Spring 2016 Interns
FringeArts Internships
FringeArts internships offer training for those whose career interests include all facets of nonprofit arts administration and management.
In addition to day to day activities, FringeArts interns have access to and can experience:
- Complimentary tickets to FringeArts shows
- FringeArts annual membership
- Intern seminars to learn about staff and their positions
- Planning and implementing Scratch Night
- Volunteer opportunities at FEASTIVAL
- Intern outings or socials
Recurring FringeArts Internships
Financing & Administration Internship
Programming Internship
Patron Services Internship
Production Internship
Marketing Internship
Communications Internship
Graphic Design Internship
Development and Fundraising Internship
Meet the Spring 2016 Interns
Constance
Marketing
Johns Hopkins University ‘16
Peabody Conservatory ‘16
B.A. Writing Seminars, English, B.M. Piano Performance
What’s your favorite spot in the office?
The supply closet. For someone like me who takes an absurd amount of pride in organizing things, it’s like walking into a room of pure happiness.
What do you do outside of the internship?
I commute in every week from Baltimore where I’m finishing my degrees in piano performance and creative writing so I’m either in rehearsal for a recital or I’m sleeping on a Greyhound bus. Besides that, I’m also a marathon runner! I finished the NYC Marathon last fall and I’m pumped to run the Philly Marathon in November.
What piece of art could you not live without?
The Franck Sonata in A major. I love how working at FringeArts has exposed me to so much amazing new art but in the end, I’ll always have my roots as a classical musician. Do yourself a favor and listen to it all the way through for an emotional rollercoaster of music.
Nicole
Graphic Design
Temple University ’15
B.A. Advertising – Art Direction Track
What’s your favorite spot in the office?
I always want to work on the rooftop (I have never been there, I heard you can get up there, but I just don’t know how… Imagine you are working while looking at the amazing view of Delaware river, how cool and relaxing is that…) Otherwise, the kitchen, where a cup of coffee or milk tea are made every single morning.
What do you do outside of the internship?
Cooking, cooking and cooking. I cook a lot, from Asian cuisine, Icelandic to American . I like to test out different kind of recipes. I am also into horror movies lately – I’m trying to watch one horror movie every other day.
What’s been your favorite FringeArts show?
All of them are awesome. I am thinking Rite of Spring – Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret, it is happening tonight, and they are rehearsing now! It sounds fun and energetic. I am sure I will enjoy it and it will become my new favorite. *It is my new favorite!
Hugh
Communications
Kenyon College ’14
B.A. English – Creative Writing Emphasis
What’s been your favorite FringeArts show?
Bronx Gothic was easily one of the most powerful performances I’ve seen in a long time. It was hypnotic, dream-like, haunting, claustrophobic, and felt remarkably vital. Okwui Okpokwasili is such a command performer and with this show she made mixing elements of movement, storytelling, and acting look so natural and effortless. It left me completely speechless, not sure I’ve even fully processed it yet, and I like that.
What do you do outside of the internship?
Working on my own writing— I dabble in fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, really any form. I enjoy playing with the different freedoms and constraints imposed by different mediums. Currently I’m focusing on developing a radio show, a narrative dark comedy with sketch and character study elements. Other than that, working in a restaurant, going to shows, cooking, and listening to/reading about/writing about music.
What piece of art could you not live without?
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders. A lot of his work examines notions and examples of hyperreality—amusement parks, themed restaurants, weird institutional kitsch that’s become commonplace—which I’m endlessly fascinated by, but most crucially his stories are always deeply rooted in the characters, their voices, their thoughts. His whole body of work is hilarious and heartbreaking, and because of the remarkably well-crafted characters, deeply humanistic. I could go on for days, but suffice it to say his work really made me want to be a writer and just a better person in general.
Andrew
Production
What drew you to the internship?
The production internship attracted my attention because I used to do stage crew in high school and I really wanted to learn more about the fundamental skills needed to work in a professional theater. What Fringe offers, that I think a lot of other theaters lack in, are international shows in which there are different needs and desires that I wouldn’t learn about anywhere else.
What do you do outside of FringeArts?
Outside of Fringe, I work in a restaurant and I play saxophone in a Philadelphia String Band (the Aqua String Band to be precise). Applying my knowledge of the fine arts and allowing my creativity to flow help me have a bit more fun with everything I do. I have also played hockey, roller and ice, for about 15 years and my love of hockey is something I’m hoping to carry with me for a long time to come.
What’s been your favorite project to work on as an intern?
I think my favorite project to work on in my time with Fringe has been the April Scratch Night. I got to see how everything came together and I get to work with my fellow interns to see how we all interact to make productions happen.
Jorge
Administration
Drexel University ’17
B.A Business & Engineering/Finance
What’s been your favorite FringeArts show?
Yes. Holden, and Chopin Without Piano. I enjoyed watching an unusual and contemporary production.
Your favorite project to work on as an intern?
I enjoyed collaborating with my fellow interns organizing Scratch Night which is FringeArts’ monthly showcase of works in progress from Philly artists.
What do you most enjoy about FringeArts?
What I most enjoy about FringeArts is being able to see the boundaries of performance art being pushed to new limits.
Emily
Patron Services
University of the Arts ‘16
B.F.A. Dance
Tell us about a favorite moment of yours from the internship.
So it’s hard to choose one, but a recurring favorite moment of mine is listening in on the staff meetings. It’s pretty amazing to gather everyone into one room and hear all of these intelligent, driven, hilarious, passionate people talk about all of the various work they’re doing. FringeArts is overflowing with people who care really deeply about this organization and the arts in general. They commit so much time and energy in order for this place to thrive, and staff meetings present opportunities to understand what it takes to make it all happen.
What do you do outside of the internship?
Outside of FringeArts, I’m finishing up undergrad at University of the Arts, where I’m getting my BFA in Dance. I’ve spent a lot of time this semester choreographing and directing my senior thesis, which is a dance piece I’m making that examines identity and anxiety through a feminist lens. So that’s been pretty dense work. I’m also dancing in other people’s pieces and taking dance classes. When I’m not dancing, I like doing anything and everything that fills my soul up in one way or another, whether that’s binge watching Louis CK stand-up specials, playing ukulele, hanging out with cool people, consuming copious amounts of coffee and/or kombucha, etc.
What was the last great performance you saw (FringeArts or not)?
I’ve seen a bunch of amazing shows recently (thanks, FringeArts comp tickets!) but a standout moment is, without a doubt, Chelsea and Magda. They’ve performed at FringeArts several times in various contexts, but the most recent was their act at Get Pegged. Their work is deeply personal and intensely rooted in identity. As a result, it’s some of the bravest performance work I’ve ever experienced. They are each so uniquely captivating and fiercely honest, and it’s completely inspiring to see them ruthlessly digging into their own lives and identities to make their work. I’m going to stop raving about them now, but seriously, they are f-ing great.
Elissa
Programming
Rider University ‘16
B.A. Arts Administration
What drew you to the internship?
I was drawn to FringeArts because I was intrigued by their unconventional performances and use of space and the partnership they have with La Peg. I also think the way Fringe incorporates the communities of Philadelphia into the festival every year is very admirable and a sustainable model for emerging artists and for that reason I wanted to assist in festival development.
What do you do outside of the internship?
I am about to graduate from Rider University with a degree in Arts Administration. Outside of school and my internship, I help my friends and other young emerging artists book shows, fundraise for their start up organizations, and start projects of my own ranging from FIRST FEST (a festival of first time bands and workshops happening in New Brunswick) to my own self produced and performed works in music and theatre. I am also a master at making crepes.
What piece of art could you not live without?
I seriously could not be alive without DIY basement shows. The sense of community that surrounds this form of art is so uplifting and it’s inspiring to see that people can make and perform art on their own terms instead of chasing after fame. It is so authentic and raw and I like Fringe because I feel they offer the same feeling of ethos.
Jules
Programming
West Chester University ’11
B.F.A. Fine Arts, Minors in Art History, Psychology
What do you do outside of the internship?
I work as a Maker Mentor through the Free Library of Philadelphia, where I run drop in DIY programming in the library and facilitate project based learning. It’s a fun job where I get to be creative and tinker with lots of LED lights, motors, and tools and make a lot of stop motion animation videos. Outside of work I perform with a live art group called ROMPUS. We paint large scale paintings set to music at concerts and festivals.
What drew you to the internship?
I had been working full time under a fellowship through the FAO Schwarz Family Foundation. This introduced me to non profit work and after my fellowship ended I found myself working part time and wanting to fill the rest of my time with something productive. I wanted to learn more about art specific non profits and I had been admiring Fringe for years, mostly as a patron of festival shows. When I saw the internship being offered I was excited at the opportunity to see how Fringe operates and to get more familiar with everything they do.
Tell us about a favorite moment of yours from the internship.
During one of the Get Pegged cabarets I had a very important role of helping one of the drag performers step over a railing in incredibly high heels so they could perform ribbon dancing above the crowd while wearing a creepy Nancy Reagan mask. This was all a part of the cabaret in which they were acting out Nancy Reagan’s “funeral.” It was excellent.
Tessa
Programming
Drew University ’14
B.A. Studio Art, Art History
What’s been your favorite FringeArts show?
Bronx Gothic was a really wonderful while admittedly overwhelming experience for me. As someone new to contemporary performance work, I think it was my first experience where I began to understand how powerful it can be to approach a story from many angels instead of a traditional narrative.
What piece of art could you not live without?
So many! But specifically, there was a piece when I first moved to Philly titled Easternsports by Alex De Corte and Jayson Musson at the ICA that was a video instillation piece I would often visit. It was a challenging while also having a sense of humor about itself, and while I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to see it installed again, it conceptually opened me up to a lot of work I’ve seen since so I’m grateful for that.
What’s been your favorite project to work on as an intern?
I’m currently working with The Franklin Fountain to come up with a Fringe Ice cream favor for the festival which is a hilarious process.
Joanie
Development
Skidmore College ’15
B.A. Theater, Minor in Arts Administration
Tell us about a favorite moment of yours from the internship.
One of my favorite moments from this internship was sitting in on a meeting between the Development and Marketing departments. They were brainstorming ways to involve more visual arts in FringeArts. It was inspiring to listen to everyone, with their different artistic backgrounds, not thinking about the question from the point of view of “how will we raise money?” or “how will we promote it?” but instead really talking about all kinds of ways to expand this part of our program and involve more artists from the community.
What drew you to the internship?
When I decided to move to Philadelphia, I tried to talk to as many Philly based artists as I could. What I kept hearing from them again and again was, “you have to get there in time to see Fringe festival”. So even before I moved here Fringe was on my radar. Fringe is doing the sort of work that I want to do, so when I found out about the internship program it seemed like the perfect fit.
What’s been your favorite FringeArts show?
My favorite FringeArts show would probably be Swamp Is On, from the 2015 Festival. I saw it on one of my first nights in the city. It was a great way to jump into the arts scene here, by seeing these two iconic groups of Philly artists, Dr. Dog and Pig Iron, create this bizarre and fantastic experience.
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