My name is Clara. In my first year of studying Theatre and Film I undertook an SME Internship with Brave Bold Drama theatre company. My internship comprised different types of odd jobs and full-on projects. I worked in many different locations, including community centres, theatres and I did a big chunk of my hours remotely.
I definitely felt immersed in the process of creating a piece of theatre, and I developed a deeper understanding of all the little jobs and details, especially applicable to freelance theatre. I was very inspired by my employers and their ability to manage such complex projects with a team of two – doing everything from tech and budgeting, to acting in the piece itself.
The skills I gained ranged from very practical, such as sewing, painting (see pictures 1 and 2), assembling parts of the set and doing research, to ones related to marketing and communication. I found the atmosphere of the workplace very encouraging, with my employers Gill and Paul always ready to show me the ropes and teach me how to perform certain tasks.
I was also given a lot of creative freedom and independence. This manifested itself in the highlight of the internship – when I was tasked with creating a marketing campaign for their theatre piece, The Munch Mission. I created a series of images that translated into a sort of storyline – the subject from Munch’s Scream ran off from his painting, and began exploring different locations in the world, and hid himself in other iconic pieces of art. I had a lot of fun doing this and it allowed me to polish my photoshop skills (see pictures 3 and 4).
Unfortunately, due to a family situation related to the Russia/Ukraine war, I found it challenging to work in person as much as I would have liked, and I did a lot of my internship remotely. Thankfully, Gill and Paul were extremely kind and supportive and gave me the tools I needed to still get as much as I could out of the experience. I did a lot of market research for their UK tour, and through that I learnt a lot about the theatre scene and community in the surrounding areas.
If I could give you three tips for your upcoming internship/interview, they would be:
- Take on any little job or task you can – even if it seems unrelated to the industry you want to go into – it is all valuable experience and part of the teamwork that goes into creating a project!
- Take notes as you go – this will really help you reflect on what you did and learnt, allowing you to make the most out of the experience.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – voice suggestions that may sound a bit silly and experiment – you are there to do a good job, but you are also there to learn and try new things.
Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your work experience as much as I did!
Want to be an SME Internship intern?
Find out more about the SME Internship Scheme on our website.
If you have any questions about the scheme, or anything else relating to careers you can speak to us on live chat.
Read more blogs in our “My SME internship” series to hear about other SMEs that our students have worked with.