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Erica Colarusso

Theatre

Indiana Repertory Theatre

HOW HAS YOUR INTERNSHIP HELPED BUILD SKILLS AND CLARIFY YOUR CAREER GOALS?
The IRT internship has taught me so many different teaching methods, philosophies, an new activities to use with theatre students. I realized that teaching is learning for both the student and the teacher.


HOW DO YOU APPLY YOUR LIBERAL ARTS SKILLS IN YOUR INTERNSHIP?
I apply my theatre knowledge and experience everyday, as I participate in and demonstrate acting exercises with my students. Skills like being vulnerable, empathetic, and creative are also required of me, and I use those skills daily as well.


WHAT IS THE A TYPICAL DAY LIKE AS AN INTERN, ANY CHALLENGING OR EXCITING ASPECTS?

Each morning, I arrive at the theatre at 8am for morning staff meeting. The interns meet with our bosses to discuss trials and triumphs from the previous day, then address what to do about them. At 8:30am, we head down to the curb to check students in as they arrive. At 9:15am, we take our students to Shakespeare, Dance, Movement, Musical Theatre, or Voice class, then do the same at 10:25am. We participate in acting, dance, and voice exercises during each class and assist the teachers in whatever they may need. We eat lunch with our students, then we take them to a three-hour acting block. We participate in warm-ups, then we do the acting activities with our students, both leading by example and learning alongside them, as we are also developing artists and performers. We then take our students down to the curb at 4pm for them to get picked up. What surprised me most about this internship is how down to earth the environment is. I was under the impression that, since the IRT is a professional regional theatre, all the leadership and acting teachers would act very prestigious. But the exact opposite is true. Everyone at the IRT is so humble, passionate, kind, and down to earth. Every acting teacher admits he or she is a forever student, which I love, because I am, too. I do theatre and teach theatre because I love learning about the artform and the people, and everyone at the IRT feels the exact same way.