It is about that time when everyone is figuring out what they will be doing this summer after school or their season concludes in May. It's probably a bit late to start looking for a summer stock gig or internship, but if you haven't started yet, you should! Some excellent resources are www.backstagejobs.com which is free, or make sure to check out Art Search (www.tcg.org/artsearch)which is subscription based. I was lucky enough to be invited back as the Master Electrician again to a very small, but amazing, summer stock theatre in Vermont. It is part of Middlebury College's summer English program and is very academically based. I get to work with a bunch of great designer from the academic community including both my graduate (CalArts) and undergrad (Bucknell) in addition to the University of Iowa and Brown University. It is an amazing way to spend a summer that is incredibly well funded and really gives back to the community. We produce one amazing show each summer in a small, but suitable converted barn, and open all the performances up to the community for free. We usually produce a Shakespeare work ever other year. This year it is Twelfth Night. It has been one of the best experiences of my life working there, and I look forward to going back year-round. And of course that we are all avid croquet enthusiasts, which is a good example of what summer stock is all about.
I also got another incredible offer to work as a moving light tracker on the Lion King National Tour in August. I'll be spending just under three weeks in Columbus, Ohio, which is where the tour kicks off. This is going to make the end of my summer ridiculously busy as I have two days between finishing up in Vermont and getting to Ohio. The show also then runs right into the start of the fall semester at CalArts, which means I'll be flying back to California for classes right away. I am really excited about working on such an iconic show and I am up for any and all the challenges it offers.