Intern Spotlight: Audience Relations Intern Vivian Barns
My favorite part of my Audience Relations internship thus far has been seeing the way our patrons have responded so generously and enthusiastically to the transformations we've gone through over the last year.
One important aspect of my internship involves serving as the house manager for some of our productions. For those who don't know, the house manager is responsible for making sure that everything runs smoothly from the moment the first patrons arrive to the minute the last patron walks out the door. We coordinate with the stage manager, bar shift manager, and box office managers to keep the evening on schedule and make sure everyone is enjoying their experience.
I was nervous about my first house managing shift for The White Snake because the Head theater is completely new for me. I was worried about how patrons would react to all the changes, whether or not people would be able to figure out where to go, and how working with a completely re-imagined space was going to go affect our ushers.
Despite all my worries, everyone took to the new changes beautifully. Our ushers were helpful and on their best game. Communication between all the different departments was top notch. And, my absolute favorite part, every patron was floored by how transformed the fourth floor was.
I loved getting to watch people's jaws drop and their eyes widen in delight as they turned the corner and got to see the new lobby, all lit up and expanded. It brought me so much joy to see people walk into the new Head theater and not want to take their seats because they were so excited to explore everything that has been updated.
Getting to be a witness to so much delight and happiness made all of my earlier trepidation worth it. That first shift reminded me of why I love working in the theater and why I love getting to be a part of the Baltimore Center Stage family.