Westport Country Playhouse Accepting Applications for 2023 Woodward Internship Program

Westport Country Playhouse announces that applications are now being accepted for its 2023 Joanne Woodward Internship Program for theater career aspirants. Interns enhance their professional skills and gain on-the-job experience working directly with Playhouse senior staff during summer months.

Named in honor of actress, director, and the Playhouse’s former artistic director, the Joanne Woodward Internship program is one of the nation’s preeminent theater training opportunities for emerging professionals. Internships have formed a vital part of the Playhouse’s mission since 1946. Among the alumni of the Playhouse’s program is the late composer Stephen Sondheim.

The Woodward Internship Program will run from May 27 through August 12. Stipend is $600 per week (equivalent to minimum wage for the State of Connecticut). Housing will be provided with interns assigned to their own rooms. Transportation is the responsibility of the intern. Application deadline is Friday, March 17. For more information and an application, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/education/internships/

In-person internship opportunities are available in development; education; and equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The development intern will work with the development department to support the Playhouse’s fundraising campaigns, operations, and special events, and learn about the administrative side of running a non-profit regional theater. The education intern will work with the education department to support the Playhouse’s educational productions, programs, and events as well as working as a teaching artist. The EDI intern will work with the EDI department to provide support for the Playhouse’s EDI Committee and internal affinity group, The Justice League; and strengthen the Playhouse’s internal and external processes to advance equity and inclusion. Due to a shortened season from five productions to three, the Playhouse is unable to offer production internships this year. 

In addition to working in their respective departments, interns will attend weekly seminars featuring a variety of guest speakers, including Playhouse staff members, visiting designers and artists, commercial producers, and more.

The 2023 interns are hired through the Playhouse’s recruiting process to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. Hiring panels, comprised of the department’s manager, other department members, and a staff member from a different department, carefully review all applications and ask identical questions of all candidates, creating an equitable environment.

In addition to the Woodward Internships, the Playhouse supports the Staples High School Internship program, designed for seniors to gain a comprehensive overview of an organization and get real-world experience for four-weeks prior to graduation. 

Woodward Internship Program sponsors include Alisyn Camerota and Timothy Lewis, Adam G. Clemens, Anna Czekaj-Farber, Mary Ellen and Jim Marpe, Marianna and Mark McCall, and Roz and Bud Siegel.

All Westport Country Playhouse employees are required to provide proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination and proof of a booster dose (for those eligible as defined by Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines).

Westport Country Playhouse’s 2023 season includes the Tony Award®-winning musical, “Ain’t Misbehavin, from April 11 through April 29; a suspense thriller, “Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” from July 11 through July 29; and a comedy, “School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play,” October 24 through November 11. The complete schedule is available at westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and formats are subject to change.

For more information on Woodward Internships, contact: [email protected].

For Westport Country Playhouse tickets and information, visit www.westportplayhouse.org, email [email protected], or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, Tuesday through Friday, 12 to 5 p.m. Stay connected to the Playhouse at westportplayhouse.org, on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse). Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. 

ABOUT WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE
Founded in 1931, the mission of Westport Country Playhouse is to enrich, enlighten, and engage the community through the power of professionally produced theater worth talking about and the welcoming experience of the Playhouse campus. The not-for-profit Playhouse provides this experience in multiple ways by offering live theater experiences of the highest quality, under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos; educational and community engagement events to further explore the work on stage; the New Works Initiative, a program dedicated to the discovery, development, and production of new live theatrical works; special performances and programs for students and teachers with extensive curriculum support material; Script in Hand play readings to deepen relationships with audiences and artists; the renowned Woodward Internship Program during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations to delight young and old alike and to promote reading through live theater; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round.