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Many lighting design students will have the opportunity to further their educations and get practical
experience by serving as interns with professional theatre, dance, or opera companies. Because there
is often some confusion about the precise definition of "internship", Appalachian State University's Greg
Williams has written the following:
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Just as arts companies have responsibilities to the interns they mentor, the interns have ethical
obligations to the companies that give them the learning opportunity. Below is Jeffrey E. Salzberg's
On Becoming an Intern:
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Again, from Greg Williams: "The short version is: Interns should expect to work hard, be paid little
(if anything), and learn a lot. They shouldn't expect to be treated as chattel, or to be asked to
take on unsupervised responsibilities which should rightly fall under a staffer's purview."
Jeff adds that your internship will probably be a trial by fire — and it should be. The time to
find out if you have what it takes to survive in a difficult, low-paying, highly competitive field
is now, while you still have time to learn something else. That said, there's a huge difference
between "trial by fire" and indentured servitude.
A good article on applying for summer jobs can be found on
Controlbooth.com.
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