NEWS

Fifteen Louisiana Tech students studying performing arts have landed summer employment at various prestigious locations across the United States.

Paul Crook, an assistant professor, said nine of the students received their gigs through auditions and interviews at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the largest theater convention in the country.

“We encourage all of our students to attend each year,” Crook said. “Two of them got their gigs through individual auditions, and the other four got theirs through previous contact with their employers or just applying.”

Crook said he and the performing arts faculty strongly encourage students to intern during the summer.

“I think the large number of our students who have gotten summer work, or, in the case of some of our graduating seniors, full-time employment, is a testament to our program,” he said. “Although we are a small department, each of our faculty members has one or more areas of professional expertise, and we all maintain our professional contacts and continue to work professionally outside of our work here at the university. Because of this, our students benefit from our ongoing growth and contacts as artists.”

Performing art internships this summer include the following, listed by location of the jobs and detailing the students’ work:

Stage Door Manor, Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.
Alice Allen-Ford, of Bossier City, stage manager/counselor
Tim Dickey, of Tahlequah, Okla., technical director

Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival, Durant, Okla.
Matt Bass, of St. Louis, Mo., actor
John Keenan, of Easley, S.C., scenic designer
Noelle Smith, of Tyler, Texas, stage manager
Stacy Trammell, of Austin, Texas, actor

Dallas Shakespeare, Dallas, Texas
Jacob Birch, of Corinth, Texas, intern

Highlands Playhouse, Highlands, N.C.
Keive Gordon, of Ty Ty, Ga., box office assistant

Stella Adler Summer Intensive, New York City, N.Y.
Michaela Madison, of West Monroe, actor

Lexington Children’s Theatre, Lexington, Ky.
Joscelyne Oktabetz, of Baton Rouge, costume intern
Amanda Tatum, of Shreveport, educational intern
Natalie Weaver, of West Monroe, public relations intern

Horn in the West, Boone, N.C.
Andrew Ray, of Lexington, Ky., actor

ECU Loessin Theatre, Greenville, N.C.
Katy Swann, of Oklahoma City, Okla., assistant stage manager

New Harmony Theatre, Evansville, Ind.
Jami Windham, of Shreveport, house manager/box office assistant.

Written by Judith Roberts