The Arden Theatre Company Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center Summer Internship 2009 Alicia Steinmetz

Mission The Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to bringing to life the greatest stories by the greatest storytellers of all time. They draw from any source that is inherently dramatic and theatrical – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, music and drama. The Arden presents programs for the diverse greater Philadelphia community that arouse, provoke, challenge, illuminate and inspire.

History The Arden Theatre Company was founded in 1988 by Terrence J. Nolen, Amy Murphy, and Aaron Posner. They started producing work at the Walnut Street Theatre Studio. For their third season, they moved to St. Stephen’s Performing Arts Center which provided them with a larger theatre and space for education programs, administrative offices, and production shops. In 1995, the Arden Theatre Company purchased a building in Old City Philadelphia which is its current home. It has a 360- seat mainstage theatre (F. Otto Haas Stage), a 175-seat studio theatre (Arcadia Stage), Independence Foundation Studio, rehearsal and classroom space, and administrative and production offices.

Terry Nolen and Amy Murphy

The Arden Theatre at its current location in Old City

The Internship An internship at the Arden can be focused in one area or involve many departments. My internship was not department specific, so I was able to get experience working in many areas of the theatre. Including….  General Management  Development  Marketing  Artistic  Production  Education  Box Office

General Management Front Desk: Directing general phone calls and s to their appropriate departments and performing a daily building check. building check.Facilities Maintenance Maintenance Mail distribution Actor House

Development Institutional Giving: Grant research and writing. Individual Giving: Event planning, fundraising drives, networking with potential donors.

Marketing Public Relations: Making Press Kits, updating facebook, myspace, twitter, and the Arden website. Marketing Analyzing: figuring out how and where people are hearing about the Arden and deciding where to concentrate efforts. Design: The design manager handles the Arden’s publications, including playbills, posters, and brochures. Group Sales Distribution

Artistic Casting Literary Submissions: reading submissions by new playwrights hoping to get work shopped or produced.

Production Set Construction PropsCostumesLighting Stage Management

Education Arden Drama School Arden for All Arden In Class and On Stage Arden Summer Camp Study Guides Internship Program Arden Professional Apprenticeship

Summer Camp 2009

An internship with the Arden Theatre Company is a great experience for anyone interested in working for a theatre or a non- profit. It really allows you to get a feel for what it takes to run a theatre. I was able to develop skills and contacts during this summer that may be useful in whatever path my career takes. Some projects I got the chance to work on this summer include:

 Researching and writing a study guide for The History Boys  Working at the Arden Summer Camp  Researching event venues, auction items, and trade agreements for fundraising events  Collecting information about Camden and Philadelphia school districts for AFA and AICOS programs.  Reading script submissions  Set construction for the APA Showcase

Thanks to The Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center and The Arden Theatre for this great opportunity!