Internships

Lifeline internships are designed to provide students and young professionals with a fully-saturated experience working at a professional theatre. Our internships cover all areas of management and production, so that interns gain an understanding of what it takes to keep a theatre company running.

The benefits to the intern include working with a team of art enthusiasts who care deeply about producing quality work, arts education, and community involvement. We see our role as being an important part of the professional development of young artists and administrators interested in theatre as a vocation. The selection of assignments and projects within our various departments will vary depending on the quarter/semester of the internship; however, our goal is to provide interns with a well-rounded professional theatre experience.

In return the intern should bring essential skills to the internship that include but are not limited to:

• A strong interest in the arts
• Excellent people skills
• Comfortable interacting and communicating positively with theatre patrons
• Ability to handle stressful situations
• Ability to handle cash accurately
• Ability to multitask
• Excellent attention to detail
• Self motivated
• Excellent problem-solving abilities
• Strong organizational skills

Internships can be tailored to fit the scheduling needs of the intern but require a minimum of one two-hour front of house shift per weekend (or cumulative equivalent).

All of our internships are unpaid; however, interns do receive complimentary tickets to each production.

All internships take place at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago, IL 60626, in the Rogers Park neighborhood (CTA Morse Red Line stop).

To apply for an internship: send us an email letting us know what you would like to accomplish with your internship and why you want to work at Lifeline. Please attach your resume (both work and theatre, if you have them). We will review your submission and, if we feel that we have a match, we will contact you for an interview. Submissions should be sent to: hiring@lifelinetheatre.com.

The deadline for summer 2012 intern candidates is April 13th.

Majors: Drama, Business, Theatre Administration, Marketing

INTERNSHIP AREAS OF FOCUS
Interns will be given assignments and projects in all (or most) of the below departments throughout the course of their time at Lifeline Theatre. Exposure to certain departments will vary based on the quarter/semester the internship takes place and the individual goals and focus of the intern.

Theatre Operations
Interns will work closely with the Operations Manager to learn about general theatre operations, getting professional experience both back-stage and front-of-house. Duties may include box office sales, house management, concession sales, ushering, greeting patrons, assistant stage management, running crew, changeover crew, and light/sound board operation.

Interns will learn about:
How a professional theatre company works. Interns will learn box office software and good customer service skills: Handling transactions, reconciling daily transactions reports, providing information about Lifeline and the productions, handling the will-call window for patrons, managing audience subscriptions and other box office projects as needed. House managing will involve coordinating with the stage manager and box office associate to determine late seating, late seating any patrons who arrive after the curtain time, selling concessions, making sure the lobby and restrooms are in order and welcoming the audience. Day-to-day duties may also include filing, envelope-stuffing, re-organizing props, costumes and office storage., show laundry, cleaning, garbage removal and general production and theatre upkeep.

Theatre Administration
Interns will have the opportunity to work closely with the Managing Director on various theatre administration tasks, getting professional experience in theatre arts administration. Duties may include but are not limited to accounts payable, reconciliations, grant administration, reporting, database administration, budgeting, record-keeping, research and implementation of current best practices. Interns may be assigned to specific, larger ongoing projects, such as a capital campaign or event planning depending on availability, need and our assessment of the intern’s skills and affinities.

Interns will learn about:
How a professional theatre company operates as a business. Interns will gain specific insights into not-for-profit art making and learn how an organization like Lifeline reconciles the bottom line. They will observe and support the Managing Director and other staff members of the theatre and begin to understand and appreciate the business side of theatre.

Development
Interns will assist the Development Manager and staff in all aspects of fundraising for the Theatre. Responsibilities may include research on corporate, foundation, and individual prospects and assistance with special events. The intern will also assist with the maintenance of general donor correspondence and fundraising records.

Interns will learn about:
The various skill sets required for development and fundraising for a nonprofit organization with an annual budget of over $700K.

Marketing
Interns will work closely with the Marketing Director on various marketing tasks, getting professional experience in theatre arts marketing. Duties may include compiling market research necessary to keep abreast of industry and market trends, collecting and analyzing audience data for marketing and audience development purposes, writing copy for marketing materials, mining database to determine who will receive all email and snail mail efforts, and other duties as determined by the marketing director.

Interns will learn about:
How marketing serves as an essential function in a professional theatre company. They will observe and support the Marketing Director and other staff members of the theatre.

Casting
Depending on the timing of the internship with Lifeline’s season calendar, interns may work with the Casting Director to cast Lifeline’s season. Interns will assist with the scheduling and monitoring of auditions, respond to actor inquiries, maintain casting files and attend casting meetings.

Interns will learn about:
How the casting function works in a mid-sized professional theatre. Working with the Casting Director they will understand how the role interacts with the director and other members of the theatre.

Education
Interns will work closely with the Education Director on various projects related to Lifeline’s Education Programs. Depending on the timing of the internship and interests of the intern, the intern may also assist in classes during residencies or on-site programs. Duties may include active participation in classroom sessions, tabulating assessments from teachers and students, preparing study guides for teachers, helping to disseminate information about upcoming programs, doing photo documentation and classroom observation, and research of current best practices.

Interns will learn about:
The workings of the education arm of a theatre company. They will observe and support the Education Director and other staff members of the theatre. They will begin to learn and understand the role of Education and Outreach programs in a non-profit arts organization.

Production and Artistic
Depending on the timing of the internship in Lifeline’s season, there may be opportunities to observe and support professional actors, designers and stage managers with various artistic and production related aspects of the theatre. Interns are invited to observe rehearsals, readings, productions meetings and auditions. Interns may be asked to assist with painting projects. Design and technical interns may also have the opportunity to assist on construction or design for smaller projects.

All interested interns are invited to participate in an ongoing storytelling workshop/performance series led by Lifeline’s artistic director. Workshop sessions occur daytime on weekdays and weekends, performances are Monday evenings.

Interns will learn about:
How the various aspects of a production from script development to casting to production meetings to rehearsal operate and interact with each other.

Technical
The primary function of this discipline is to assist the Production Manager and Technical Director to build sets and maintain the shop and theatre. Time may be spent working in the scene shop on various projects, building, painting and striking sets, equipment and lighting maintenance, and building maintenance.

Interns will learn about:
Building, rigging, sets, lights and all technical aspects of theatre. They will observe and support a technical director and other technical professionals.

Days/hours available for interns to work: Weekday and weekend afternoons and evenings.