Meanwhile, in ASC Marketing

In my seven days working in the marketing office at ASC I successfully:

• Located a power cord for a monitor in a pile of various and sundry electronic items
• Updated ASC social media posts for 2 weeks
• Created Facebook Insights report for ASC's Facebook Page over three-month span
• Wrote press release re: dogs in Two Gents
• Created draft for one ASC e-newsletter
• Created working timeline of cultural depictions of King John throughout history
• Learned awesome things from awesome people.

The bottom line of what I learned, I'd say, is that a lot of marketing comes down to cleverness. If you can come up with clever things that people like, you're golden. Economy of words and eye-catching layout and formatting also figure into that somehow.

What I learned that people like on social media:

• Photos
• A very few well-chosen words and clever phrases
• Names and faces they know
• Photos
• Eye-catching layouts
• Did I mention photos?

Thanks, ASC Marketing team! You're all pretty swell.

Winding Down

I'm down to my last day in Staunton, Virginia before packing up and making the trek back to Marion, Indiana.

My internship at the American Shakespeare Center has been pretty epic, and I'm so glad I did it.

I was in the office all last week except for Friday--Christina (ASC Marketing Coordinator) wasn't going to be in the office, and so let me know that I didn't have to come in. The only project I had left unfinished was to write a press release about the dogs in the ASC's production of Two Gents. I had such good intentions to work on it on Friday, but alas, the best laid plans...

Thursday night I was invited to go see a production by a local theatre group of three short plays in an evening. The event as a whole was dubbed "Women Under the Influence,"--the first half was two short plays and the second half was the one-act play "Miss Julie" by August Strindberg that was great--I was completely drawn into the story and thought the actors made fascinating choices.

Saturday night I again helped out backstage with the dogs at a performance of Two Gents, hanging out with J.R. Ewing the hound dog. And learned that he's a tad stronger than Tulip was. I lost count of how many times he pulled me in a circle around the hallways backstage.

Monday morning in the office I finished up my press release about the dogs from Augusta Dog Adoptions that are starring in Two Gents. Then I updated ASC's Hoot Suite for the week and made a couple of quick requested edits to the press release.

Tuesday I got to work with Mailer Mailer--the system that ASC currently uses to send out their e-newsletters. Christina gave me three stories that were to be included in the next "E-Blast," logged me into the system, opened up a template for me to use, and then let me go to town with it. I finished that up near the end of the day. I also got to present my Facebook Insights report findings at a marketing meeting in the afternoon.

Trying to figure out how to post things that will attract attention, catch eyes, involve patrons, and ultimately (hopefully) sell tickets is an ever-evolving art, so it seems. After doing the insights report, I discovered that the things that people seem to respond to the most are photos, and they seem to respond well whenever ASC ties in pop culture references to their shows. The marketing office comes up with some pretty great and unique ideas that have been great fun to see. For example, I was here for the creation of this time lapse video (in which I make an appearance! near the end--with Tulip the dog!)

And this "Totally Looks Like" photo comparing ASC's John Harrell to Benedict Cumberbatch of the BBC Sherlock series. So, for a marketing venture they would like to capitalize on in the fall in conjunction with the opening of Shakespeare's King John at the ASC, Christina asked me yesterday afternoon to create a timeline with references to Prince/King John throughout history. I spent a pretty good chunk of time yesterday afternoon and today combing through IMDB and various and sundry other web pages to pull together bunches of links and photos into a successful, cohesive timeline of Prince/King John depictions throughout history. I was pretty pleased with what I came up with, and hope that it'll be everything they need it to be. Christina informed me that she's going to create a web page with the timeline that will go up in the fall.

Over the last week and a half or so, I've come to the conclusion that a good deal of marketing has quite a bit to do with being clever. And maybe, just maybe, some of the cleverness here in ASC marketing has rubbed off on me so that I can infect my theatre marketing job at my school with it.

I'm helping with the puppy dog backstage for Two Gents one more time tonight, then filling up my gas tank, packing up my car, and getting ready to hit the road for my nine and a half hour trek back to Indiana at some point tomorrow.

So, farewell, ASC--it's been real. Well. Actually it's been pretty spectacular. And hopefully, if I get my way, I'll be back someday.

Catching Up

It's been... eleven days?... since my last post. Oops.

So, let's play a little catch-up.

Sunday the 8th was the last day of Session 1 of ASCTC (ASC Theatre Camp - for high schoolers), and I went to their performance of Romeo and Juliet. (There were also two other performances that I didn't make it to.) I was quite impressed with the performance. The campers did excellently! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. (As much as one can thoroughly enjoy a tragedy about young lovers killing themselves.)

Preview performance of Two Gents that evening--I helped out with Tulip again. Dagnabbit that dog is a sweetheart.

Tuesday was technically off, but I decided to go in for about an hour and help out with the understudy rehearsal. The understudies have a walk-through to make sure they know the lines and blocking for their parts, and I sat with Kelley (stage manager) and was on book while she made sure everything looked and sounded right.

Short rehearsal Wednesday, then another preview of Two Gents in the evening--line notes/Tulip duty again! That dog has possibly been the best part of my internship.

Friday was off again, so I took it easy, and then that night was opening night for Two Gents! Technically my last day with artistic, before my move into marketing. Again, I hung out with Tulip and took line notes. (Tough, I know.)

Sunday around noon-ish, my parents arrived in town. They took Lee Ann and me to lunch, then we met up with my aunt and two cousins and we went to see Two Gents together. My aunt took us all out to Emilio's (lovely Italian restaurant on Beverley Street) where I proceeded to stuff my face with delectable lobster bisque and lobster-and-cheese-filled ravioli.

Monday was my first day in the office in the marketing department. Christina (Marketing Coordinator at ASC) didn't have much for me to do yet, so I helped Sarah with archiving. Not terribly exciting, perhaps, but fascinating. I cataloged myriad old programs from way back when the company was Shenandoah Shakespeare/Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, sorted through boxes upon folders upon envelopes of old photos, and rifled through letters, flyers, advertising, brochures, and literature of all kinds.

My parents left town Tuesday (yesterday) morning after treating me to a huge breakfast, and dropped me off for day two in the office. On day two, I was logged into and given control of ASC's Hoot Suite--essentially mission control for all of ASC's social media platforms. A somewhat ominous feeling. I used Hoot Suite to schedule tweets and Facebook posts announcing events for the rest of the week. They typically tweet and update Facebook simultaneously every hour at the bottom of the hour, and Hoot Suite allows you to schedule tweets and updates weeks, even months in advance.

Then, I was given access as an administrator to ASC's Facebook page so that I could start on a Facebook Insights report. When you are an administrator on a Facebook Page, Facebook gives you access to gobs of statistics about what's happening on your Page. Demographics of people who like your page, keeping track of new likes over the lifetime of the Page or over a specific period of time you can specify, which posts received the most likes, how many total people your posts are reaching virally, etc. Christina told me that they haven't created very many insight reports, and so gave me freedom in how I wanted to create it. All the numbers overwhelmed me--SO MANY NUMBERS. And it took me a while to figure out how to crunch them effectively and insightfully, and then how best to report them. I worked on it for the entire second half of the day on Tuesday, then the entire second half of the day today, and finally got it (I think) done.

This morning, I got to sit in on the first dress rehearsal for the new touring troupe's rendition of Love's Labour's Lost. I had never seen, read, nor even read a synopsis of Love's Labour's, so I came in totally blind. And greatly enjoyed myself! I laughed all the way through it, and was generally captivated (as usual, here at ASC) by the storytelling.

In the office again tomorrow and Friday. Saturday night is another performance of Two Gents that I signed up to help with the puppy dog for (this week's canine star is a sweet hound dog named J.R. Ewing).

In the meantime, Lee Ann and I are house-sitting for our internship supervisor, Sarah, and her husband, and taking care of their puppy dog Alle (short for Alleghany - who I also met on my first day in Staunton).

(Is it just me, or does my life sound like it revolves around dogs?)

Visitors and Puppy Dogs

After 85 hours without it, the power came back on last Tuesday morning at about 9:45 a.m. I didn't know until I went back to my room at 2:00 p.m. to figure out what I was going to do for lunch--the AC was on and the fridge was running and I was more excited than I'm pretty sure I've ever been in my life about air conditioning and a running fridge.

On Wednesday, my next-door neighbor and fellow intern, Lee Ann, and I had a cook-IN and had hot dogs, lemonade and baked beans. There was Two Gents rehearsal at 6:00, but it was only a speed-through and they got done pretty early. (There was no dog readily available, so one of ASC's star actors--James Keegan--decided to stand in for the day. It was so hilarious that if he played the dog on a regular basis, I would probably purchase tickets to see the show multiple times, just to see him play the dog.) Then, that night, a couple of the actors, the assistant stage manager Abby, Lee Ann and I decided to go to Gypsy Hill Park to see the Staunton fireworks. I would say it was a very successful Fourth of July.

Thursday we were down in the rehearsal room and they did some rehearsal and a full run of the show from 10:00 to 2:00.

Note: the Two Gents "Coming Soon" poster

Friday was the first dress rehearsal for Two Gents at 2:00 p.m. and Dr. Fiebig and his son Jeremy also visited! Sarah (my internship coordinator and Director of Education at the ASC) and I ate lunch with them at the Taste of India buffet, then we meandered back to the theatre so that I could be on hand for the show. My duties consisted of a little dog handling and line notes. The dogs they have to play the role of Crab in the show come from the Augusta Dog Adoption agency, and they hope to have each of the dogs (a different one each week) adopted.

Tulip, aka Crab 

The first dog's name is Tulip--she's a mix of some pit bull, some lab, and maybe some other things. She's a lovely steel gray color with gorgeous yellow eyes and she's a total sweetheart.

I've volunteered to be dog handler for several of the shows before I leave. Basically the responsibilities include helping the dog get accustomed to the space, getting the dog "in costume" (tying a rope around their collars--trying to avoid anachronisms as much as possible here), and making sure the dog is comfortable. Also, in the show, there's a bit where Lance (the character who owns the dog Crab) comes out and has sacrificially taken a beating so that the dog wouldn't be beaten, and we're hoping that by putting stage blood made of peanut butter, karo syrup, and red food coloring on the actor's face, the dog might, in a performance or two, lick the actor's face and make the whole scene that much cuter and funnier. So I was trying to see if Tulip would catch on and figure it out. She did figure it out with me, but I guess it didn't work so well on stage. What the dog will and won't do on stage will always kind of be a crap shoot. Fortunately, the actor playing the role of Lance is very talented and can spin pretty much anything the dog does into a funny bit. Tulip is female of course and therefore, true to the ASC's practices, cross-gender cast!

Taking line notes in the kitchen

It was great to see Dr. Fiebig, if only briefly. They stayed and watched the first half of Two Gents, but left at intermission, as they had a long drive to make that afternoon/evening.

This coming week will be Pay What You Will previews, and opening night for Two Gents will be this Friday night, July 13th. My parents will be in town that next Sunday the 15th to see the matinee of Two Gents, and then that next Monday, the 16th, since Two Gents will be open, I will make my transition into the marketing office for a week and a half of learning about the daunting task (art?) of professional theatre marketing.

Still power-less

Going on hour 63 without electricity at the PEG dorm at Mary Baldwin College. Fortunately, I'm not alone--all the high school campers, the camp counselors, a couple of other interns, and a costume designer are all experiencing the same thing.

Lee Ann and I locale-hopped most of the weekend, from one coffee shop to the next, charging phones, laptops, using the internet, and just hanging out in general. Lots of people are in the same boat in Staunton--all the coffee shops have been crowded since Saturday morning after the storm. So, you know, at least shops in Staunton are getting lots of extra business!

I managed to salvage some of my groceries and put them in the fridge and freezer at the theatre. Fortunately, they were all more than willing to share some of their fridge space with an intern in need.

It's pretty hot--forecast says it'll be in the 90s this week, and it's not much fun to wake up sweating every morning (the fourth floor is by far the hottest place in the dorm), but I keep reminding myself that things could be worse. It could be hotter, and, when I can spend most of the day in other places that do have air conditioning, things aren't so bad. Plus, no elevator and four flights of stairs mean I'm actually getting some exercise (I haven't been running--the hills in Staunton are far too intimidating for this Midwesterner), and I have a reason to be thankful that my dorm room has a hard tiled floor instead of carpet.

To escape the heat on my day off I'm thinking I'm going to catch a matinee of Brave which I've been wanting to see.

I helped out with Merchant again Saturday night (after spending most of the day in Mugshots), then spent most of yesterday (Sunday) in both Cranberry's and Mugshots, then had Two Gents rehearsal from 6:00 to 10:00 last night. After rehearsal, I went out for my first taste of gelato at the famed Split Banana with the assistant stage manager and one of the actors.

They worked Act V last night in rehearsal and also worked on music. I helped the assistant stage manager finish cleaning out the rehearsal room and we cleaned up the kitchen a little bit--we figured we'd leave things looking nice for the new touring troupe, who will be inhabiting the theatre in our absence as they start their rehearsal process today. They're doing productions of Twelfth Night, Love's Labour's Lost, and The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster. I'm hoping I get to catch a couple of their Ren Runs--Twelfth Night and Love's Labours will both Ren Run before I leave.

The resident troupe is planning to do a full run of Two Gents on Wednesday evening this week (they have a 6:00-10:00 rehearsal after a matinee of Lion that day), so that will be fun to see, and then this Friday is their first dress rehearsal at 2:00 p.m., which Dr. Fiebig and his son Jeremy are planning to be in town to see! I'm looking forward to their visit.

In other news, if you asked me if I had ever successfully memorized a thirty-two-page monologue, I would tell you that yes, in fact, I have. I am essentially off book for My Name is Rachel Corrie, a one-woman show and my senior project, which I will be performing in the fall and the spring this year. It was a long and fairly difficult process--I started memorizing some in March, but really got down to business in May and June. I'm looking forward to getting it on its feet off book.

Next I need to get cracking on lines for Much Ado About Nothing--our homecoming show this fall in which I was cast as Beatrice. We're to come in this fall with lines completely memorized, and I've successfully finished memorizing the lines in the first two scenes I'm in, but still have six or seven scenes to go.

So! I'm keeping busy, trying to keep cool, and would definitely describe this as a memorable experience.

The Tempest!

These last couple of days have certainly been eventful.

Last evening (Friday), I went over to the Playhouse to help out with Merchant, as I've been doing for the past couple of weeks. I'm technically only contracted to work on Two Gents, but I like to take whatever opportunities I can to be at the Playhouse and be helpful. So I help out the assistant stage manager, Abby, and do things like take line notes, sweep floors, help clean out the rehearsal room, clean the stairwells, steam comforters, wash cups, and help prep the stage occasionally.

So, last night, Abby and I were cleaning out Tyson (the rehearsal room), and all of a sudden, the power flickered and then went completely out. Box office staff were running back and forth, and Abby asked if I would go and stand backstage and call her if anybody needed anything. The actors were about three quarters of the way through Merchant, so they paused the show and one of the actors announced, "Please stay in your seats, we'll keep you informed and let you know what the plan is." Then, the lights came back on. Everything seemed fine, and the actors picked up exactly where they left off and kept going. I went back downstairs, and we resumed the cleaning of Tyson, and then the power went out AGAIN. Not for quite as long this time, because by the time we got out the door and partway down the hallway, the lights were back on again. The power went out and came back on probably six or seven times over the course of the evening. Each time, the actors would just pause the show and then resume again where they left off when the lights came back on.

I went up to the front of the Playhouse because one of the box office staffers had come downstairs saying something about crazy wind and a big storm. So one of the actors and I ventured upstairs and peered out the windows to see that some of the trees were basically bent sideways and things were blowing around in the street. The box office staff talked about stopping the show and sending people home at one point, but then decided that since it was so bad outside, they might as well have people stay at the Playhouse and they might as well see a show while they were there. So the show went on.

I went back downstairs, and after the power went out a couple more times I ventured back up to see if the wind had gotten any better or worse. As I headed to the window, the box office staff, who were all standing in one of the open doorways at the back of the Playhouse, called me over, saying that the windows had been rattling not too long before and they were afraid they were going to break. They told me to head back downstairs for now and to let people downstairs know to stay down there unless absolutely necessary (minus the actors, who obviously had entrances to make on the stage).

The show ended and the lights had stayed on for a bit, but they made an announcement that the winds were dangerous and that they didn't recommend venturing out into it, and that everyone was welcome to stay for as long as they needed to. The offer was extended to the staff and the actors as well, but most of us live very close to the Playhouse. After a few minutes, I decided to risk the walk up the hill to my dorm.

It wasn't bad. Pretty windy and a little rainy, and it was almost completely dark as all the street lights and traffic lights around the college were out. I got to the dorm, and discovered Lee Ann sitting in the first floor lobby. The power and air conditioning were out, but there were some emergency lights on in the building. We chilled in the lobby for a while, then she and I and Tory (a costume designer for the theatre who is also on the fourth floor with us), decided to head upstairs. The auxiliary power meant that the lights in the hall were on, but the lights in our rooms and the bathroom wouldn't work, and the outlets in the rooms had a very small amount of power. The mini-fridge in my room had started leaking and there was a big fun puddle of water all over my floor and under my bed, so I cleaned that up, opened the window in my room the whopping five inches it will open, and hunkered down for a rather warm night's sleep.

When I woke up this morning, there was still no power, and it was very warm. After I took a cool shower, Lee Ann and I decided to head over to Coffee on the Corner to see if they had power. They had power, but no AC, and their wifi was down. So, next, we wandered over to the Playhouse, which had power and AC, but no wifi. Then we wandered down a couple of blocks to another cafe called Mugshots, which, thankfully, has power, AC, and wifi. So we're chilling here for now (pun intended), charging everything electronic and taking advantage of the free interwebs.

Tonight I'm planning to help out with Merchant again. Two Gents rehearsal tomorrow night from 6:00 to 10:00, and then day off on Monday. Wondering when they'll be able to get the power back up and running, and cringing at the thought that my groceries in the fridge are spoiling as I type.

This Week

Living completely alone on the fourth floor of a dorm is an experience, I'll give you that. But it is nice not to live there entirely alone anymore.

A week and a half ago, the high school Shakespeare campers moved in. They moved into floors two and three, so I've heard them and seen them around, passed them on the main floor, and ridden the elevator with them a few times. I met a few of the counselors too, and it was nice to know I wasn't the only human being in that enormous building at night.

Then, Saturday, another intern named Leanne moved in next door to me. I didn't meet her till Sunday morning. She's just as much (or perhaps more) of a Shakespeare addict than I am, is going to be a senior at Drew University, and is interning in the Education department. We have a lot of things in common, not the least of which being a love of all things theatre and Shakespeare.

Monday night there was a meet and greet barbecue with the adults participating the "No Kidding Shakespeare Camp"--a Shakespeare camp for adults only--at Ralph Cohen's house (one of the co-founders of the ASC and the director of Two Gents). I wasn't originally going to go because I figured I would be the awkward intern the whole time, but Leanne talked me into going, so I did. It was actually a good time, and I got to meet some new people, talk with several of the campers, and have a really great conversation with Tracie (one of the actors, who plays Portia in Merchant, Alais in Lion, and Julia in Two Gents).

This week: still rehearsals, with performances of Merchant and Lion some of the evenings. It's really fascinating to watch the rehearsal process, and watch the director shape the actors' performances. I still don't feel incredibly helpful most of the time, but I do what I can. Next I'll probably share some of my thoughts and observations on the staging of Two Gents thus far.