Internship: A Golden Opportunity If You Know How to Spin Gold Out of Straw

The playbill for the 2008 “Free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park” (Los Angeles) by the Independent Shakespeare Company (www.independentshakespeare.com) listed the company members for the production of HENRY IV (parts 1 and 2). I noted the last item on the company list – intern – and a male name. Yes, I said to myself, someone is getting a chance to follow his passion.

Now I don’t know whether this particular passion is acting or directing or stage management or theater company management. But I do know that someone is getting to see a theater production up close and personal. And whether this bird’s eye view encourages the intern to continue pursuing his passion – or turns him off forever to anything connected with the theater – the intern should be able to avoid regrets of never trying to follow his passion.

And while I also can’t know what the HENRY IVth intern is doing for the production, I read with interest Erin Chambers’ Wall Street Journal July 1^st article “Tips to Make the Most of Summer Internships.” In general I agreed with many of the tips, which are as true for paying jobs as they are for unpaid internships.

I disagreed with the information under the heading “Don’t get discouraged.” Here’s what Chambers wrote: “If it’s been a few weeks, and you’re still just making photocopies, don’t fret – or complain. Request a meeting with your supervisor to ask about new projects.”

In many industries an internship is exactly that – making photocopies. But what goes along with making photocopies is usually the ability to read anything you’re handed to photocopy:

• If you’re handed an office memo to photocopy, read it to learn how office memos are written. (Obviously you don’t repeat what you’re read.)

• If you’re handed movie scripts to photocopy (entertainment industry), ask if it is okay to make a copy for yourself to read. (Again, obviously you don’t show this to anyone else outside the office.)

A summer spent photocopying may seem dull. Yet if you’ve made the best use of your time – such as carefully paying attention to what goes on around you concerning office politics – you will have learned a great deal of valuable information for your future path. Plus you may get enough insight to know whether you want to consider pursuing a career path in this field.

Good interns take lemons if that’s what they’re handed and make lemonade for their own learning experience. And those same good interns often get great letters of recommendation because they were team players and didn’t expect entitlements. (A relative of mine works with interns at a large company and told me he’s constantly surprised by the sense of entitlement the interns have.)

If there were an intern bill of rights, it would state:

• You are not promised to get to do fascinating and challenging tasks at the workplace.

• You are promised to learn a great deal if you keep your eyes and ears open.

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Independent Shakespeare Company and Finding Your Own Path

This afternoon in Los Angeles I saw a production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” by the Independent Shakespeare Company (ISC). It was the third of three performances this weekend as a sort of “try out” for the ISC’s upcoming summer schedule of free Shakespeare in the Park.

The ISC’s website www.independentshakespeare.com states: ISC was founded in 1998 by a group of actors who shared a passion for classical works. Intent on rendering vivid productions of Shakespeare’s plays, our focus was stripping back the conventions of contemporary theater and placing attention onto the spoken word. Shakespeare, we reasoned, produced his plays without lighting, without recorded sound, and without elaborate scenery and costumes. Surely we could as well.

You’ll find my name listed under the board of advisors. This connection to the ISC happened because I sent a fan email after seeing the ISC’s performance of “Henry V.” That amazing performance was done with eight actors playing tons of parts on a bare stage with a trunk and some tidbits of “costumes.”

In terms of finding your own path, I first want to share this thought: If you like a performance or a painting or concert, let the performer or artist or musician know. The giving of a simple compliment may end up offering you an association with something in which you believe.

The second thought I’d like to share concerns something that I saw on the stage today: The young woman playing the role of Viola was terrific. Later, in the “talk back,” the audience learned that she had actually rehearsed for the part of Maria, and only two weeks ago she had taken on the more demanding role of Viola when the woman playing Viola had left the production.

This willingness to take on a new role under a tight timeline is an example of a growth mindset. The young woman could have played it safe, staying within the comfort zone of the part she already knew. Instead, she’s been undertaking intensive rehearsals in order to play the larger role.

When someone offers you the opportunity to expand your role – whether it be in a theater production or an internship or a job position – have a growth mindset and take the opportunity. Then do whatever it takes to step up to the plate and do well in your new role.