Goodbye New York

            As the summer comes to a close, I would like to impart some final words of wisdom to anyone who will be interning in New York City. Living in New York was overall a very overwhelming experience and the following are a few words of advice to make the most of your experience.

            This first piece of advice was given to me before I left and proved very useful. As my old high school teacher put it, “never pay for anything.” What he meant by that was there are so many discounts available in the city, you should never settle for paying full price for something. I was able to attend about twenty on- and off-Broadway shows this summer and only paid full price for one of them. Even though New York is a very expensive place to live, there are a multitude of websites that provide good deals in return for signing up for a free membership. It is also a good idea to look for monetary help before you move. The Career Center at Dickinson offers grants to help students with unpaid or even low-income internships. This grant helped me deflect the costs of food, rent, and travel to and from work.

            On top of looking for all of the good deals, you should ask your coworkers about things to do in your free time. If they are from New York City or have been there a while, they probably know some cool places off the beaten path. New York has many well-known areas filled with tourists, which can get very crowded and annoying, especially when you work in midtown Manhattan right off of Times Square. Your coworkers probably feel the same way and know where to go to get away from all of the hustle and bustle. The city can seem overwhelming with all of the opportunities it presents, so use the people at your office to weed through those choices to find the most interesting (and cheapest) options.

            Another thing I realized one day while making my morning commute is that people in the city rarely look up. It’s really easy to get caught up in the New York swing of things and barrel down the sidewalk every morning with earphones in and your head down. It is important to remember that you are in a city with some pretty amazing sites that you probably pass by every day without noticing. If you just take the time to look up every once in a while, you will be reminded of how marvelous New York really is.  Just remember to keep walking while you’re looking up, or you might get trampled.

            I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog this summer, as I have enjoyed sharing my experiences with you. I have been provided so many wonderful opportunities and I have learned a lot about where I want my career headed after college. I wish to thank Second Stage Theatre for providing me with this opportunity and allowing me to expand my network of contacts within the theatre industry. I would also like to thank Dickinson College for giving me the very generous grant as well as a helpful support staff to stay in contact with over the summer. 

Internship Advice

           Looking back over the past ten weeks, I have been thinking about what advice I would like to have known before I started my internship. I believe this advice can apply to any internship, not just theatre.

            My first piece of advice to someone starting an internship is not to be afraid to ask questions. When I first started, I assumed that I couldn’t do something if my supervisor hadn’t explicitly stated that I could. I didn’t realize that she was a very busy person and some things had just slipped her mind. Eventually I asked if it would be possible for me to experience other things outside of my specific department and I wound up going to some really neat and eye-opening events. I am very interested in lighting design and because I mentioned this to my supervisor, I was able to sit in on tech rehearsals with the lighting designer. I was also able to attend Equity Principle Auditions and see how the casting process works, which is something I had never experienced before. Don’t just assume that because a specific event is not within your specific department that you cannot tag along. I found that people in different departments are eager to show interns what they do, especially if they do not get an intern of their own.

            My second piece of advice is to listen to as much advice as possible. I feel that I have absorbed so much information in this relatively short period of time that it is almost too much to process. Everything I have learned is also very relevant to my career path. By just sitting at my desk and listening, I have learned a lot about what to do and what not to do when working in either a theatre or an office environment. For example, a staff member recently left Second Stage and my supervisor has been trying to fill the position. One day while she was reading through résumés and cover letters, she walked over to my desk and began ranting about what a person should never put on a resume. It was an impromptu crash-course on applying for jobs that will be very beneficial to me in the future even if I don’t wind up working in theatre. I have also learned a lot about phone etiquette and professional language from listening to different conversations held at the cubicles around me.

            Lastly, as your internship is nearing its end, it is a good idea to sit down with your supervisor and talk about what you need to do to wrap up. The worst thing that could happen to you is to leave something unfinished that was crucial to the company. If this happens, the only thing a supervisor will remember down the road is how much of a mess was left. This can be detrimental when it comes time for listing references on future job applications. As my supervisor put it, it is important to be indispensible while you’re there, but replaceable when you leave. You want your future reference to remember how much of an asset you were and not be bitter about your leaving. My last week at the office, I spoke to my supervisor because I was worried about getting all my projects done in time as the department was handing me more and more little assignments. We were able to prioritize everything, so that I could definitely finish the most important tasks. It turns out another intern was coming in that month and they needed an extra task for her anyway. By just talking to my supervisor and being honest with her, I was able to avoid overworking myself and leave the job without any resentment toward me.