Westport Country Playhouse Announces Woodward Internship Applications Available

An props/scenic painting intern from a previous season in the Joanne Woodward Internship Program. Contributed Photo

Westport Country Playhouse:

Westport Country Playhouse announces that applications are now being accepted for its 2022 Joanne Woodward Internship Program for theater career aspirants. Interns enhance their professional skills and gain on-the-job experience working directly with Playhouse senior staff during summer months. 

Named in honor of actress, director, and the Playhouse’s former artistic director, the Joanne Woodward Internship program is one of the nation’s preeminent theater training opportunities for emerging professionals. Internships have formed a vital part of the Playhouse’s mission since 1946. Among the alumni of the Playhouse’s program is the late composer Stephen Sondheim.

In-person internship opportunities are available in company management, development, education, marketing, props/scenic painting, stage management, and wardrobe. The program will run from May 28 – August 21. Stage management and wardrobe internships will begin on May 21. Stipend is $560 per week and housing will be provided. Application deadline is March 11. To apply, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/education/internapplication/

In addition to working in their respective departments, interns will attend weekly seminars featuring a variety of guest speakers, including Playhouse staff members, visiting designers and artists, commercial producers, and more. 

The 2022 interns are hired through the Playhouse’s recently restructured recruiting process to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. Hiring panels, comprised of the department’s manager, other department members, and a staff member from a different department, carefully review all applications and ask identical questions of all candidates, creating an equitable environment. 

In addition to the Woodward Internships, the Playhouse supports the Staples High School Internship program, designed for seniors to gain a comprehensive overview of an organization and get real-world experience for four-weeks prior to graduation.  

Woodward Internship Program sponsors include Stephen Corman, Anna Czekaj-Farber, Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation, and Judy and Scott Phares. Support for the 2022 Education Program comes from the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation; The David and Geri Epstein Foundation; George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation; Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc., and Roz and Bud Siegel.

All Westport Country Playhouse employees are required to provide proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination and proof of a booster dose (for those eligible as defined by Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines). 

Westport Country Playhouse’s 2022 season includes the Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning pop/rock musical, “Next to Normal,” about a family’s response to loss and endurance, with music by  Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, and directed and choreographed by Marcos Santana, from April 5 through April 23; “Straight White Men,” about a father’s relationship with his three adult sons, written by Young Jean Lee and directed by Mark Lamos, from May 24 through June 5; “Kim’s Convenience,” a comedy that generated a Netflix series about a Korean family who own a convenience store in Toronto, written by Ins Choi and directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III, from July 5  through July 17; Obie Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist “4000 Miles,” about two unlikely roommates, written by Amy Herzog and directed by David Kennedy, from August 23 through September 4; and Los Angeles Drama-Logue winner and Pulitzer Prize nominee “From the Mississippi Delta,” an inspiring coming-of-age journey, by Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland and directed by Goldie E. Patrick, from October 18 through October 30. The complete schedule is available at westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and formats are subject to change.

For more information, visit www.westportplayhouse.org, email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, Tuesday through Friday, 12 to 6 p.m. Stay connected to the Playhouse at westportplayhouse.org, on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse). Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.