I truly could not be more grateful for the months I've spent as an intern at RCI. I joined the RCI team a few short weeks before the Tony Awards, and although I hadn't been at RCI for even a month at that point, I felt a direct buy-in as a part of the team and was able to rejoice and celebrate the Hadestown and Oklahoma! wins with the whole office. That evening in and of itself was enough to make my internship worthwhile for me. From that point on I was asked to fill in as David's assistant for the remainder of my internship in addition to my standard intern duties. In this dual position I was given hands-on tasks which included: reading through potential clients' scripts and giving my notes directly to David, redlining and drafting contracts for various designers and members of Broadway creative teams on some of this fall's productions, completing insurance applications for one of our shows and working with the General Manager to submit the paperwork on potential liabilities, researching and booking rehearsal spaces for our productions, and comparing agreements of different types (merchandising deals, theater/venue agreements, etc.)—just to name a few.
Being an intern this summer put me in a very interesting position to observe the growth of the company. By entering while two shows reached a peak during this awards season, and watching four more in the final preparation and execution stages of opening on Broadway, I was able to contribute to and support much of what goes on in the front-lines of theatre management. Now, as I go into my senior year at Wharton, I have a mix of feelings that range from sadness to have to say farewell to RCI, and determination as I make the most out of the end of my undergraduate education and prepare to enter the workforce. There are very few moments in a person's life where one feels at the cusp of something greater than themselves, and RCI has been that experience for me; the work RCI does acts as a catalyst for change both for the interns they inspire, and the industry at large.
I could not have asked for a better environment to learn and grow as a hopeful theatre professional. If I could give a word of advice to any future interns, it would be this: this office is full of some of the best and brightest commercial general management has to offer. Every task, no matter how small, must be done by someone at some point. Know that you are actively contributing to the team with every task someone hands you—and don't be afraid to ask for more!