Meet the Interns!

We wanted to give you a glimpse of what goes on here at SCT, so you could get to know some of the work that happens here behind the scenes. The interns who help make the Summer Season's student productions possible are a vital part of our community, so we'll be posting some of their responses to a questionnaire we handed out, in the hopes that you can get to know them a little better.

Here's a little spotlight on Julia Welch, one of the outstanding education interns here at SCT!

1. What led to your decision to intern with SCT?
My interest in theatre is very wide, ranging from acting to producing, directing
to designing, and from teching to teaching. SCT has an amazing internship program
that allows me to explore many areas of theatre in an environment that combines
them with my interest in education. The program was recommended to me by
previous summer interns as well as several membersof my college faculty. These recommendations, along with my personal interests, lead me towards SCT.

2. Where are you from, and what did you study before coming here?
I grew up in California (just south of San Francisco) and upon
entering college moved north to Tacoma, Washington where I attended the
University of Puget Sound. I dabbled in several disciplines including
chemistry and english before majoring in theatre arts. A liberal arts
college, the University of Puget Sound encourages students to develop
into well rounded individuals and my education was just that, within
the context of both my overall experience at the university and my chosen
major. I was required to participate in all areas of theatre and found
my passion to be in technical theatre, stage combat, and improvisational
comedy.

3. Why is theatre important to you personally?
I think that theatre is a unique medium as it requires the audience to engage
in a different way from many other art forms. The audience is an active
participant in the performance and the immediacy of the actions on stage and
the reactions off stage create some real magic. Theatre speaks to me in a way
that nothing else does and I find it unbelievably vibrant, persuasive, engaging,
academic, and passionate. Making theatre and sharing in that creation is a
powerful experience and one that I think everyone should take part in.

4. What do you feel you bring to SCT’s Summer Season program?
This summer I have been assigned to work on Romeo and Juliet as part of
SCT’s Summer Season. At the very least I will bring my enthusiasm and energy
to the rehearsal hall and hopefully a bit of knowledge and experience too. I
have a deep love for Shakespeare and hope the actors will enjoy working with
that beautiful language. Also, I am thrilled to be working on a show that
involves stage combat (as I am an actor/combatant recognized by the
Society of American Fight Directors) and I hope to share those skills in a safe
environment. Finally, I feel that I bring an organized mind to the project.

5. What’s your most memorable experience so far as an intern here?
This is a two part answer for me. Let me begin my saying that before arriving
at SCT I knew nothing about creative drama. It wasn’t even a term I had heard
before. On the first day of intern training two of the drama school staff led
the new interns through a creative drama class and I was amazed. I was
captivated by the story and the exercises and activities. The next week I got
to watch my first creative drama class and once more I was amazed by the kids
in the class and how much they cared about and became invested in the story.
It was unforgettable.

6. What do you feel are the biggest challenges confronting you as an intern?
Since it’s still early in the summer, my biggest challenge is simply my lack of
experience. This is the first week I am working with the kids and while it’s
thrilling, there are also a lot of unknowns. There are plenty of questions that
I am learning the answers to as I go. I expect that each week will get a little
easier and I will get a little more confident.

7. What part of this internship are you looking forward to the most?
While I love all the classes I am working on and am really enjoying the company
of the education staff and other interns, I am most excited to work on a stage
combat class later in this semester. Watching a student go from being scared
to pick up a sword to performing choreographed fights is incredible. I love to
watch their self confidence grow along with their skills. To me, stage combat
is more challenging than a lot of other theatrical disciplines since it requires
such high stakes for the characters involved and that asks a lot of the actors.
Success in stage combat is empowering. It is inspiring to see students take
risks and push themselves in a safe and controlled environment.

8. What is your specific job as an intern this summer – specifically,
what shows or age groups will you be working with the closest?
I am working on the Summer Season production of Romeo and Juliet which is from
grades 7 to 12. Other than that, my time is pretty well split up between the
different age groups. I seem to be assisting on all kinds of different classes
as well as doing some administrative work. It is a very balanced schedule that
allows me to do a little bit of everything.

9. What do you feel is the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far as an intern here?
I am sure that I will learn a ton more over the course of the summer, but in these
last couple weeks I feel that the most valuable thing I’ve learned is to just try.
Even if you are nervous or uncomfortable or even scared, there is so much to be
accomplished by putting yourself out there and trying. One of the great things
about SCT is that there are many other intern and staff members who are your
support system. Just try and even if you fail there will be people to help you.

10. What are your plans for the future?
It’s hard to say at the moment what I’ll be doing at the end of this summer.
I hope to continue working in theatre in some capacity, whether that means
I’ll get a job somewhere or another internship or even volunteering. Eventually
I’d love to go to graduate school for scenic design, but that’s still a couple
years off at least. Other goals I have are to work as an improv teaching artist
and to become a certified teacher through the Society of American Fight Directors.
For now I will enjoy every minute of this internship and hope that any future
experience is even half as great as this one is turning out to be.