Sophia Menconi
Year: Class of 2020 (Rising Senior)
Major: Theatre & English (Creative Writing)
Internship Provider: Spooky Action Theater
Title: Artistic Directing Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.
What are you doing for your internship? What are some of your responsibilities?
This is a position created specifically for me, to provide hands-on experience in what it takes to operate and lead a small-scale professional theatre company. As the Artistic Directing Intern at Spooky Action I am responsible preparing for and monitoring auditions for the upcoming season, reading and evaluating script submissions for New Works In Action series, as well as assisting in the day to day operations of the theatre including coordinating marketing for the upcoming season and maintaining the costume and prop storage.
What do you like most about your internship so far? What has been your favorite part of the experience?
I have loved being able to work directly with professionals in my desired career path, without being treated like an intern. I am gaining valuable hands-on experience with the inner workings of a professional theatre company, as well as being allowed to work on creative projects with the support and advice of my supervisors. My work is treated as integral to the functioning of the company, and the respect my supervisors give me has provided me with further confidence to continue in this chosen career path.
Which skills have you learned or strengthened during your internship that you think will help when applying for jobs/graduate schools?
In receiving an inside look into the functions of an Artistic Director and Literary Manager for a small professional theatre company, I will be able to speak with accuracy and conviction toward the work that I want to be doing in the future. In working with a dynamic and young theatre company in Washington, D.C. I am able to connect with many different working professionals, as well as gaining insight into what it takes to create a theatrical season and find actors and technicians to flesh out that season.
How has your time and experience at Denison prepared you for this internship? How have you used your liberal arts education during your internship?
Through my varied experiences at Denison, working toward an interdisciplinary Theatre degree, I have been given tools to be able to succeed in most theatre work, and I know how to speak up and ask for guidance when I need it. The Theatre Department’s versatile teaching style has provided me with the tools I need to work across many different fields of theatre with ease. I feel that I am a well-rounded theatre artist, with Denison giving me experience in acting, directing, carpentry and design. Through what I have studied in my double major in English, I am able to write and speak with clarity and precision, a skill that is necessary for the fast-paced working environment of professional theatre.
