Update on Interview

I did not get the lighting design job I interviewed with Active Cultures for. Instead I will be assistant sound designing Photograph 51 at Theater J for Veronika, which is awesome.

Also - I've been in tech for Scorched (I am ALD). It goes into previews tonight and press opening is Saturday. I'll write a post soon about how that was, what I did, etc. It's an unpaid position and I've been commuting 30 minutes to it so that's rough, but I've learned an incredible amount. Details later.

A little bit of details: First, this was a relatively light assistantship. The theatre is medium sized one with a smaller budget. I attended all production meeting that I could, design runs, and techs/previews. I created a detailed scene chart. I helped with hang and focus as an electrician. I did not do anything with paperwork because I no longer have student versions of the programs. I programmed (Theatre II board again! Hooray) during rehearsals where the TD was not available to program. The designer Brian always explained things he was doing that I could learn from like splitting cues into parts, some new effect stuff, the awesomeness of an inhibitive sub, blocking cues, etc. It was also my first time programming I-Cues which was cool. Additionally as an assistant I kept track of the Q List and I-Cue track sheets. That was my primary responsibility during tech. I am currently in charge of reading the performance reports and maintaining the show if anything happens. Overall - really great experience. Brian is awesome to work with and super talented. Too bad he moved to Seattle opening day.

Over hire Galore!

Being on over hire lists is great.

BUT a lot of over hire requires that you don't have a day job. Hangs, Focuses, and even tech rehearsals for the bigger theatres (aka ones that pay) are all during the day.

I was part of a mass email to an over hire list at Arena Stage looking for a Follow Spot Op. I got on their list by emailing the ME my resume. He never replied to say he had received it, just added me to the list. I have not done a call there yet.

I showed interested, the ME called me. It's for Oklahoma - yes, again.

The production has a tech period of about a week (it's an 'indefinite' tech period or something. They haven't decided when they will officially call it previews.) Tech rehearsals are during the day. My employer lets me take off a couple of days a month to do over hire theatre work, but I can't do weeks on end - that's silly.

So when he called me I told him that, even though I was extremely interested, I had a day job and couldn't take off that many successive days in a row. He agreed and said it's pretty much only possible for someone without a day job. Damn, I hear they pay well too.

Anyway, we finish the conversation by him asking me to send him some dates I'm free to come in and check out the space so we can meet. Cool. This was all yesterday.

This morning I got an email from the PSM at Round House Theatre (in Bethesda; there are two) saying she had gotten my email from Round House's ME (Master Electrician). I had worked a call with them in August.

She sent me the calendar for a touring production that was coming that they needed a Follow Spot Op for. I told her I had a day job so I could probably take off for the 3 matinees, but could not take off for the day time rehearsals during tech. She said if I could do the matinees they could accommodate those 2 tech rehearsals. Pay is $10/hr.

Cool.

Don't get Discouraged?

I've been talking about how I received opportunities and it seems like I've received a lot (and I have).

But I want to reiterate.

A lot of emails are never answered.

Getting into Sound Design

Hi Annie!

So as anyone who has been reading knows, I am currently light board oping for Something You Did at Theater J.

Board oping is cool because you get paid AND you meet lots of people. Well you meet them if you try. As a board op it's really easy to be closed off and not meet anyone. I never met most of the cast though I was friendly to them in passing.

BUT i knew the stage manager (that's how I got the job in fact) and he invited me out during meal breaks. Always say yes. And you can write the meal off your taxes! Well, half of it I think. Hooray!

First tech i went to lunch with Eleanor, the director, Roy (the SM) and the sound designer Veronika. I liked Veronika; she was smart and laid back. Additionally, I had heard of her before. She has been nominated for at least one Helen Hayes and is a pretty sought after designer. The people I've met so far speak really highly of her.

So we get into tech and the sound design for that show is brilliant. She's really good.

I went out for drinks with the her and Roy after one of the previews. I do a lot less talking these days and a lot more absorbing.

After one of the previews I mentioned to her that I would love to assist her on a show, but I have NO experience in sound whatsoever. I know nothing about it. She said she'd love for me to assist her and started rattling off all the projects she has coming up I could potentially work on. She mentioned one in particular that she'd like an assistant on because she's composing and designing it. I reiterated that I knew nothing about sound. She said that I was smart (how does she know? I don't know) and eager and that was what mattered. Cool.

I think sound is fascinating. I am not, by any means, trying to become a sound designer. I've always tried to be well-rounded though, and to understand this art from all the aspects I can. Sound and lights are the aspects that aren't tangible. They can make or break a show, but it's not always clear how or why. And sound just kind of blows my mind. I don't understand it. I want to. I think it will make me a better lighting designer and director and everything.

I also think it's important to work with good passionate people. It's like in college when you should take gen-eds based on the professor instead of the subject. Learn things from someone who love it, especially if they're awesome at it too. And it never hurts to network. Or try new things. All good.

Anyway. So she emailed me after opening to say that we should get drinks sometime. I replied to say that I was serious about wanting to assist her and yes, drinks. She said we'd chat about it over drinks.

So we met for drinks. I adore her. We chatted for 3 hours. We talked about the shows - she said I could assist her on whatever I wanted that she was working on. She explained why I might like certain projects (one has a really well known director, another an awesome lighting designer, another is a sound heavy project.)

We talked about a lot of stuff. Lots of DC theatre stuff, people I should meet, etc. She also offered to take me up to meet with SITI Company and see the project they're working on. AND she said I should come with her to the Prague Quadrennial this summer. She'll house me, I just have to get there.

I plan on assisting her on the project in the spring that she's designing and composing (Photograph 51 at Theater J).

So I'm assisting a sound designer

Hooray

Networking/begging in my free time

My day today has been like this:

9-12 Helping with hang and focus at Forum as ALD for Scorched. I will be there for focus and color 8-12 tomorrow. This is in Maryland.

1-5 Day job in Arlington. Virginia.

6-9 Dimmer check and board oping for Something You Did at Theater J. DC.

9ish drinks with the sound designer of Something You Did to talk about me assisting her on an upcoming project.

And when I get home I need to spend 4 hours "working from home" writing articles as part 2 of my day job.

So when i DO have free time I usually do something that doesn't require so much energy. I have a new obsession with Netflix.

And sometimes I look for new projects to get involved in. How?

A really awesome asset for designers/technicians/stage managers/sometimes directors is the yahoo group DC TheaterTech. Companies post

So sometimes I reply to those.

I also play my clicking game a lot. I pick someone I've heard a lot about and look up companies they've worked with or people that have assisted them that I could assist to work my way up to them. Then I send lots of emails.

Emails I sent last night:

I emailed 2 smaller companies in the area looking for lighting designers for spring productions. These jobs were posted on the yahoo group.

I emailed a company that Amanda (who I graduated with) is currently acting with. When I looked at this website they were looking for technicians, but I also sent my design resume.

I emailed the artistic director of one of the companies I sent my resume to, because I know she knows Jeremy and I'm also very interested in working with their company in whatever capacity. I offered to buy her coffee to chat.

I emailed the director of the show I am board opping for and let her know I'd love to assist her on any upcoming projects.

I emailed a girl who has been doing a lot of great work in Children's Theatre. I don't remember how I found out about her, but she is currently working on developing a new piece with young people so I was excited about that. She emailed me back and said she was interested in my work too (I had included a link to my website, but hadn't pushed it) and we should meet up for coffee. Hooray!

For anything that was an application for a particular position (the design jobs) I always attach my resume AND a specifically written cover letter with a link to my portfolio. I never attach images or anything larger than my resume.

For people I want to get involved with (the artistic director email, etc) I never send a resume in order to be clear that I am generally interested in speaking with them over coffee, I'm not just looking for a job. I don't write a cover letter, I just write a concise specific email with a link to my website if they're interested in checking it out.

So I spend a lot of time emailing new people and companies that I'm excited about. My emails are always very specific. I don't reuse cover letters, outside of select paragraphs sometimes.

What an exciting life I lead.

Bu if anything comes from any of it - it will be exciting indeed.

This Week's News

So I have a list of the people in this city I want to assist most. Aaron Posner is at the top of the list (of Directors). Look him up, he's really great.

I met him briefly at New Jerusalem's opening party... where I introduced myself (with prodding from Roy). Introducing yourself may be a better call than having someone else do it sometimes? Maybe? As long as someone you know drops the person a line letting them know you aren't really a crazy stalker.

Anyway, we had a brief conversation about New Jerusalem and about his current (then) project, Vibrator Play at Woolly. I didn't mention anything about wanting to work for or with him.

I looked him up. He was doing the next two shows at Folger Theatre (which by the way pays their ADs - not many places do that).

I sent my resume to Folger, with a short email that stated my interest in the company, their season, and casually mentioned that I had just assisted Jeremy.

They called me in for an interview. I had to bring the boy I nanny because it was during the day. Beth, the Assistant Artistic Producer, talked to me a little bit about my time in DC so far and my resume. I brought my resume even though I had already emailed it to her - good thing. She let the boy I nanny sit on the floor and watch Richard Scary. She was so sweet.

I sent a follow up email thanking her for her time.

I also sent Aaron an email telling him I had interviewed and was very interested in assisting him. He didn't reply.

Don't get discouraged when people don't reply. For all the small successes on this page there were a billion unanswered applications and emails.

Beth sent me a reply a few days later to set up a time for me to interview with Aaron Posner.

I told Jeremy. He said he'd call Aaron as a reference. They're worked together before and are good friends. AKA how networking is awesome.

I met with Aaron on August 10th (sans little boy this time). I really loved chatting with him, but was pretty sure that I wasn't going to get a position because he uses his assistants heavily and I'm young. Some directors treat assistants as more of observers and some use them heavily in the rehearsal room. It mostly depends on the project and the director.

Also - although he had not replied to my email he had noted at the top of his copy of my resume that I had emailed him.

I sent him a follow up email thanking him for his time

I did not hear back.

Monday (September 13 - one month after the interview) the General Manager at Folger offered me a position: Assistant to the Director for Cyrano. I almost died on the phone.

Things Take Time

Bigger theatres rehearse during the day, smaller theatres (where most people have day jobs) rehearse in the evenings. Folger rehearses during the day. That would mean taking an entire month off of nannying. I was scared to ask. That was a ridiculous proposition.

The next day I dropped the bomb in an email so she could process it and told her I'd love to talk to her about it in person the next day when we had already planned a meeting. At then end of our meeting she added "and we'll make April work."

There are so many good people in the world. So many.

Interview Today

I'm finally caught up.

Those are all the big things I did this summer.

So let's talk about this week. What's happening now.

I'm in shows for Something You Did (pushing Go) and tech for Scorched starts in a week and a half (I think).

I get to go home/to Harrisonburg to visit in 2 weeks. I'm excited about that. I happen to have off of the two shows and my day job for a day. It's spectacular.

I'm not desperate for work. I like my day job and I'm getting settled into DC. I don't feel like I need to go around and beg for work. I don't have a full season set up, but I'm still looking. I'm not sure I need a full season my first year.

Today's Interview

Today (literally 2 hours ago) I had an interview for a lighting design position with a small company producing a new play. I was very surprised they called me to interview at all since I'm straight out of college. They liked that I had worked in a space with limited resources (Theatre II) in which I was forced to be inventive. They are a low budget company with an environmental space and limited inventory.

AKA how Theatre II made me more marketable.

We'll see if they call me :-p

References:

I wanted to put someone on my resume as a reference who was local (DC Theatre scene) and not part of my JMU life (aka didn't have a JMU professor email address). I have lots of people that I've worked with so far that can attest to my work ethic, but no one has worked with me a designer.

I then realized Michael Dove came to see bobrauschenbergamerica at JMU so not only could he attest to my work ethic (volunteer marketing, helloo), but he had seen something I designed. Turns out that was a good move, since his girlfriend is on their board.

Pay Back: My first "independent contractor" job

Roy (SM from New Jerusalem) recommended me as a light board op. for the next show he was SMing at Theater J. Delia, the PM, contact me and offered me a programming/board op. job for Something You Did, which is currently running at the J.

I guess they decided to find a job they could pay me to do since I volunteered on New Jerusalem. I should mention that Delia asked me to make an invoice of about $100 in travel expenses for the show and reimbursed me for that. Jeremy also paid for all my meals and drinks when I was his assistant so it's not COMPLETELY unpaid to assist if you're assisting good people.

Programming (hitting the buttons the LD tells you to) on the light board pays $17/hr and Theater J has the same light board as Theatre II did. I was rusty, which was frustrating, but Jason Arnold, the LD, was patient. I am currently running the board for the show (pushing Go..) and being paid $35/performance which isn't bad since the performances are at night so I can still maintain my day job.

There's all kind of pay back you get (from the cosmos or directly from people) for working for free in this business. At least there has been for me because I've been lucky enough to work for good people.

I need to write a post later about how to deal with the taxes part of being an independent contractor.

Forum Theatre: How I Got Involved at a Company

Michael Dove (artistic director Forum Theatre, JMU alum, director of Angels in America: Perestroika) and I set up a meeting to chat about how I could get involved at Forum soon after New Jerusalem (obviously I only italicize sometimes...) opened.

We talked about how I was interested in new work, design, directing, blahty blah blah.

He talked about all the new things Forum is doing this season and the several(!!) ways I could get involved. He wanted me involved in their new work development program, staged reading series, and marketing for the membership program. He also said I should think about which shows I might want to assist on. He invited me to their company meeting that weekend. I was pumped.

I created a flyer marketing the membership program to JMU students (to start off) the next night and started emailing. And not because I wanted to get in with Forum, but because I genuinely think their membership program is a brilliant opportunity for college students.

I met several company members at the meeting and introduced myself.

I went on the company weekend retreat, which was perfect.

And now I'm marketing my little heart out. And I love it. I'm working as a volunteer, which is fine with me because I like the work and I'm new. Everyone keeps telling me to be careful about volunteering and working for free and I am very aware of that advice. I am being careful, but I'm also okay doing it for now.

I got a comp ticket to Vibrator Play from Forum's Managing Director. Volunteering pays off :-p

I am also the assistant lighting designer for their next production: Scorched, which I am so excited about. Brian Engel, the lighting designer, is great and the script is powerful.

Woo. Caught up.

How I Got Electrics Calls

Getting Over hire Electrics work was pretty easy.

I volunteered at the focus for New Jerusalem and met 3 really great electricians. I did basically nothing at the call. I was eager and helped when I could lend a hand, but there wasn't much for me to do. At the end of the call they all sat down with their phones and and computers and gave me the contact information for (I think) 9 of the local Master Electricians.

I emailed each of the Master Electricians with a sentence of interest in their theatre, name dropped the people who gave me their contact information, and attached my resume.

Many replied thanking me for the email, some never replied, some just sent calls my way. I've been offered over 20 electrics calls at Olney, Shakespeare, Signature, Roundhouse, and Theater J. I just heard back from Imagination Stage yesterday. I've worked a call at Roundhouse, one at Olney, and one at Shakespeare. Allison sometimes lets me off from nannying to take a call, which is great and the only way I've been able to do it.

So just ask.

And volunteering isn't always bad. Just don't do it too much.

I volunteered that one call and now I've had a bunch of calls for $15/hr calls as a newbie. I'd say it paid off.

I also watch listservs. There is a yahoo group specifically for people to post technical theatre needs. Calls for overhire, designers, etc all pop up on there. I've replied to a few of those too.

New Jerusalem: How I got my first theatre job.

As I said in "Why DC" APO organized a trip to see both part of Angels in America at Forum Theatre in DC. Michael, the artistic director, had directed Perestroika, but Millenium had been directed by a different director, Jeremy Skidmore. I was particularly struck by the direction of Millenium. I looked Jeremy up, found his website, and then emailed Michael.

I told Michael that I really enjoyed Angels, was pretty sold on DC, and would love to get involved at Forum in any way possible. I also asked if he could put me in contact with Jeremy because I had seen on his website he was doing more work in the area and he may need an assistant or let me observe. This was November 24.

Michael replied on March 11. He said I could send him my information to apply for their internship at Forum if I was interested. If I wasn't interested, but was going to be in DC I should let him know how he could help. And he forwarded my email to Jeremy.

Jeremy sent me an email looking for an AD on a project at Theater J in May. He suggested we meet and "see if we were a good fit."

We had lunch April 6.

He was great.

David Ives is the author of the play and since this was the second production of the play (the first outside NYC) he would be coming to first read and first preview.

I blabbed about my interest in devising.

When lunch was over he told me he had to talk to a few other people and then he'd let me know either way.

I forgot it was an interview, because he said we were meeting to chat and I freaked out because I hadn't really sold myself.

I sent him a thank you email and blathered on about how I was actually qualified for the position.

He did not reply.

On May 1st I didn't know what to do because I had other offers that wanted to know my decision. For some reason I was really set on this unpaid AD position though and I hadn't heard from Jeremy. I emailed him telling him I had another offer, but would rather assist him so did he know when he will have made his decision. He offered it to me 4 hours later.

So ask. Ask. Ask again. But be kind.

The first rehearsal was May 25.

New Jerusalem being my first professional theatre experience was the best thing that could have ever happened. It was a team of extremely talented and gracious people. There was not an ego in the room and everyone involved could have understandably had one the height of the pews onstage. I learned about technical directing things like shaping, but more I learned that it's important to protect the people you work with. At school professors (and so, students) in production meetings would constantly cut at each other, subtly or overtly, and I figured that was just a byproduct of the 'insecurities' of being a theatre person. Not true. People can be good to each other, even in this business, and it's really perfect.

More on New Jerusalem lessons later... I'm half starting a bunch of posts apparently.

Meeting New People Like It's My Job

I'm trying to catch up my entire theatre summer here in chunks of blogs so I've just churning out a lot of them and not really filling them out all the way. Here's the most summarized yet.

So basically: meeting people is our job - in case you didn't know yet.

First I met the entire cast and crew of New Jerusalem. Phenomenal people. Phenomenal connections. I went out with them for drinks or meals whenever they all went out. Never decline social time. It's completely exhausting to always be socializing with people I want to impress, but it's also rewarding. We often met up with other people when we went out. "Going out after work" was how I met the artistic directors of Signature Theatre and Open Circle Theatre, Aaron Posner, and a bunch of other really great people.

The Stage Manager, Roy, who is also JMU alum, is the Executive Director of Artists' Bloc, of which I am now a member. He told me about some performance they were doing in rehearsal, I went, loved their mission, and became a member of the organization. Check them out. I met, and am meeting, people by being part of that organization.

Jeremy (the director I was assisting) had meals with me regularly (well, after we hit about the half way mark in rehearsals) and we talked about the show and about everything else. Whenever we talked about my interests he would suggest people I needed to meet or theatres I'd really like. Mostly, people you meet will have suggestions for other people you should meet. People are eager to help newbies who are eager to learn and hungry for work. Jeremy said it best when he talked about being hungry enough, but not desperate. People know the difference when they talk to you. Desperate is not attractive. Neither are ulterior motives. I genuinely want to learn from all of these people, I don't want to overtake their jobs or use them as a stepping stone. They can tell.

Emily knew a lighting designer in town named Martha Mountain. I emailed her and she met me at the J after a New Jerusalem rehearsal and we went out for coffee. It was lovely. She shared her experiences, we talking about the kind of work we liked to do, and she gave me names and contact information of a bunch of people she thought I should meet. Maybe I'll assist her someday.

I emailed all of Martha's people. I heard back from a company devising a new piece and they invited me to sit in on a rehearsal or two. A large amount of people didn't reply.

Then I started making a list of people I wanted to meet or work with, either based on research or just from hearing about them from other people.

I emailed several people on the list or general theatres on the list. I mentioned I was working with Jeremy and specified a reason I really liked their company and wanted to be involved. I've gotten a few "coffee dates" and interviews from that, but not everyone replied.

Oh and I met David Ives.

My First Month: The Practical Side

Having chosen my first job (see "Senior") and the city I wanted to stay in (see "Why DC") I was set.

Oh wait. I needed a REAL job.

I chose not to live with my parents the summer after graduating. I think this is uncommon, and if I could have lived with my family for a little while I think I would have. There is nothing wrong with this option. My parents just live in a town with absolutely nothing to do. Well, besides eat, which I like. But nothing else.

So I was set on getting out of there. I am lucky to have a family that supported me in that and even helped me pay off my Harrisonburg rent as a moving away gift.

I moved into Ali's (we graduated together) guest room in the basement. I was allergic to her two cats so sometimes I was really miserable, but I cannot put into words how much I appreciate them letting me stay. I suffocated in her house and was grateful for every second of it.

Even living rent free (Thank you thank you thank you) I needed a job. I couldn't stay at the Hoxie House forever and I needed to start saving up money. Besides: theatre people go out for drinks a lot after rehearsals and if you want to network - you better go.

So before I graduated I became part of a site called care.com in which you can search for childcare jobs in a specific area. I've worked with kids all of my life and knew it was an area that paid and could support my theatre habit. I sent out of a bunch of messages. Lots of people replied (triple that number didn't reply) and I ended up with an interview for a nanny position for one boy, 3 years old, for $13/hr.

So I moved to DC a week early to start my life as a nanny.

The assistant director position started a week after that and we rehearsed predominantly in the day time.

The lady I nannied for had accepted me as her nanny anyway and let me have that whole first month off and I came back to be her nanny when the show went into previews.

I am a lucky girl.

Why I Chose DC and how I began to network

I had a lot of preconceived notions about DC that made me never want to live there. We always went there on school trips and only saw the government side or the monuments with a bunch of tourists. I thought it was a stuffy city and it's theatre would be the same. Silly, silly girl. I should also mention that JMU was my last choice for schools and I went because it was in state tuition... I often end up right where I belong I suppose.

I saw Angels in America

APO organized a trip to see both parts of Angels in America at Forum Theatre. The theatre's artistic director is an alumni of our school so we were going to have dinner with him between the two parts. Dinner with Michael was plus one for DC - he sold it like a champ.

The show was beautiful. Everything about it. It was my first taste of DC theatre outside of Shakespeare and I was riveted. Michael had directed Perestroika, but Millenium had been directed by a different director, Jeremy Skidmore. I was struck particularly by Millenium's shape and dynamic, but subtle staging. I looked up Skidmore. (See the New Jerusalem post...)

I met Randy Baker who is an Artistic Director at Rorschach Theatre in DC.

He came to JMU for a reading we did of a few of his shorter plays. I asked Blair if I could direct some of them. We had a few hours to put it together and Randy observed our rehearsals. I didn't do much directing, but tried to help out as I could.

Randy emailed me the day following the readings, complimenting my work (what?!) and said to let him know if I was thinking about DC and if there was anything he could do to jump start my career here. I was blown away and told him I'd love to get involved at Rorschach. I also asked him if he had any suggestions for shows going on in DC that were "must sees." He recommended Full Circle at Woolly Mammoth.

I saw shows at Woolly Mammoth

Full Circle was brilliant. Defy Convention is the company's motto and that's exactly what they did. I was floored. I went back for another production before I graduated. They are still one of my favorite companies in the city.

This is how I chose DC. I have so many more reason why I love it now that I'm here and I'll add those later. I chose it as a stepping ground to NYC. Now I think I'll be here awhile.

Senior Year: "Whatever you choose will be wrong so just choose one" Bill Buck

The options I knew I had after graduating:

-Summer stock

-Graduate school

-A show internship

-A season internship

-A job?!

-Moving home and saving money before moving to a city

-Moving to a city I liked and figuring it out when I got there.

I immediately ruled out grad school because I knew I couldn't do any more school soon after graduating. If I attended grad school it would be later. I didn't rule out any of the other options.

What I did:

First I created a website that I could constantly reference in emails, applications, etc. It has resumes, portfolios with pictures, and an idea of what kind of work I am interested in. I created it with weebly which is free and really easy to use. I didn't pay to make the website. i did however buy my domain name so that it wouldn't have weebly in the website address. www.stephaniepfreed.com.

Then I decided I would be an au pair in London and spend my free time seeing theatre and meeting people.

Then I nixed that idea.

I created an excel document exploring all of my options. Let me clarify for those of you who have never spoken to me - I am incredibly neurotic. I like spreadsheets and lists, tabbies, color coding, and all that jazz. An excel document isn't necessary to apply for jobs. It was for me.

A project Kate had me do as part of an independent study junior year was to explore and keep track of directing options I had after I graduated. (Thank you Kate!) so that document was my base. The fact that I had something to start off of was very helpful so all throughout college always keep your eyes peeled and bookmark things or add them to a document. Don't freak out - I'm not saying you should be searching for jobs starting your junior year. Just keep a casual list of things that interest you.

The excel document ended up having 50 jobs in it. I found jobs in all kinds of ways. I basically sat on the internet and clicked a lot. (It was a great way to avoid doing homework). First I would search for things I was interested in, like "Directing Internship" etc. Then I would just keep clicking. If I really liked a theatre I would click on other theatres their artistic director had worked at and look at their opportunities. I looked up people I liked, thought were talented, respected and clicked on theatres or opportunities from there. Basically. Everything.

I submitted applications for 24 different things. It was like being in college again: cover letters, resumes, references, sometimes recommendations. I submitted applications for a variety of opportunities in a variety of locations because after graduation I just wanted to do theatre and keep learning. I didn't have a specific goal in mind. I didn't want to limit my options. I plan on doing theatre forever. I don't need to achieve my top life goal right after graduation. Take your time.

I applied for several season internships/apprenticeships/fellowships in Education, Artistic areas, Directing, and Electrics/Lighting.

I applied for a few kid's theatre summer camps as a counselor and/or teacher.

I also sent letters of interest to a few theatre companies in DC and NYC that I really liked simply telling them I was graduating and would love to get involved in their work in whatever way.

At the last minute I decided I wanted to apply for Summerstock electrics work, simply to get out of the area.

I submitted applications starting in the fall of my senior year all the way through April - deadlines varied. A lot of them were in January or March.

Waiting... Response?

Some companies never even responded to my application.

Some responded with generic "filled position" messages.

Some let me know I was being too ambitious by offering my lesser positions at their company.

Some interviewed me.

A few offered me a position.

I also spent the time I was applying for jobs networking in DC, which had caught my attention as an interesting theatre scene. (See the Why DC? post that I will write eventually.)

In the end I had a couple of options that I was actually considering.

1. I could be a counselor at a big Children's Theatre in NC.

2. I could pay to be an electrics intern at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

3. I could accept a paid electrics position in New Jersey.

4. I could accept a summer or season long unpaid directing internship in NYC.

5. I could Assistant Direct for Jeremy Skidmore unpaid in DC (How did I get this? See New Jerusalem post I will eventually write).

6. Go to USITT and fight for a summerstock electrics position

I decided that I wanted to live in DC so it made sense for me to just go there right after graduating and start networking so I threw all my paid opportunities to the wind (with gracious emails or phone calls of course) and accepted my assistantship in DC.

I made this decision on May 1st.

Graduated on May 8th

My College Lessons

Things I did that I benefited from doing in college:

-Took advantage of working with a guest director/designer. If one comes - do it, no matter in what capacity, no matter the experience of the director/designer. Work with as many different people as you can.

-Assisted Bill Buck. He's a completely different designer than Emily. Neither of them are wrong or right, but mixing their methods (as well as Liz Coco's) helped me get through bobrauschenbergameria and create my own way of working.

-Constantly challenged myself. I chose projects I didn't think I could do. 49? Yeah, right. And then did them.

-Worked with people I respected. I was picky about the things I was involved in - I didn't say yes to everything.

-Assisted designers (particularly a fellow student). I learned so much. Assisting is one of the best things I think you can do. ever.

-Devised new work.

Things I wish I did More of:

-Saw more theatre. I started making some trips up to DC my senior year to see some theatre and it changed my perspective a lot. I had spent too much time just doing theatre in my own little JMU box. Yes, it's important to do theatre and we learn by doing. We learn by seeing as well. We better ourselves by being challenged by other people's work. This is why I am so pumped about Forum's membership program for college students. It allows us to not only see professional theatre, but see the professional process and that's so important. And I'm being blown away by how many people are hesitant because they're too busy. If you want to be a professional theatre person (in whatever capacity) you have to see theatre. The end.

-Assisted directors. Yes, we learn a lot about by doing and messing up and figuring it out (the Theatre II model) but we also learn by observing. I've assisted twice now, both pretty brilliant directors, and have learned an incredible amount about directing. You can't teach directing. Especially not out of a book. You learn by meshing other people's methods with your own. You learn by not only observing, but assisting, in the process of experienced and diverse directors.

ADDITIONALLY you most likely will not be given senior year opportunities when you graduate. You will be assisting and interning and to someone who would hire you as an assistant they care less about how brilliant your pictures are and how many shows you've designed and more about how you work with people, which they will find out by calling people you've assisted or seeing that you've assisted the same person more than once. Directors/designers/etc want people that have assisted before to assist them.

-Went to more of the workshops JMU offered, even ones that didn't pertain to my particular interests.

-Spent time on activities outside of the theatre community, went to football games, met new people that didn't do theatre, went hiking.

I'll keep adding to both of these list.

Introduction, Purpose, and Welcome

I started a personal blog and then realized that maybe, as a recent college graduate, I could start a blog that would be helpful to college students graduating with a theatre major in the near (or not so near) future.

I am not proclaiming to be successful yet. I have a day job as a nanny, I am not doing theatre full time by any means. I've gotten a lot of 'no's and no answers.

BUT I did just jump right into a new city two weeks after graduating and have been working, sometimes unpaid, sometimes paid (gasp!) in theatre. I won't be giving advice per se, I will just be detailing what I've done/am doing, how I've gotten the opportunities I've gotten, how I've networked, and some of the things I've learned.

And hopefully I can get some guest bloggers who have been successful already, or in different ways, in here to tell their 'hows.'

I'm excited about it. I hope it helps someone feel better about graduating in the 'daunting' field we have chosen.