Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Everybody's Got the Right . . TO Some Theatre :)





As a first time intern, I have to admit that the past few weeks have been pretty hectic, but also the most influential weeks I have ever had. In these past weeks, I have worked every saw in the shop, learned better ways to form platforms, how to use a hemp and sand bag system, and how to get splinters out in a jiffy. I apologize for the spontaneous blogging; we just started tech week.

I am so stoked for the opening of Assassins by Stephen Sondheim, because I studied for an entire semester the effect that Sondheim made on the development of musical theater by incorporating unorthodox ideas and styles in mainstream musicals. Sondheim’s Assassins was not the biggest hit in musical theater, but it definitely can be called one of the most misunderstood. Underneath the ‘violence,’ vulgarity and harsh subject matter, you can see the isolation of the outcasts of America everywhere and their struggle to become one with the popular majority. (P.S. I included pictures that are teasers to our AMAZING set!)


I normally am an actress, working every rehearsal in the evenings and only helping out in the technical shop in my spare time. I used this internship as a way to expand my knowledge in management of theater backstage. I never expected that in my first weeks I would learn some wonderful techniques in carpentry, painting, and in props management.

I have worked at the Sweet Briar Theater for two years and I have two more years to go, and yet I do not think I have ever seen such an undertaking as Endstation Theatre Company has done with the set and lights. The reason I am working on my backstage skills is because I intend to become a high school theater teacher, which means I will have to direct, design, build, and run every show my school does. I feel that Endstation is giving me a good experience that will influence my teaching skills and technical skills for the future and I am excited to see what they do next.

~ Molly Harper, Scenic Intern

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