Katherine Warden of St. Charles, Mo., a student at Southeast Missouri State University, interned this summer at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, N.Y.  
 
Katherine was a member of the Lab Company in the assistant directing program.  She said she assisted in directing four plays while at the Hangar Theatre and was able to work with many famous actors and directors such as director Peter Flynn and Tony Award Nominee actress Emily Skinner. 
 
“My job was to be as useful to the director as possible, so sometimes I gave creative suggestions, took notes for them, or worked lines with the actors,” Katherine said.  “It all depended on what the director needed.”

In addition to assisting the directors, Katherine also took several directing classes.

“We typically had classes from 9 a.m. to noon and rehearsal from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a dinner break around 5 p.m.,” said Katherine.

Although the hours were long and the work demanding, Katherine said she has a renewed excitement and passion for theatre and the arts.  She received hands-on experience which gave her confidence in her talent as a director. 

Katherine’s favorite part of the internship was working with other talented, young artists.

"I made a lot of great connections, and I know, if given the chance, any of them would give me a job in the future if they could, which is reassuring,” Katherine said. 
 
Katherine’s determination for success is evident in her class schedule.  She has taken extra classes each semester, so she expects to graduate this spring, two semesters earlier than planned.  When Katherine is not busy with class and theater, however, she likes to spend time at home with her dog, Oliver.

Katherine offers the following advice to Southeast students:  “Do research and rely on yourself.  The perfect internship is out there for you, but you have to go find it.”

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