Intern Journal: A Perfect Fit | Intimate Excellent

by Jessica Broutt

The more time I spend at the Fountain, I’m not entirely convinced being an intern here is an internship experience that most college students are having.

This summer, when I heard about the L. A. County Arts Internships (which any college student interested in the arts should apply to), I was determined to get one. I didn’t care if I was working at a ballet, or a theater, or an art school. I just wanted to be near the arts. I wrote cover letter after cover letter, hoping for the best.  But when I saw The Fountain’s description for an intern, I kept thinking, “This is the one. I’m perfect for this.”

I was interviewed and, much to my surprise and delight, hired. I still didn’t really know what it was going to be like. I pictured myself maybe doing some copying and coffee-making (prerequisite skills all interns are expected to have).  Or I imagined myself writing grants and sitting on the sidelines as an already assembled team worked. I didn’t ever think I would really be a part of this theatre.  A summer is hardly long enough to get a decent tan, let alone feel at home in a new place. Yet, in seven weeks I feel just as much a part of this team as I’ve ever felt as part of anything.

Simon Levy, Deborah Lawlor and Stephen Sachs

I realized I was really a part of the team at our first staff meeting. The Fountain staff consists of just enough people to fit around a kitchen table.  It feels like less of a staff and more like of a family. Stephen would bring up each matter of business, and it seemed like everyone had something to say about it. These people valued my opinion and wanted to know how I felt about things. And just like everyone else at The Fountain,  with many different job titles and responsibilities,  I learned that I was no different as the Development Intern. Yes, I have definitely learned a lot about grant-writing and what being on the development side of things means. But that is just one of the many experiences I’ve had here. I have compiled press packets, organized auditions, worked the box office, read scripts, and even written a few blog posts. For a good portion of my time here I was doing something I had never done before. Maybe that’s what an intern is supposed to do. Experience a little bit of everything.

So far, this internship has been more than internship. I always thought of internship as trying on an outfit. You try something on for a few weeks and see if it fits. If it doesn’t, you move on to the next outfit. But if it fits,  you can stop looking.

As a writing major, I don’t really know what I’m going to do with myself. There’s no clear job I know I’ll have. But this internship has given me some direction. It has shown me what working in a theatre is really like and made me realize it’s something that I want to do.

I know it’s only week seven. I’m only half-way through college. I could change my mind. But I’m fairly certain that it’s a good fit. And while other interns may be spending their summers finding the perfect cream-to-sugar ratio, I’ve been really spoiled working here and being a part of The Fountain.

I may just be their summer intern. But ever since that first staff meeting, I’ve really felt like a part of the family.

Jessica Broutt is a summer intern from UC San Diego. Funded by the LA County Arts Internship Program.

This entry was posted in Arts, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, theatre and tagged Deborah Lawlor, family, Fountain Family, Fountain Theatre, intern, Jessica Broutt, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, performing arts, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, summer internship, theater, theatre, UC San Diego. Bookmark the permalink.