Summer Internship at Towne Street Theatre
This summer, I had the absolute privilege of interning with Towne Street! I am a senior English and Film double major at Vassar College, and I found that working with Towne Street matched up perfectly with my academic interests. I’ve known TST co-founders Nancy Cheryll Davis-Bellamy and Nathaniel Bellamy my entire life–they are the warmest and most supportive people, and everyone at TST has proven to be just as wonderful!
One of my favorite internship tasks this summer was reading and evaluating all of your wonderful 10 Minute Play Festival submissions. I worked along with TST members to read through a pool of over 150 scripts and help decide which plays will be featured at the festival. The plays represented quite a diverse range of stories and writers–I was blown away by the creativity! It was a joy to immerse myself in so many different worlds.
I also had the pleasure of watching and reviewing every submission for our first Film Festival! Just as with the plays, the material was wide-ranging and very enjoyable to watch! As a filmmaker, it was quite a valuable experience to watch these films and determine what qualities made for a particularly successful film. The evaluation process of both the plays and the films will be quite useful for me in the future for critiquing films and scripts in class, and hopefully after I graduate as well!
Another highlight of my summer was attending the Sum Poetry event in July. I met so many wonderful people–staff, TST members, and attendees. I could see that every TST member was there for a genuine love for art and for the community. They welcomed me with open arms and made it easy for me to get involved at the event. I was able to interview a few members and attendees there, some who have been involved with Towne Street since its inception. All shared the same sentiment that TST is a family that has allowed them to thrive as actors, performers, writers, etc. There was quite a variety of creatives, all who were deeply passionate about their art, which was very inspiring to see.
My other tasks included researching grant opportunities, creating photo and video content for social media, and, of course, writing blog posts. I really enjoyed being able to do such a variety of tasks–working this summer never got boring and I was able to explore a variety of potential options for work in the future while developing valuable skills for employment! Working with Towne Street has been the best experience possible to prepare me for my last year of college and beginning my career in the entertainment industry! I hope to stay in touch with all the lovely people I met over the summer and return to Towne Street events whenever I can, whether as an attendee or an employee. I have the utmost gratitude for the whole Towne Street family who made my experience the best it could possibly be!
"Maya Page is starting her senior year at Vassar college as an English and Film double major. Here at Towne Street we know she is more than ready for the challenge and will be cheering her on from afar. Maya is excited to return to Towne Street once she graduates." --Veronica McClelland.
