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Internship programs at two prestigious venues offer students and early career pros a wealth of opportunities.

As every job applicant knows (or finds out in a hurry), entry into the business of the arts is subject to the same catch-22 as any other job search: Every job wants an experienced applicant and you can’t get experience without a job. Fortunately, there is a way out of this predicament. Many artistic institutions offer entry-level or intern positions to aspiring professionals who are willing to invest time, patience and energy into the creation of public art in return for low wages and a promising resume.

Two of North America’s largest and most prestigious artistic temples, the Banff Centre for the Arts north of Calgary, Alberta, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, offer a huge variety of semi-paid opportunities for students and early-career theater artists.

The Great North
The Banff Centre for the Arts, perched amid the dramatic crags of the Canadian Rockies, runs an arts work-study program for students in theater production, design and stage management, as well as in other areas such as music, aboriginal art and creative electronics. Positions vary from season to season, but generally they’re in such fields as production management, stage management, arts administration, technical direction, audio, stage carpentry, props, wardrobe and design.

These positions are not for beginners. The Banff Centre requires applicants to have prior training and experience at one of two levels, Work Study I and II participants should have completed at least two years of relevant academic training, with related professional experience. Work Study III participants, who are given a greater degree of responsibility, generally have completed a four-year degree or have, in the words of the eligibility requirements on the Banff website, “considerable experience in a related area of professional performing arts.” In other words, Banff is seeking applicants who have not only learned the basics but put them to use in a professional environment. If you have been through a couple of years of training in school and have worked in a summer theater, you are eligible to apply. Banff is looking for artists and artisans who have made a serious commitment to their discipline and are willing to make the transition to a new professional level.

Work study at Banff is a hands-on experience that puts students in close proximity with professional designers and directors and the tools of the trade. The theater is non-union, leaving staff the option of putting students directly to work in the shops and on the stages. The internships promise one-on-one training with professional production staff from the participant’s chosen field.

On The Beltway
On the other end of the spectrum, the Kennedy Center offers its internships to students who have more of an interest in arts management or arts education. Because its theater complex is a union shop, it has more restrictions on what interns can touch and where they can go. The training is no less on-the-job. but the job site is more likely to be a production office than a scene shop. Internships may be available in advertising, development, education (local and national programs), the National Symphony Orchestra, press relations, programming and production, web design/technology, facilities, general counsel’s office and finance. Like Banff. the Kennedy Center is looking for committed students, with demonstrated interest and skills, although not necessarily in the exact field of their internship.

Compare and Contrast
So what’s the difference between the programs? While the focus of each differs, the pragmatic details of both have to do with money and credit. The Kennedy Center won’t make you rich–interns receive a stipend of $225 per week and they won’t house you (but they will assist you in finding low-cost housing). They can, however, offer college credit that may help students knock a semester off their class work. (Check with your educational institution first to see if it can accept credit from the Kennedy Center.) Banff won’t make you rich either, but they pay from $300 to $425 a week, based on prior experience, serve subsidized meals in their staff dining room ($3 per meal plus tax) and subsidize on-campus housing, charging just $45.50 per week (all amounts in Canadian dollars). The Banff Centre does not offer degree programs, but might offer college credit; check with your college first.

The Kennedy Center augments its internship programs with weekly classes taught by executives from the Kennedy Center as well as other major arts institutions around DC. You might not think of the District of Columbia as a big theater town but you’d be wrong, according to Kennedy Center senior press representative Rae Bazzarre. She points out that DC is the third largest theater town in America, behind Chicago and New York. Therefore, working at the Kennedy Center puts interns in the heart of a thriving theater scene. The Banff Centre stands alone in a spectacular location, but it is an extremely popular destination for creative people of every stripe, including designers, directors and performing artists. Its isolated location creates a crucible of intense artistic creativity, completely enclosed by a dramatic natural environment. The Kennedy Center operates more as a node for artistic contact amid a thriving metropolis of venues. Both programs offer students tremendous access to shows, workshops and classes onsite, allowing students access to a steady parade of first-class artists.

Neither facility lacks performance spaces or programming. The Kennedy Center hosts hundreds of performances in nine venues, including the Concert Hall, Eisenhower Theater, Family Theater, Opera House and Jazz Club. They are the home venue for the National Symphony Orchestra, a fact that led Sigma Alpha Iota, the International Music Fraternity for Women, to sponsor internships in music production and education.

The Banff Centre has half a dozen venues of its own, including the Eric Harvie Theatre, the Margaret Greenham Theatre and The Club, an intimate music-oriented venue. Banff is awash in festivals, including the Mountain Film Festival, Mountain Book Festival, Music and Sound Concert Series, Jazz Concerts, Wordfest: Banff-Calgary Writers Festival and the granddaddy of them all, the Banff Summer Arts Festival, which brings tens of thousands of visitors up to the Rockies for over a month of concerts, performances, art walks, exhibitions, film screenings, readings and new media events.

Whatever their differences, however, these two institutions share one thing in common: they aren’t easy to get into. The Kennedy Center chooses its 20 or so interns from a pool of up to 400 applicants. To handle its vast pool of applicants, the Banff Center holds interview sessions in eight cities across Canada and, for applicants in design, properties, scenic painting, and wigs and make-up, a portfolio is required. With their size, visibility and prestige, both the Kennedy Center and the Banff Centre can attract the cream of the crop, so if you aspire to work for these industry giants, the message is clear: know your stuff.

For more information about the Kennedy Center Arts Management Internships, visit www.kennedy-center.org/education/vilarinstitute/internships/. For information about the Banff Centre for the Arts Work Study program, log onto www.banffcentre.ca/careers/careers/ and click on “Work Study.”

By: Campbell, Drew, Stage Directions, Oct2006