My job for this semester is as the Professional Writer for the M.T. Pockets Theatre on High Street in Morgantown, West Virginia. For this job, I am writing articles and press releases for shows such as "Romeo & Juliet" and "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean", editing and proofreading programs for each show, and helping write grants for the theatre. I met with Vickie Trickett, the secretary of the M.T. Pockets Theatre who also works in the B&E College and owns her own business (talk about being busy!), after she replied to my email only thirty minutes after I sent it.
When we met to discuss the internship, Vickie mentioned certain shows that she wanted me to cover. She explained that, since not all the shows have the same actors and directors, I would be corresponding with several different people. She also mentioned that she wants finalized biographies and pictures for the current members of the theatre company. Before the meeting, I spent a few moments looking at the website for the theatre; this turned out to be an excellent idea because she also wants my input on how to improve the site. We filled out the Internship Agreement Form while she explained the grant process the theatre goes through to receive funding. Because I mentioned possibly working on grant applications to find out the format and such, Vickie said that I would be able to observe and help her create one of the applications.
I'm really looking forward to working with the entire company of the M.T. Pockets Theatre. I'll be able to attend shows and rehearsals, and meet with directors and actors for interviews. I see this entire internship as giving me important experience for a future career in writing. Since I want to go into freelance writing, I am using this internship to gain knowledge about how to succeed in a freelance job. I've already begun looking up how to write press releases using the Legacy articles from the website. I've found several online resources for these write-ups, and intend to practice writing these so that I will be able to produce a release in a timely fashion. This internship will help me get my foot in the door for possible freelancer jobs in the Charleston area, specifically with theatre companies. This makes me quite excited because I love the theatre!
