For future theater artists and administrators looking for that perfect internship to propel their careers, Chicago is the promised land. At Steppenwolf, the Goodman, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, three of the city’s most prominent companies, entry-level jobs are designed to fold new employees into a tight-knit community dedicated to collaboration. Each theater first and foremost makes clear a very important thing: Interns do not fetch coffee.
“We’re inundating interns with educational opportunities because we’re super conscious of making sure their time here is well spent,” says Meryn Daly, Chicago Shakespeare’s production office manager. In a company with 150 staff members and up to 40 interns at a time working in over a dozen departments, learning and networking opportunities are practically boundless. “When they’re spending time with us they’re actively learning things. They’re not getting coffee,” she reiterates for good measure.
David Schmitz, managing director at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, characterizes most arts internships as “filing and faxing, and you’re lucky if you get to sit in on a meeting.” Instead, college-age summer interns
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