The Internship Fund was established to provide financial assistance to persons pursuing unpaid internships in non-profit community theatres that do not traditionally pay their interns. When reviewing submissions, the selection committee considers: quality of responses (substance, content and writing) and substance of internship.

Short Answer Questions
Please respond to two short answer questions. The short answer portion is one of the most important portions of the review process, so make sure to be detailed and informed in your responses. Each answer should be no more than 300 words.  

1. Why have you chosen this specific internship? Please explain its connection to your short or long-term career goals.
2. What are your responsibilities and learning objectives for your internship?

Agreement Letter   
Applicants must secure the internship prior to the application deadline, and must submit a letter of agreement with the theatre that includes duties, minimum number of hours, dates for internship, supervisor‘s name and contact information. The theatre’s agreement letter shall acknowledge and agree that the granted funding will be disbursed in accordance to and compliance with all applicable IRS requirements. Applicant theatres will be required to submit to HLOC an IRS W9 form prior to funding.

These examples are meant to provide direction on the types of internships that would be considered for funding. 

Ex. 1

ADMINISTRATION INTERNSHIP

An established non-profit community theatre is looking for an intern to join its team and learn the ropes of managing the theatre in the midst of a hectic production schedule. The intern should expect to be involved in all aspects of theatre management.

Responsibilities

• Take tickets, field customer phone calls, usher, distribute programs, etc
• Perform background research
• Assist with implementation of new programs
• Develop promotional materials
• Perform online marketing and promotion
• Assist with documentation and analysis of programs/exhibits/shows

Requirements
Excellent computer skills are a must, with experience working on the Web and in social media. Excellent research, written and oral communication skills, excellent organizational skills and attention to detail are important. Needs to be able to work independently with minimal supervision. A strong interest in entering a position in the non-profit community theatre sector is vital. 

Benefits
The benefits to the intern include working with a team of art enthusiasts who care about producing quality work and learning the ins and outs of theatre. In return the intern should bring essential skills to this position: excellent communication skills, attention to detail, the ability to work independently on important projects, and most importantly, a strong interest in the arts–specifically non-profit community theatre.

Ex. 2

DIGITAL MARKETING INTERNSHIP

An established non-profit community theatre is looking to engage an intern with strong knowledge and understanding of the digital media landscape, including various social media platforms. The theatre is redesigning its website and will launch a social media campaign.The intern engaged for this position will need strong critical thinking skills in order to integrate into the existing team.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to website redesign project
• Monitor and post on blogs, forums, and social networks
• Assist with online outreach and promotion using Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more
• Optimize website and social media
• Perform keyword analysis
• Perform cost/benefit analysis

Responsibilities

• Solid understanding of youth markets
• Energetic and creative
• ​Hard-working and team-oriented

​Benefits

• Practical experience with website launch and social media campaigns
• Shadowing, mentoring, and training opportunities with experienced, knowledgeable professionals
• Opportunity to participate in networking events and theatre meetings

Ex. 3
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MARKETING INTERNSHIP
An established non-profit community theatre is looking for a qualified intern to join its marketing/advertising team; an intern who can participate in various stages of print and online marketing campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the creation of signage, circulars, mock ups, email campaigns, online promotion, etc.
• Assist in the distribution or delivery of marketing materials
• Assist with the fulfillment of marketing offers
• Assist with the preparation and delivery of training materials
• Perform analysis of marketing and sales data
• Seek and analyze competitor marketing and sales materials both on and offline
• Prepare presentations
• Open and sort mail
• Enter contact information into contact management systems
• Provide support to social media efforts
• Monitor social media for trending topics to utilize on social media channels
• Maintain tracking report of public relations activity

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Requirements

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Extensive knowledge of social media
• Driven and hard-working
• Ability to take direction and multi-task
• PowerPoint, Word and Excel experience a plus​

Benefits

• Practical experience with marketing and advertising techniques
• Shadowing, mentoring, and training opportunities with marketing professionals
• Opportunity to participate in networking events and theatre meetings

Ex. 4

GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERNSHIP

Are you a student interested in building real-world graphic design experience with a performing arts team? 

Intern Duties and Responsibilities

• Create and design print and digital materials
• Adhere to brand guidelines and complete projects according to deadline
• Retouch and manipulate images
• Use graphic design software and work with a wide variety of media
• Collaborate with the Creative Director to develop design concepts
• Receive feedback from the Creative Director and make necessary changes
• Assemble final presentation material for printing as needed

Requirements

• Basic knowledge of layouts, typography, line composition, color, and other graphic design fundamentals
• Experience with In Design, Adobe Photoshop, and Illustrator a plus
• Strong creative and analytical skills​

Benefits

• Work on a range of graphic design projects
• Receive guidance and feedback from successful graphic design and ad agency professionals
• Attend and participate in networking events