Behind the Curtain

Behind the Curtain: An Intern’s Perspective, Weeks 2-8

Saturday, July 25th

For those that don’t know me, I’m Byrd Gilissen, an arts administration intern for this summer. I’m currently a third year student at Lawrence University, the same university that works with Björklunden, and am studying both theatre and government. That unusual combination led me to the internship I’m currently in, which I applied for with the intent to explore a side of theatre I had little experience in. Since I started seven weeks ago, I’ve learned more things than I could count, met some amazing people, and have enjoyed every minute of my summer. 

Week 2- Arrived

Due to my university schedule I arrived about a week into the rehearsal process, meaning most things had the chance of being set up and everyone had already met each other. I felt a little out of place at first, not quite knowing what was going on while it seemed like everyone else did. However, people were super welcoming, and within the first couple days I felt like I knew everyone and was starting to get a hand on things. I aided in helping with the website, and started to learn the basics of our main software, alongside my fellow arts admin intern, Ezra Linnan, who was more then happy to help me with any of the questions that came up. The start of this internship was a good one, and it could only get better from there. 

Week 3- Life in the Shop

My third week started a bit different from the first. I started helping out Lighting Designer Todd Mion with focus and hang, which I was especially curious about, as I’ve hung lights in an indoor space, but the outdoors usually presents a lack of ceilings and a stronger chance of rain. I also had the chance to help out Set and Properties Designer Jody Sekas finish up parts of the set. At Lawrence, I work in the theatre department’s scenic shop, so it was super interesting getting to see another, and work under someone who designs professionally. I learned a lot from basic stage painting, to some new tools, to the importance of taking progress pics, something that Jody insisted on throughout the week.  

Week 4- Finishing Up

The fourth week brought about more scenic building, quickly trying to finish everything up before the photo call scheduled for the end of the week. I delved into even more work, putting together a shield and finishing the small details. Working in an outdoor scenic shop presented its own difficulties, with rain making it impossible one day to progress on most projects, and I’m proud to say that my fear of spiders has vanished thanks to the sheer amount that seemed to appear to help put the set together. It was this week I also got to watch both performances, and learn the main thing I’d be doing this summer, concessions. The shows were incredible to witness for the first time and it was slightly daunting seeing the sheer amount of set up concessions had brought, but the final tech days brought me a glimpse into what I thought the rest of my summer would be like. 

Week 5- Opening Week

Week 5 started with previews of both shows, and for me, it meant I learned what a preview truly was. I will admit that to my friends, what I told you was opening was actually a preview, but now I know for the future. Internships are all about learning. This week also brought a deep dive into the world of concessions and even more getting to interact with the Door Shakespeare audience. Every night I would get to meet new people and learn why they came or why they keep coming. I think it’s wonderful. What wasn’t wonderful about this week is meeting my enemy for the summer. Belki. Belki is a young squirrel that seems obsessed with either breaking into the concessions storage or breaking into our trash. Either way, I spent a lot of my set up trying to chase him off. 

Week 6- Getting a Hand on Things

It was about now week 6, that I felt like I finally knew was I was doing. In the office, I felt confident that if someone called I would be able to answer them clearly and help them quickly. At the Garden, I had concessions set up down to 30 minutes, and could quickly pivot if something went awry. I also at this point had gotten the chance to know everyone, and I felt comfortable and at home. 

Week 7- The End Time

By week 7 I thought I knew what the summer would be like, however I was quickly wrong. We started the week with some of the hottest days this summer and in efforts to make things easier, I got to serve as a PA instead of running concessions. This meant helping put the sets together, change over during intermission, and helping put everything away.

I’ve been doing theatre for a while now, but I must admit that the feeling of being backstage while a show was going on was still one that felt new and exciting. The week then continued with the smoke from the Minnesotan and Canadian wildfires, and unfortunately shows had to be canceled. This was the first time I’d ever worked for a theatre that’s had to cancel a show, and the process was somewhat intense. I helped call all the ticket buyers and we quickly sorted everyone out, but I will admit seeing the cancellation on both the office, company, and crew, and the effect it had on everyone was not a happy one. We did end the week with movie nights instead of shows, so it was good to get to know people more, and somewhat happy moment amidst a sad time. 

Week 8- Back Into the Swing

Going into week 8 there was both the hope for a clear week and the energy to get back into the flow of everything. Everyone was excited to put on a show. While Monday we got stormed out, by Tuesday things were up and running. The energy was high and shows went great. This was the also first week I got to see the Camp Will campers perform before the Friday show and it reminded me of the joy of theatre and where my passion for it comes from. Seeing campers of all ages have fun on stage and tell a story, making it their own, and the reactions the teaching artists had, the joy on their faces, it brought spirits up. This was also the night I worked next to my first 100+ audience and it was a lot. The system decided to perform an update in the middle of a rush, which meant a quick pivot to our analog system. There were a lot of adjustments, but by intermission, with more of the admin team there, it felt like things were fully handled, and there was a flow. Over halfway through this internship, I’m excited to see what new challenges come forward and what comes next.