because tomorrow a live parrot will be there with the actors. I’ll even get to visit her.

At the wedding this past weekend, no one needed much from me. The family got together; we swam and danced, but no one asked me for the history of resort vacations or the best ways to tan. Cousins and aunts may not have understood what makes my job so wonderful, but if you’ve read this far, you probably do. The minds that make Steppenwolf what it is are a privilege to be around, and helping out at a nonprofit theater company is a great way to spend a summer. I don’t even miss the beach.

This entry was posted by Hope Rehak on Friday, June 25th, 2010 at 5:33 am and is filed under Internship. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.