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AMERICAN THEATRE WING INTRODUCES TWO NEW PROGRAMS FOR 2005
"SpringboardNYC" and "Theatre Intern Group"
Focus on Aspiring Professionals
New York, NY, January 17, 2005 — The American Theatre Wing, the not-for-profit theatrical service organization best known as the founder of the prestigious Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, has announced two new programs for 2005, both focusing on providing support for aspiring professionals in the theatrical field. SpringboardNYC is a two-week boot camp for college students following junior year or upon their graduation, designed to introduce them into the city of New York and the New York theatrical community. Theatre Intern Group is a social and professional networking and professional development group for the dozens of interns who are integral to the operation of theatrical offices, both not-for-profit and commercial, across the city.
SpringboardNYC
Initiated and operated for three years as a program of Musical Theatre Works, SpringboardNYC is a college-to-career transition program that equips young people for their transition from a protective academic training environment to a competitive professional life. SpringboardNYC provides up-to-date, practical, hands-on career guidance for college students in the arts. The theatrical immersion curriculum includes a series of workshops, seminars, master classes and field trips, placing participants in the center of New York’s theatrical community, with access to influential working artists. Past mentors and speakers have included: Harold Prince, Raul Esparza, Graciela Daniele, Randy Graff, Jefferson Mays, Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx, and Jason Robert Brown. Students learn job seeking skills and urban survival tools to translate their academic training into productive careers.
SpringboardNYC will be led by Randy Ellen Lutterman, former executive director of Musical Theatre Works, who developed the program for MTW.
The 2005 Springboard program will run from June 6 to June 17, 2005. For program information and fees, as well as application materials, call 212-765-0606 x307, or visit the website www.springboardnyc.org.
Theatre Intern Group
Theatre Intern Group creates social and professional development opportunities for the young people who work in theatrical offices, enabling them to build contacts with their peers immediately upon starting work in the theatrical community. Monthly panel discussions on the many facets of the theatrical field offer intimate opportunities for the interns to learn from professionals with 5 to 10 years of experience — long enough to be immersed in the profession, but not so far removed from the experiences of the interns themselves.
The Theatre Intern Group was founded by Lesley-Anne Stone (as the "Broadway Intern Group") during her summers interning in 2000 and 2001; it was revived by her in summer 2004 in partnership with Liz Jurist, a past group member. Stone now works at SpotCo, where she previously interned; Jurist is studying for her Masters in arts administration at NYU, following a stint as Associate General Manager of the Helen Hayes Theatre. The pair will continue to lead the group.
The Theatre Intern Group kicks off 2005 on January 25 at 6:45 p.m. with a social gathering for both new and returning members, to be held in Studio 4 of the Manhattan Theatre Club Studios, 311 West 43rd Street, 8th Floor. For more information, visit the website at www.theatreinterngroup.org; to RSVP for January 25 event, call 212-765-0606 x302 or e-mail theatreinterngroup@americantheatrewing.org. Coming up on February 23 at 6:45, location t.b.a., Theatre Intern Group will host a panel on Casting and Talent Agents.
Regarding the new programs, American Theatre Wing Executive Director Howard Sherman commented, "We’re very pleased to give a home to both SpringboardNYC and the Theatre Intern Group, which separately have begun innovative programming to support early career professionals. Together, under the umbrella of ATW, they will find a stronger footing and, I believe, a beneficial synergy. These new initiatives represent the newest efforts of ATW to provide distinctive service to the theatre community and we believe they have a rich future."
The American Theatre Wing is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to education and excellence in the theatre. Sondra Gilman is the chairman of the board of directors and Doug Leeds is President. In addition to creating and awarding the Antoinette Perry Tony Awards, ATW’s programs include the long-running "Working in the Theatre" Seminars, broadcast in New York on CUNY-TV; a grants and scholarship program awarding $150,000 annually to New York not-for-profit theatre companies and theatre students; and "Downstage Center," a weekly theatrical interview show on XM Satellite Radio. ATW’s media work is available for free, on-demand from the company’s website, www.americantheatrewing.org
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