Technical Internships

“I go to UNM now and I work at Popejoy! It was actually thanks to the Lensic internship that I got the job. Each job I applied for, it was the first thing they noticed on my resume.” - Melanie Ortega, age 20, Capital High 2008, Lensic Intern 2007-2008.

 
The Next Generation  

As part of its mission, The Lensic provides educational opportunities for Santa Fe students who are interested in learning the art of technical theater. All events on The Lensic stage require a technical crew. Without the hard work and skill of those backstage, the magic on stage could be never be realized.

To assist future generations of stage technicians, The Lensic offers high school and college internships and college level scholarships.

High School and College Technical Theater Internships

The Technical Theater Internship Program launched in January 2002 with just four high school students. In the years since, the program has grown exponentially. Now, nearly 100 high school and college students have worked backstage at The Lensic.

Students study every aspect of technical theater, from lighting and sound to basic rigging, welding and stage management. Many also receive school credit.

Eight interns are chosen from the many applications received from schools around Santa Fe and Los Alamos. The students begin their training in late October and graduate in May. The internship includes hands-on training and classroom style sessions with theater professionals.

At the end of the program, some interns are selected for a two week paid summer internship, where they work shoulder to shoulder with the technical staff. The Lensic also offers one paid college internship during the summer months. The student must be a junior or senior in college with a major in technical theater.
 

For more information on both the high school and college level internships, please see the section below for applicants.

New Technical Theater College Scholarships!

In 2010, The Lensic launched a college scholarship program for interns who are interested in studying theater. Each student receives $2500 toward their studies. The scholarship is open to current and former Lensic technical theater interns who are seniors in high school or freshmen in college.

This year, three students were selected to receive the first scholarships:

Joanna Becker, Monte Del Sol, ’09, Lake Forest College
Jennifer Lange, Santa Fe High ’09, Portland State University
Omero Martinez, Santa Fe High ’10, UNM or Hunter College
 

“The summer of my paid internship I got to run follow spot and we had to follow bouncing rubber balls as they crossed the stage…it was really hard but so much fun and at the end we got a round of applause from the audience.” -- Stephanie Long, age 25, Santa Fe High ’02, Lensic Intern spring ‘02

Learn more about the program at the Technical Theater Internship page on Facebook.⇒

For High School Technical Theater Internship Applicants

The internship program targets students in and around Santa Fe. Ninth grade through twelfth grade students are eligible to apply. If there are equally qualified students, preference will be given to upper classmen. Only eight interns are selected each year. Students are encouraged to apply the following year if they are not selected.

Interns begin training in October and finish in early May. A paid two week summer internship is offered to select interns pending an evaluation of their performance during the school year.

Applications are accepted from August 1 until September 30. The internship director will contact applicants to set up an interview.

Interns attend sessions at The Lensic once a week for two hours, with exceptions for holidays and school breaks. The internship is a mixture of class sessions with theater professionals who are experts in their field and hands-on experience. Interns assist with the set up and execution of a wide variety of shows, including: classical ballet, rock concerts, and lectures featuring bestselling authors and speakers.

High School Technical Theater Internship Application » [PDF 37kb]

For College Student Technical Theater Internship applicants

The Lensic offers one college internship position each year, in the summer. Students interested in applying must be finishing their junior year of college and must have a technical theater major.

The internship includes shadowing of professional crew and also helping with ongoing maintenance projects around the theater. The intern also works as a full crew member on all shows.

A weekly stipend is provided. Between 30 and 55 hours a week are expected. Interns attend weekly production meetings and must have all time off approved. The Lensic does not provide housing.

If you are interested in applying for the College Student Technical Theater Internship send a resume and cover letter explaining why you want to work at The Lensic by April 30th 2011.

For more information about the internships or the scholarship, contact Sarah LeBlanc, Internship Director at lighting@lensic.org.