Internships, Apprenticeships, and Opportunities

Our students pursue internships, apprenticeships, shadowing and other opportunities out in the field, often facilitated through connections with faculty, staff and alumni working in the field. There is financial support available to support students for certain types of opportunities.

On this page you'll find articles about students and alums who've found opportunities through internships, as well as a listing of the selected internships and other mentorships they've pursued.

^{(In the photo, undergraduate student Honey Mahoney poses in the costume shop of the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre where they assisted Associate Professor of Costume Design Yao Chen while she costume designed the musical Cats.)}

Honey Mahoney poses in the Utah Festival costume shop

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Linnea Soderberg '17 designs wigs in for musical in China

In October 2023, Yao Chen, Associate Professor of costume design at UMass Amherst Theater, facilitated a remarkable connection between alum Linnea Soderberg '17 and the prestigious Seven Ages, LTD theater company in Beijing, China.

Extending career connections to students

Students pursue internship and other career-building opportunities in a variety of fields related to theater.

We are lucky to have active relationships with several local companies including WAM Theatre, Hartford Stage, Chester Theatre Company, and Silverthorne Theater; students have also worked or interned at Shakespeare & Co., Williamstown Theater Festival, and Spoleto Festival.

Many of our faculty have active professional careers and bring students along as assistants or on shadowing experiences — in the past year, for example, students have traveled with Professor of Costume Design Yao Chen to New Jersey, Utah, and China.

Additionally, our alums look out for up and coming theater-makers. Tony-nominated lighting designer Ben Stanton welcomed students as he prepared a show for its Broadway run; directing powerhouse Down Monique Williams gave a grad student the chance to see a show get up on its feet at the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Selected Internships

Below is a select listing, by area, some recent opportunities pursued by our students in various areas of theater.

Costume

Honey Mahoney, undergraduate — Assisted Professor of Costume Design Yao Chen as she did Costume Design for Cats at the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre.
Malory Rojas, MFA in Costume Design — Assisted and observed as Costume Design Assistant to Professor Yao Chen at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's production of A Midwinter Night's Dream, adapted from by William Shakespeare by Bonnie J. Monte and Joseph Discher. This opportunity was funded by the Department of Theater's Remsen Internship Fund.
Linnea Soderberg '17, undergraduate — Executive wig designer for the musical production of Mozart by Seven Ages, LTD, a Chinese theater company

Dialect Coaching

Lindsay Forauer, undergraduate — Dialect Coach for Silverthorne Theater Co.'s production of Bulrusher

Directing

Kyle Boatwright, MFA in directing — Shadowed director Dawn Monique Williams '11G as she directed Twelfth Night at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Lighting Design

Hyejung Kang, MFA in directing — Shadowed The Notebook Lighting Designer Ben Stanton '99, '22G at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and A Christmas Carol in preparation for its Broadway run in NYC. Both opportunities were funded by the Department of Theater's Remsen Internship Fund
Lucas Musgrave, undergraduate — Master electrician for Chester Theatre Co.'s 2024 season

Scenic Design

Drishti Chauhan, MFA in scenic design & technology — Shadowed The Notebook design team at Chicago Shakespeare Theater during technical rehearsal. This opportunity was funded by the Department of Theater's Remsen Internship Fund.

Financial Support

Many internships and related opportunities are minimally stipended or unpaid, which places these opportunities out of reach for many students.

Established by the Department of Theater after a donation of seed money from Alice Arkin, the Penny Remsen Design and Technology Theater Internship Fund offers financial support to UMass Theater students pursuing internships in theater design and technology. The fund disburses awards that are specific to student needs, up to $1,500. Both undergraduate and graduate students can apply for support from this fund with proof of an internship offer.

Graduate students can access the University's MFA Funds, which can be used to support students directly through summer funding, recruitment incentives, or professional development (eg travel to conferences, research, artistic creation expenses).

Through AcademicWorks, eligible students can access scholarships, including some that support career development opportunities.

Malory Rojas adjusts the trim on a hat that is part of a costume for a play.

My experience in the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey was a full view into the professional Designer World, Professor Chen took me in as her Costume Designer Assistant, teaching me about the world of research and fitting the actors, attending meetings and working in the process of putting together the costumes — Malory Grillo, MFA in Costume Design

Grad students Hyejung Kang and Drishti Chauhan in front of "the Bean" in Chicago

A noteworthy trip: grad students shadow the creation of a new musical

It’s not every day first-year MFA students get to shadow a renowned lighting designer while he’s working on a Broadway-bound show — but that’s exactly what Hyejung Kang and Drishti Chauhan did on a whirlwind trip to Chicago this summer, thanks to Tony-nominated lighting designer Ben Stanton ’99, ‘22G.