I have officially completed Day 1 as the Signature Theatre education intern! There were some fun parts, there were some less-fun administrative kind of parts, but at the end of the day, I’m excited to be part of this staff. I like the vibes in the office. My fellow desk-mate would occasionally break into his own adaptations of Broadway songs, and there was enough intermittent laughter to make me think that these people genuinely like each other and their jobs.
I’m excited to be working at Signature because I’ve always had a soft spot for musical theatre. I love my Martin McDonagh and Oscar Wilde and Carol Churchill and Tony Kushner, but my first experience with theatre (as is true for many people) was Les Miserables. At nine years old, I learned how music could connect me to ideas and stories so much bigger than myself, even if I didn’t fully understand yet what a world “beyond the barricade” looked like. And Signature’s specialty is Sondheim, who has created some of the most brilliant musicals in our American repertoire. Ever since I worked on Assassins for the “Junior Performance Project” at Carnegie Mellon, I was smitten. Signature has done Assassins twice, Sweeney Todd three times (to the initial shock of its first audiences), and Into the Woods at least once. They’re not afraid to make productions of even “classic” musicals fresh, fun, and fabulous. But I think my favorite part of Signature so far is that they do musicals in a 250-seat black box theatre space. Although I have appreciated the grandiose halls of the National Theatre or the Benedum Center (good ole’ Pittsburgh college nights out on the town!), I love that Signature audiences can SEE the emotions on the faces of the performers as well as hear it in their voices. The audience is practically part of the show, which has always been my favorite kind of theatre.
Additionally, to conclude the adventures of the day, there is a lovely little restaurant called “Busboys and Poets” (named so in honor of Langston Hughes) a few steps away from the theatre. I was initially going to get my food to go, but the bartender convinced me to linger a bit, and the menu’s dedication to organically-grown produce and social activism caught my eye enough to stay. I was sold on the place when I got the check and realized that my margarita was on the house. I think I may have found my friendly neighborhood pub, a staple for any place to feel like home to a true Irish lass.
In conclusion, I like it here. I still need to see how the next few months unfold, but so far, I feel welcomed by new coworkers and strangers alike. I know I”m going to be working hard with not a big budget, but my mind is happy to be back in “active” mode. I have already started a little “dramaturgy” for Signature’s “Off-Book” talk-back session next week that they do in conjunction with the Shirlington Library, which shares their building. Yes, I work in a theatre/library. Anyone who has ever known me would agree that I’m in the right place. I’m sure I’ll have tough days and rough weather, but at least to start me on my way, I have blue skies over D.C.
Capital Dramaturgy 