Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre is lucky enough to have a handful of incredibly bright and gifted interns working with us. We thought it would be fun to let you hear a little bit from them and their experiences in the world of theater. So, let’s meet Jimmy Smith, one of our PR and Marketing Interns.

Where are you going to school? What are you studying? How does it relate to theater?

I go to school at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. Both my undergrad and masters have been there. My undergrad was in Music Recording and Production Technology and my masters is a M.S in Performing Arts Leadership & Management. It’s a program designed to prepare us to do pretty much anything in the world of arts administration. It allows us to choose whatever kind of organization we want, whether it’s a dance company, orchestra, or theater company, and excel in that environment. It’s great and it really hits on every aspect of managing a theater.

What is your position here at Signature? What sort of work have you been doing? Who do you work with?

I’m one of the PR and Marketing Interns here at Signature and I’m working under the Publicist and Community Relations Manager, James Gardiner. He does a lot with social media and reaching out to news outlets to do stories on what’s going on in the theater, so a lot of what I’ve been doing relates to those things.

How does the work you are doing here contribute to your theatrical, arts administration and life education?

It’s letting me see a side of theater that I’ve never seen before. The only work I’ve done in a theater has been in the pit, on stage, or in the sound booth. What I’m doing here has given me a lot of insight to how the behind-the-behind-the-scenes things work. Seeing how the people work in this office and the sense of togetherness and family has given me a good sense of how an office in general should work, especially in a theater. Working here has and will also make me more active in the theater scene by increasing my knowledge of theater and productions in general.

What type of skills do you think are important to cultivate to work in a theater?

People skills, without a doubt. I think that whatever field you work in, you need to be able to deal with people in a professional way, no matter what’s going on. The skill to adapt to quick and sudden changes also helps. If I’ve learned anything from working in the sound world, it’s that you need to be able to think on your feet and stay calm regardless of what’s happening.

What do you like about your time here at Signature?

My favorite thing about being here at Signature so far is the sense of togetherness and family in the building. The people here care about each other and it’s so incredibly obvious; it creates a great environment to work in. Also, everybody in the office is hilarious and very easy to get along with.

For more information on internship opportunities at Signature Theatre find more information on our website here: https://www.sigtheatre.org/about/work/jobs/.