Basie Internships
Internship Program Mission Statement
Application Deadlines:
For summer 2024, April 15
Opportunities Available:
Arts Administration
Education Administration
Finance
Education Production
Development and Fundraising
Marketing
Technical Theatre
Community Theatre Arts Administration
Community Theatre Production
Opportunities Available:
Education Administration
Education Production
Community Theatre Production
INTERNSHIP AND APPRENTICESHIP DESCRIPTIONS
Arts Administration Internship
• Opportunities available for college and post-grad students
Description: Arts Administration Interns will learn the nuts and bolts of running a presenting venue — from curating shows and marketing them to understanding the business of the concert and theater business. They will learn how to promote concerts, fundraise, and manage all aspects of a non-profit organization from a strategic and financial standpoint. Additionally, interns’ relationships with their mentor ensure that they are not only gaining valuable skills but also receiving continuous support and feedback. This position has no set daily routine, as the position yields a wide variety of requests as they come up. Reports to the Chief Executive Officer & President.
Time: 1-3 days/week; flexible hours
Requirements:
- Currently attending college pursuing a business/non-profit/arts administration degree
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Organizational skills
- Able to take direction
- Interest in non-profit work
Possible Tasks/Duties:
- Shadow CEO & President during weekly meetings with other departments
- Assist with board packet preparation for meetings
- Prepare agendas and schedules for meetings
- Spend time working with each department at the Basie to get an overview of the organization
- Research projects
- Attend company meetings and events and help with general event duties
Education Administration
• Opportunities available for high school and college students
Description: Education Administration Interns and Apprentices report to the Senior Director of Education and Outreach. Students will assist an active performing arts department as we strive to provide impactful theatre, dance, music, visual art, and film programming to our community. Students will work across all facets of the Education Department, which includes the School of Performing Arts, the School of Music, and Community Outreach Programs.
Time: 1-3 days/week; max 20 hours per week. *Schedules vary on time of year
Requirements:
- Organizational skills
- Interested in making a difference in the community
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Curiosity and willingness to learn new things
- Attention to detail
- Experience working with kids ages 3-17 and teaching in a classroom environment (preferred)
Tasks/Duties will vary day-to-day, but may include the following:
- Assist education department team with prepping class, professional development, and program materials
- Assist with database management, data collection, and contact management
- Act as a teaching assistant to teaching artists in select classes (as appropriate)
- Work with the education team on research and programmatic projects
- Assist the Education Program Coordinator with the beginning of semester registration
- Creating Attendance sheets
- Setting up classrooms and private lesson rooms
- Help organize and host our monthly recitals and All School recitals during the Fall & Spring semesters
- Help organize and lead other seasonal performances like Sounds of the Season, Red Bank Tree Lighting, etc.
- Other duties as assigned
Finance Internship
• Opportunities available for college and post-grad students
Description: Finance Interns will work closely with the finance department and report to the Finance Manager. Interns will learn an overview of how a nonprofit theatre’s finance department operates.
Time:
- 3 days/week; flexible hours
Requirements:
- Currently studying or interested in pursuing a career in finance, business, nonprofit or related fields
- Organizational skills
- Able to take direction
- Attention to detail
- Experienced in Microsoft Office Suite, Pivot Tables
Tasks/Duties:
- Assist with financial settlements for the shows by pulling reports from Ticketmaster and entering data into post-show settlement spreadsheets
- Assist with accounting duties
- Data management/entry, scanning, and light filing
- Reconcile spreadsheets
- Financial Reporting (create reports and give updates at staff meetings)
- Conduct market research as needed
- Assist in creating finance presentations
Education Production
• Opportunities available for high school and college students
Description: Education Production Interns and Apprentices report to the Education Program Manager. Students will primarily assist the Student Production staff as we strive to provide impactful theatre performances and experiences for the youth in our community. Interns will work across all facets of the productions.
Time: 3-5 days/week; max 35 hours per week; hours may vary during production week, including weekends. *Schedules vary on time of year
Requirements:
- Organizational skills
- Interested in making a difference in the community
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Interest in any of the following areas: Direction, Choreography, Costume Design, Stage Management, and Company Management
- Willing to learn new skills and work as a team player
- Experience working with kids ages 3-17 and teaching in a classroom environment (preferred)
Tasks/Duties:
Direction
- Assist director with recording blocking, developing characters with the actors, and potentially staging/reviewing scenes
- Lead a 10-minute activity on character building or improv for every rehearsal
- Communicate with the stage management interns about the technical needs of production
- Aid with backstage or tech positions during the performance
- Help students record their own blocking
Stage Management
- Record all blocking during rehearsals
- Communicate blocking to students who miss rehearsal
- Create a prop list
- Keep time and allow for appropriate breaks
- Aid with backstage or tech positions during the performance
- Run music for rehearsals
Choreography
- Learn all choreography for the productions
- Create movement for certain numbers in the show
- Record all spacing configurations, and stand in for missing actors, when necessary
- Lead a 10-minute physical warm-up for each rehearsal
- Run and clean choreography
Company Management
- Take attendance and help students get organized and settled each rehearsal
- Wipe down all bins at the end of rehearsals
- Lead an activity during snack
- Assist with gathering and organizing the playbill information, such as ads, cast information, logo, etc.
- Organize projections for tech and final performances
Development and Fundraising Internship
• Opportunities available for college and post-grad students
Description: Development and Fundraising Interns will report to the Senior Director of Development and primarily have an interest in development, fundraising, and relationship-building with patrons. Interns will have the opportunity to shadow the day-to-day operations of the development department.
Time: 1-3 days/week; flexible hours
Requirements:
- Currently attending college pursuing a business/non-profit degree
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Organizational skills
- Able to take direction
- An interest in development, fundraising, and relationship-building with patrons
Tasks/Duties:
- Organize the donor database
- Assist with planning special events, including annual galas and fundraising celebrations
- Assemble VIP packages and organize guest list and help with event registration
- Communicate with patrons and supporters, STAR members, Cinema Society members
- Assist with membership support via letters, emails, and phone calls
- Assist with engaging potential new members and audience/supporters
Marketing Internship
• Opportunities available for college and post-grad students
Description: Marketing Interns will report to the Marketing Director, and primarily have an interest in marketing, PR, photography, videography, and creativity. This person would have the opportunity to shadow the day-to-day operations of the marketing department, develop marketing plans and strategies, proofread essential marketing collateral, learn the inner workings of a great social media campaign, maintain data collection and analytics, and brainstorm with the creative team.
Time: 1-3 days/week; flexible hours
Requirements:
- Currently attending college pursuing a marketing/communications degree
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Organizational skills
- Able to take direction
- An interest in marketing, communications, graphic design, public relations, photography and/or videography
Tasks/Duties:
- Shadow the marketing staff; learning the day-to-day operations of the department
- Proofread/edit, marketing collateral which includes the Basie Center’s website, Showtime (quarterly playbill), calendar of events, social posts, event signage etc.
- Website cleanup – discover areas for improvement in the website user flow experience, proofread/edit, highlight any outdated information, inconsistencies etc.
- Take photos or videos of education classes, performances or events going on at the center
- Learn to develop a marketing plan for an artist event – from researching the artist to understanding the buyer/demographics, developing strategies and social campaigns all while staying within a budget
- Research of competitor/cross-category social media trends and content
- Assist in database clean up and email management
- File, print, scan, and organize marketing records as needed
Technical Theatre Internship
• Opportunities available for college and post-grad students
Description: Technical Interns will gain technical and hands-on experience in multiple areas, as defined in the ‘tasks/duties’ list below, for all Count Basie Center for the Arts performance venues.
Time: Flexible hours; late nights/early mornings possible
Requirements:
- Demonstrate a willingness to learn
- Previous experience with technical theatre
Tasks/Duties:
- Audio Engineering
- Lighting Design and Light Board Operation
- Deck Crew
- Spot Operators
- Load-in/Load-out
- Carpentry
- Wardrobe Assistance
- Production Assistance
- Runners
- Catering
- Video and Projection
- Assist Broadway Tours
- Automation
Community Theatre Arts Administration
• Opportunities available for college and post-grad students
Description: Community Theatre Arts Administration Interns will learn the nuts and bolts of running a producing organization — from selecting shows, marketing them, patron and volunteer development, theatrical team management, and general operations with the goal of understanding the business of theatrical production. They will learn how to promote theatre, fundraise, and manage all aspects of a non-profit organization from a strategic and financial standpoint. Additionally, interns’ relationships with their mentor ensure that they are not only gaining valuable skills but also receiving continuous support and feedback. This position has no set daily routine, as the intern fields a wide variety of requests as they come up. Reports to the Producing Artistic Director.
Time: 1-3 days/week; max 20 hours per week. *Schedules vary on time of year
Requirements:
- Organizational skills
- Interested in making a difference in the community
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Curiosity and willingness to learn new things
- Attention to detail
Tasks/Duties will vary day-to-day, but may include the following:
- Shadow Producing Artistic Director during weekly meetings
- Help prepare for bi-monthly operations meetings
- Attend performances with Producing Artistic Director where board members, donors, patrons, and volunteers are in attendance
- Spend time working with each department at Phoenix/The Basie to get an overview of the organization
- Research projects
- Attend weekly production meetings for the production season
- Attend occasional events and help with general event duties
Community Theatre Production
• Opportunities available for high school and college students
Description: Community Theatre Production Interns and Apprentices report to the Producing Artistic Director. The student will assist the Production Team as we strive to provide impactful theatre performances and experiences for and by the community. The student will work across all facets of the productions.
Time: 3-5 days/week; max 20 hours per week; hours may vary during production week, including weekends. *Schedules vary on time of year
Requirements:
- Organizational skills
- Interested in making a difference in the community
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Interest in any of the following areas: Direction, Choreography, Costume Design, Stage Management, and Company Management
- Willing to learn new skills and work as a team player
- Experience working with kids ages 3-17 and teaching in a classroom environment (preferred)
Tasks/Duties:
Directing
- Assist the director with recording blocking, developing characters with the actors, and potentially staging/reviewing scenes
- Lead a 10-minute activity on character building or improv for some rehearsals
- Communicate with the stage management interns about the technical needs of production
- Aid with backstage or tech positions during the performance
- Help students record their own blocking
Stage Management
- Record all blocking during rehearsals
- Assist Production Stage Manager with creation and updates to the Daily Call and Rehearsal Reports
- Communicate blocking to students who miss rehearsal
- Work with department heads to communicate notes from the rehearsal
- Keep time and allow for appropriate breaks
- Aid with backstage or tech positions during the performance
- Run music for rehearsals if needed
Choreography
- Learn all choreography for the productions
- Assist the Choreographer to create movement for certain numbers in the show
- Record all spacing configurations, and stand in for missing actors, when necessary
- Lead a 10-minute physical warm-up for each rehearsal
- Run and clean choreography
Design and Production
- Attend weekly production meetings
- Organize and understand all drawings and build schedules provided by the designer and Technical Director
- Attend all build/paint work calls – assist Technical Director in monitoring projects assigned to volunteers
- Work with Technical Director or Props Master on projects as assigned
- Work with Costume Designer as applicable
- Assist with shop(s) organization and maintenance