"Meeting the Big Wigs"

Hey ya'll! I was in Iowa this weekend in the grand ole town of Emmetsburg visiting my boyfriend and his family, so I was not able to blog until today. I have some exciting news though! I met Rebecca Gilman, a playwright who's work I am very fond of. Let me set the scene and Tarantino this story. On Wednesday, during our team meeting for the Development Department, I was told that there would be a special event on Friday and I would just be there to see what goes on during this special event. The special event was an Opening Night dinner for the opening night of "Dollhouse." Opening Night dinners are attended by some of the bigger donors for the Guthrie. As I have been doing some preliminary research on these donors, I could put some faces to names. On Thursday afternoon, Erica, the Special Events Coordinator, asked me to fill in for one of the people that was supposed to be helping the guests from the check-in table to the eating area. I agreed readily. Friday afternoon, I was helping some of the other members of the Development Department stuff envelopes and I mentioned that I was a big fan of Rebecca Gilman. They mentioned that she would be there tonight and I was hoping to meet her. Well, 5:30 came up, the time for the guests to arrive. A lot of the guests had been to many Opening Night dinners and knew exactly where to go so there was no need for an escort. After standing around and just watching for about fifteen minutes, Sarah, one of the girls in the Development Department, whispered to me that Rebecca Gilman had arrived. If I wanted a chance to meet her, this was it. As she and her husband checked in, I stepped out to be their escort. As we walked to the eating area, I babbled on about how I was such a big fan of Rebecca's and how I was looking forward to seeing "Dollhouse." Rebecca barely got a word in during our minute walk together. I just got so excited! :) Well, I hope to meet many other great people this summer and to learn some great things. Here goes! *Left ear tug*

"First Rehearsal"

Welp, today was my first day. It was a lot of "how-to" explanations, but it was very interesting. I will be doing primarily research about donors (entirely confidential, of course) and also helping out with special events, which particularly strikes my fancy. We had a development department meeting this morning (as we will every Wednesday morning) and I really enjoyed meeting everyone, but we spent a lot of time discussing possibilities for a special event. It was really fun for me to listen to the brainstorming that occurred with the development department. That was all before lunch! For lunch, my mentor, Emily, took me to a cafe near the Guthrie, Spoon River. It was mostly vegan and organic, but it was really good! After lunch, we headed back to the Guthrie and I got to some work! I did some research and started using a program called Tessatura (sp?). Then, Emily took me on a tour of the theatre...it is a maze in there! Especially all the back hallways that I will have to memorize so I know how to get around. :) The Guthrie is really an amazing building and the architecture is unbelievable! I am so excited to learn and experience all that I can there. This Friday I am going to shadow at a special event for the opening of "Dollhouse" and the author, Rebecca Gilman, will be there! Then on Tuesday, I am going to go see "Circle Mirror Transformation," a new play. It should be really great! Thanks for continuing to follow. *Left ear tug!*

"Pre-Game"

Hello Followers!

On Wednesday I am starting an internship in the Development Department at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN. I am super excited to be working at the Guthrie and to be experiencing life at a large regional theater setting. This is going to be a challenging environment, but something that I really hope I will thrive at. In the Development Department I will be helping with special events, doing the computer programming behind donations and ticket orders, and also research associated with donations as the Guthrie is a non-profit organization. I will also get four free tickets to a performance of the shows that the Guthrie is presenting this summer ("Dollhouse", "A Streetcar Named Desire", "The Scottsboro Boys"). Along with that there are lots of other opportunities to learn during this internship including brown bag discussions where the whole theater listens to the directors and designers of each show and hear their visions, possibly being at dress rehearsals, and one-on-one sessions about networking and getting myself out there. I will be documenting all that I learn about theaters and how they work as well as what I learn about myself and where I want to be after college. Keep checking the blog and I'll keep posting! *Left ear tug*