In fall 2010, Ford’s Theatre will institute an Intern Program to offer challenging and diverse experiences related to its unique mission as a professional theatre and Lincoln museum/education center. Qualified college students, graduates and young professionals who are actively pursuing careers in related fields will be welcomed in semester-long positions in Business/Operations, Development, Education andCommunity Engagement, Museum Interpretation, Marketing/PR/Publicity and Production and Design. Ford’s Theatre interns will have the opportunity to work closely with Ford’s staff and be entrusted with significant responsibility.

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Ford’s Theatre is an equal opportunity employer. For more information, contact Jennifer Nelson at jnelson[at]fords.org.

Why intern at Ford’s Theatre?

While at Ford’s Theatre interns can:

• Bridge the gap between collegiate work and professional life by working with some of the best in the business in a challenging, diverse atmosphere.
• Begin building professional networks with relationships initiated during the internship. These opportunities can lead to future jobs in the theatre, museums, historical societies and education.
• Take advantage of discussion with Ford’s Theatre staff, guest artists, and other members of the community to broaden their knowledge base and expand understanding of professional theatre and historical museums.

All interns must have excellent written and oral verbal proficiency; and demonstrate a strong work ethic, common sense and exemplary interpersonal skills.

Ford’s will offer intern positions in the following areas:

Administration/Operations

An intern for admin/operations will first and foremost demonstrate attention to detail.  She/he must be analytic and have excellent organizational skills and be able to determine critical information within a multitude of data.  She/he must be able to handle specific projects in an organized fashion. Background in business management is preferred but not required. Possible 2010 projects include organizing in preparation for office move; assisting with year-end audit preparation; collaborating with marketing/IT/development to sort and organize social media and/or shared drive; and assisting with various patron services.

Artistic Programming

Two categories will be possible: Management intern and Casting intern

The management intern will work on special projects under the supervision of the Executive Director. The preferred candidate would be available during the entire producing season (August/September to May/June).

The casting intern would work closely with the Artistic Programming Director on maintaining an artist database and seasonal casting.

Development
The development intern will assist in the area of donor relations and fundraising. This may involve research, cultivation, solicitation and relationships with individual, corporate, government and foundation donors. The development intern will also assist in planning and execution of special events. The development intern will work closely with the Director of Development and other senior development staff. The development intern must have excellent writing skills and strong verbal communication ability. Occasional evening and weekend work is required.

Education

The education intern will work closely with members of the department to support school and teacher programs related to Ford’s joint mission as a theatre and a historical museum  This may include developing, piloting and delivering school and teacher programs, both on-site and on the web. The education intern will assist the education department staff in cultivating and maintaining relationships with schools both local to D.C. and throughout the country. Comfort interacting with teachers on the phone and teachers and students in person, and a strong interest in how field trips and outside experiences can strengthen student learning are essential to success in this internship. For more information about the current education internship, click here.

Marketing/Public Relations

The marketing/ public relations intern will work in the daily operations of the Marketing and Communications Department. The intern may assist in audience development strategies, single ticket marketing, press relations, publications, social media and special seasonal projects. Strong written and verbal communication skills are a must.

Production

Design intern possibilities in production are project driven. Production interns will be assigned to specific projects and thus are expected to stay in residence throughout the production period, which could be longer than one semester. Design interns must have prior experience in their specific field. Design interns may work as assistants to the designers.

Non-design focused production interns may be assigned to various tasks related to equipment inventory, artistic company management, guest artist hospitality, union compliance and other organizational projects.