"So much to tell...."

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! I enjoyed spending time with my family and loving on my niece and nephew! :) I thought I should fill you all in on what happened last week. Three big events happened that were very informative and quite entertaining. First, on Tuesday, there was the first Brown Bag discussion held and was hosted by Trish Santini, the External Relations Director at the Guthrie. She told all who gathered to listen about her experiences in dance, theater, and marketing. She has led a pretty interesting life with lots of struggles and career choices that could have made or broken her...but she's at the Guthrie, so I think she made some good choices! Then, on Wednesday, I was asked to help with an event that the Development Department was putting on. It was a meet-and-greet for donors and Guthrie Experience Actors. I did not know much about the Guthrie Experience Actors, but they are all in MFA programs around the country and are invited to the Guthrie for an intensive eight-week workshop where they create their own work by the end. They are extremely talented and this program has produced actors that are well-known around the country and world. One of the greatest things about this event was that it was held at a donor's home that is right next to the Guthrie. It was unbelievable! Their penthouse had the most beautiful view of the Minneapolis downtown and a gorgeous roof-top patio. The evening happened to be just perfect to be out on the patio. After another Development employee and I made sure all of the guests had arrived, we were able to go up to the party and mingle with the donors and GEx (Guthrie Experience) Actors. As an intern, I figured not a lot of the donors and actors would like to mingle with me, so I spoke with another intern taking photos and just enjoyed the beautiful view and amazing food that was provided (I got permission to eat some food...don't worry!). Then, one of the GEx Actors approached me and started to chat. I was ecstatic that anyone even cared I was there! He goes to Julliard and was really interesting to talk to. Extremely nice too! Ya'll know how I love making new friends! Before I left, we exchanged numbers so we could meet up sometime during our downtime (which didn't seem like a lot for the GEx Actors). My next big event was on Thursday morning. I met up with Jeremy Jones, who works in Company Development. Company Development is different from Company Management and the Guthrie is one of the only theaters that has a Company Development Department. Company Management is taking care of the actors in mainstage productions and their needs. Company Development is working on developing those actors with programs such as the Guthrie Experience and BFA program that is teamed up with the University of Minnesota. Jeremy helps Ken Washington run these programs and find the actors that they want to be in the programs. From my informational interview with Jeremy, I learned a lot about these programs and the management of them. It is also was interesting that Joe Dowling wanted these types of programs instituted into the mission of the Guthrie. The Guthrie is concerned not with only providing entertainment and theater education through their productions, but the education and expansion of the artists and employees that work for the Guthrie. I have a couple other informational interviews set up with other members of the staff in different departments that I am looking forward to this week. I will make sure to keep you updated on what I learn. *Left ear tug!*