By 2012 Administrative Intern from Kristen Gajdica
Development and Special Events
Working at ADF during the summer was an incredible experience! I am currently pursuing a Modern Dance degree and a Business degree. This was the perfect opportunity for me to combine my passions. As the Development and Special Events Intern you get to build community relationships, secure in-kind donations, plan events, help write grants reports, and spend time with ADF Donors.
7:00 am Wake up and get ready for the day. This means I would eat some breakfast, get dressed for dance class, and bring some work clothes for later in the day. I lived really close to campus so I didn’t have to wake up as early as the other interns.
8:00 am Class begins! Development Interns are required to take the 8 am class because there are many meetings during the day with community businesses. It’s difficult to get energized so early but after class, I always felt ready to start my day.
10:00 am Class gets out, and I head back to the office to change clothes.
10:30 am Meet with the Development department (Director, Associate, and both Interns) to touch base and discuss plans for the day.
11:00 am Call various restaurants and bakeries to discuss in-kind donations. A major aspect of the Development Intern’s job is to organize which businesses will provide food for which events. It is inspiring to see how supportive the community is of ADF.
11:45 am Update the donor event reservation spreadsheet for the Pilobolus Pre-show Party, and the Stephen Petronio Brunch. These are just a couple of the donor events that the intern helps coordinate and often gets to attend.
12:30 pm Lunch time! Usually I head back to my place to eat with the other interns or sit outside. Durham is an incredible food town though! There are so many interesting and delicious places to eat!
1:30 pm Pick up the extra wine from the cast party last night and bring it back to the office to store.
2:00 pm Head to Parizade to discuss the details for a cast party next week.
3:30 pm I head to the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) to prepare for this evenings performance. I place the donor gifts on the donor’s seats. I also make sure the donation boxes are set up and locked.
4:45 pm I receive the daily cash report, which includes all donor contributions we receive. I record these contributions, print thank you letters for the donors, and give them to Jodee Nimerichter, the Director, to sign.
5:15 pm I leave the office early to pick up Daisy Cakes pastries and Joe Van Gogh coffee in order to set up the President’s Lounge. The lounge is located in DPAC, and is a place for all donors to relax prior to the performance. Jamie, the other Development Intern, will work tonight (we switch off nights). She will arrive at DPAC at 7:00 to mingle with the donors, watch the performance, and then clean up the lounge after the show.
6:45 pm I head home, grab dinner, relax, and then go to bed. Tomorrow I will have a late night because I work the show, but I can’t wait to see Vertigo perform!
By 2012 Production Intern from Kasson Marroquin
My name is Kasson Marroquin, and I recently graduated from the University of North Texas with a BA in theatre. I can honestly say that I am truly grateful for the experience I had as a production intern this past summer at the American Dance Festival. The work was incredibly challenging, but also very rewarding. As a production intern you will meet and work with some amazing, diverse, and world-renowned dance companies, you will be responsible for working load-in through strike of every company that comes through the festival, and every week you will be put on one or two different crews at either Reynolds Industries Theatre on Duke’s campus or the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC).
The crews include, but are not limited to, light board operator, sound board operator, fly rail crew, deck crew, and wardrobe crew. Towards the end of the summer there are even opportunities to design lights and stage manage! There is definitely something for everyone at this festival, and I know personally that attending as an intern has really helped round out my knowledge of dance production.
8:00 AM- Wake-up and get ready for the day! This would normally include packing my wrench, multi-tool, gloves, mini-flashlight, jacket (it gets cold in the theatres), and lunch and dinner; there are also several food options at the Reynolds theatre on Duke’s campus, and a few near DPAC. Production interns are also allowed to take a dance class at 8:00 AM if they so choose, otherwise call time is usually 9:00 AM at the theatre that you are assigned to for that day. If you do decide to take a class you are called to the theatre at 10:30 AM.
8:30 AM- Walk to Epworth Dorm to car-pool. Most days several interns meet at Epworth on Duke’s campus to carpool to the theatres. Lucky for me it was walking distance from where I lived!
8:50 AM- Arrive at the theatre that you are assigned to for that day (you ALWAYS want to arrive ON TIME! Early is on time, on time is late, etc.). On this particular day I arrived at Reynolds.
9:00 AM- The work begins! On this day at Reynolds we were graced with the presence of Monica Bill Barnes & Company. The deck crew learned how to appropriately fold the sparkly rain drop and piece together their mini proscenium-like set piece. I was assigned to be light board operator that week, so I helped the master electrician run through some channels and set up the tech table.
10:30 AM- Break time! I grabbed some coffee and a snack to fuel me until lunch.
10:45 AM- After break we started on cueing Monica Bill Barnes’ ADF commissioned piece Luster, which was world premiered that night. I learned how to cue smart lights (movers/moving lights) which was a challenge but awesome, and I got to work closely with their stage manager and lighting designer on programming cues and listening to her call them. It was a great experience getting to see a professional company tech a new piece.
12:30 PM- Lunch break! I heated my lunch, and went to eat in the sun and fresh air outside. I even snuck in a small nap!
1:30 PM- Back to cueing! I headed up to the booth and continued to program cues with the stage manager. The deck crew also worked onstage and learned the correct times to pull the kabuki rig full of cardboard boxes, learned when to shoot off the confetti cannons, and learned when to go onstage (it was part of the piece!). The dancers spaced and warmed up around them. When everything was programmed, spaced, and worked out we began to run the pieces.
3:45 PM- Break time! It was enough time to catch a breath, grab some coffee, and head back to the booth.
4:00 PM- We continued to run the pieces until they were perfect! It was a blast watching all of the prop, scenic, lighting, and sound elements fall into place and to see the amazing Monica Bill Barnes & Company dancers doing what they love.
6:00 PM- Dinner! I didn’t pack dinner that day so I headed out to “The Loop” which is a great, quick, restaurant on Duke’s campus.
7:00 PM- Call time for the show! We got back from dinner and set for the top of the show. The dancers warmed up on stage, and house opened at 7:45 PM. It was always exciting to watch the dancers, faculty, and patrons file into the theatre. The show started up at 8:05 PM and received a standing ovation at the end!
9:30 PM- At around 9:30 PM the show was over and we waited for the patrons to leave. After the house was clear we cleaned up and set up for the next day’s show!
10:30 PM- Normally during load-in, hang, focus, or strike, you would be at the theatre until 11:00 PM, but sometimes on show days you get out a little bit early. I caught a ride home, showered, packed my meals, and passed out in bed!