Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 8)

So it's finally my last week at Mosaic Theatre. I can't say it's been an easy internship, because I put in a lot of hours, a lot of effort, and I had to learn the basics quick, but I loved every single minute of it. 

During this last week I concentrated on updating and finalizing the customization of Mosaic Theatre's Tumblr, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram web page. I edited them, made them a little more eye catching, added all the posts Jon and Richard thought best to add before I left, etc. Last but not least, I taught Jon and Richard about the basics on how to control, edit, and basically use these networking websites. It wasn't an easy task, as most of these webpages are a little difficult to get an understanding of, but with lots of patience and time, they came to understand.

They were so appreciative about the work I did with these webpages, they even began a Social Media Internship, which I also promoted on all of the networking websites.

It was so great to see that I actually made a real contribution to the company and that I left a mark behind. That was my ultimate goal.

On my last day, we all sat down and talked about the company and my time at Mosaic Theatre. I gave suggestions about what posts they should be posting and they gave me suggestions about my acting career and how to better go about it.

I suggested that they begin to involve the public more and become a little more personal on their websites, showing the behind the scenes and day to day at Mosaic Theatre. This way, people would start understanding all the hard work they put into each play and they would also be able to communicate and form a more personal connection with Richard and Jon. 

They gave me some suggestions about what auditions to go to and where to sign up to hear about them.

Overall it was a great opportunity and I learned so much about the true work that goes behind a theatre.

Hopefully, for their next auditions, I'll be able to audition and be casted. That way I can see the other side of the theatre.

I truly appreciate everything Jon and Richard did for me at Mosaic Theatre. It was a pleasure working with them. 

Now on to the next one!!

Happy Acting,

Gracias

Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 7)

Although week 7 was not as interesting as the past few weeks, it was a week of hard work and lots of learning. Throughout the week my job entailed recording all emails, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and personal work information from all of Mosaic Theatre's patrons on PatronMail. PatronMail is a networking email site where companies can send large email blasts to all of their customers. Each customer can also be searched and emailed individually, as all of their information is in their account.

I was handed a list of over 3,000 patrons, so basically that's what I did the entire week. It was a little tiring and dull but I got to see the range of patrons Mosaic has all over Florida and even in some other places like New York and Los Angeles.

I learned the the way Mosaic Theatre got a hand on 3,000 new patrons was because they made a trade with the Caldwell Theatre; patrons for patrons. I thought that was a very smart business move, because now Mosaic is getting even more recognition across Florida.

So this made me think…How can I take all that I'm learning here about 'spreading the word' and apply it to the Lynn Drama Club?? After all, the Lynn Drama Club does have a few issues with awareness amongst the Boca and Florida community. We are in desperate need of larger number of audiences and more sold out shows. Nonetheless, this is why week 7 was so important.

As passed onto PatronMail all of this information, I started making a little Ideas List for the Lynn Drama Club; some marketing, social networking, and creative ideas. First, I thought the Lynn Drama Club should be a little more involved with the community via social networks, so I thought that it would be a great idea to set up the Club with a Tumblr, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and PatronMail account. It's an easy and great way of getting the company out there. As an actress, I was taught about the importance of social media and the impact it can have on a society as Internet-friendly as today. An important way of getting yourself known is to open up accounts wherever you could. So, I'm pretty sure this should apply to the Lynn Drama Club to.

Second, I thought it would be a great idea for the Club to start having some fill out charts at the entrance of every play, so that people could leave their information and subscribe to get more information about the Club and what we do. We could add them to PatronMail and sending everyone monthly BLASTS. It's also a great way of contacting them and sending them specials about all of our auditions and workshops.

The list had more ideas, but some that are still a working progress. Regardless, this week was a interesting one and I had a lot to learn and to pass on for the Lynn Drama Club. I really feel like it's a great way of taking all that I'm doing this summer and apply it to things that matter; like I'm hopefully going to be able to make a difference in the Drama Club at Lynn.

Happy Acting,
Gracias

Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 6)

During week 6 it was essential for Mosaic to start sending 'Thank You' letters to those patrons who had already subscribed for the upcoming 12th Season at Mosaic Theatre, and more importantly to send reminders to those previous patron/subscribers who had yet to subscribe. Therefore, that was my job for the entire week.

I made two spread-sheets divided between those who had already subscribed for Season 12 and those who had not yet done so. Afterwords, I checked each patron to make sure that all of their mailing and other details were up-to-date and correct. This would not only make the labeling process easier, but also serve as an efficient way to verify that all patrons were contacted, leaving no one out. This job was not as easy as it first looked like. I had to go back and forth between the spread-sheets and the files in the cabinet to make sure all the information matched perfectly. Most of the patron's spouses also had separate files and information along the spread-sheets, and since their mailing address was identical, I had to search for them and match them up together in order to send their letter together.

Nonetheless, this process took an entire work day, and the next two days in week 6 would be dedicated to making labels for all the letters, printing them out, sticking them to the envelopes -whilst keeping them in alphabetical order- stuffing the envelopes with all of the required pages of information, sealing them, stamping them, and finally sending the letters off. There was approximately a little over 350 letters to send, so you can only imagine how this repetitive process can not only take a long time, but also wear someone out. Nevertheless, it's the hard work a company must undergo in order to reach a healthy number of audiences for each play, as well as a relatively high quota.

This was obviously not the most interesting project I've been given in my Internship, but somehow I ended up really liking it because I gained experience working with Microsoft Excel -putting to test all of what my teachers at Lynn taught me about using the program- and I also learned valuable techniques on how to keep information in order.

More so, I come to understand the importance of keeping constant contact with any patron that comes to see the shows. The more Mosaic appears to have control, organization and initiative, the more people will be drawn to the theater's professionalism.

Happy Acting,
Gracias

  

Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 5)

Hey there again!!
So half of my Internship is over and now comes the second half; and because the play, The Edge of Our Bodies, finished, the second half of my Internship will involve less interaction with patrons and more administrative projects. During this 5th week, Mosaic Theatre has begun preparing for next season, and organization is the key. This is where I come in.

During the next 4 weeks, starting this past 5th week of my Internship, my projects revolve around doing inventory, organizing next season's subscription and ticket orders, making spread sheets to organize all the papers and documents in the office, shredding those that are of no use anymore,  etc. More interestingly though, because of my age and knowledge of how to use social media networking sites, Richard and Jon - my bosses - have asked me to help make Mosaic Theatre more internet friendly.They want to find new ways to spread the word about their showcases, events, ticket offers, etc., so I offered to help setting them up with a range of different networking sites like:

- TUMBLR          (http://mosaictheatre.tumblr.com                                                                                
- FACEBOOK    (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mosaic-Theatre/114093584692?ref=mf)
- TWITTER         (http://twitter.com/mosaictheatre)
- INSTAGRAM

Therefore, throughout the week, I set them up with these sites, personalized them, showed them how to use them, and I now update them evert work day. I also suggested to them that they start looking for a Social Media Intern and I spread the word about this in the sites as well. So I really stepped it up in terms of my responsibilities and adding a little bit of my knowledge and personality into the job.

Nevertheless, this week has been an interesting one and I actually feel really proud of my self because I took the initiative to offer a diverse way of helping the company and truly set the bar higher for myself. I can certainly tell that my bosses liked to see this side of me as they thanked me for introducing them to a side of the business they has not yet quite understood how to work. Yes, they did have a Twitter and Facebook already, but did not fully understand how to use them to their full advantage.

I never thought that this is the way my Internship would go. I'm an acting major and didn't expect to be doing marketing for the company, but I'm glad I did. I'm starting to spread my wings a little more, exploring what other aspects of the business I can work with and take charge. More so, by going on other theatre's websites and viewing their profiles, to make sure that Mosaic is up to date with all of them and also add them or Mosaic as followers, I have come to see that there are many others theatre's across the US that I can go do Internships of apprenticeships for. This gives me a sense of hope and inspiration to go look for other opportunities in other places in the world and not limit myself to my surroundings.

Ergo, this week was awesome!! Learning how to run a theatre office was not what I expected or initially wanted, but I'm learning about so many different things that I can now genuinely understand and appreciate the muscle behind the stage and play. The office that makes the art of theatre possible!!

I really do recommend for any aspiring actors/actresses that they at some point take the time to work as an Intern at a small theatre company like this one, to comprehend and learn about the backbone of the theatre.

Happy Acting,
Gracias

Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 4)

Hey Hey Hey!!

Right, so week 4 was a busy one. Since it was the last weekend that The Edge of Our Bodies would be running, people were really rushing to come watch it before it ended. The box office was a little crazy with so many people rushing in, getting late, or forgetting to book tickets, but since I had three weeks of enough training, I did pretty awesome. Nonetheless, this weekend was kind of like my test to see if I learned to run the box office and be house manager under pressure, and I believe I passed with flying colors. :)

Other than doing my regular little administrative projects during the week, and running box office and house manager during the weekend, on Tuesday night I got to do something a little different. Mosaic Theatre hosted a play reading with FREE admission, so I was on crowd control. More so, since we didn't have ushers working that night, I also served as an usher. Surprisingly, a lot of people came, so I guess play readings are more crowd appealing than what I believed.

After the play reading, we hosted a little party with snacks and wine. I served all the wine and snacks and went around the party talking to everyone and asking about their opinions about the play reading. Luckily, everyone seemed to have loved it.

In other words, this week was less learning and more putting to the test, which makes sense as it was the play's last week running, so my duties would soon change, and it was the end of the first half of my internship.

My bosses think I'm a huge help, which is very nice to hear. :)

One thing that did stand out about this week though was that I had to engage in SALES. My boss asked me to remind patrons to subscribe for next season and to try and get as many as I could to do so as we needed more subscriptions. This was a little bit of a task, as I'm not use to sales, but my boss told me to be relaxed and use my personality, so I did. I approached it in a very excited, jokingly, and relaxed way and after a few tries I got the hang of it and got quite a few people to subscribe.

Anyway, I'm sure these next 4 weeks are going to be hard but exciting as my jobs will probably entail different things now. Regardless, I'm excited.

Happy Acting,
Gracias

Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 3)

Hey there again,

So it's been three long weeks at the Mosaic Theater, but they have been so wonderful. I've truly learned so much and have been inspired to even one day maybe hold up my own theater company...maybe :).

This third week was great because my boss told me that I was doing an incredible job and they now started asking me about my acting experience and if I would ever be interested in acting for them. This is the opportunity of a lifetime as this exactly where I was hoping to go with this Internship.

So we spoke about me as an actress, what my talents are, where my strengths and weaknesses are, and what roles I would be interested in. Finally, I gave him my head-shots and resume and he put me on the list for the actors/actresses to be called to come in an audition. He explained that they hold a huge open audition first, so they can see all the options for actors/actresses before the season commences, then they host call backs during the season for different roles.

I'm so very excited to come audition for them and to be part of the one of their many great plays. A lot of people come to watch these plays, especially important directors, producers, writers, etc. This could maybe be my break...

Anyway, another exciting thing that happened this week was that I finally got to sit in and watch The Edge of Our Bodies, their 5th and last play of their 11th Season, starring Lexi Langs.

Watching this play was bittersweet to be honest. The play, set, context, is beyond incredible. It's a very tragic, emotional, and inspiring story. I definitely would recommend it to anyone who has time to watch the play, especially young women as it is a coming of age play. Lexi did such a GREAT job. She was spot on and even had me crying towards the end of the show, but I felt so jealous. Not in a bad way, I just know I could have played that part so brilliantly as well. I found myself really connecting with the character and the story. So in a way it's really good I got to watch the play and experience these emotions because it inspired me so much more to start getting myself out there because I could land roles like this if I push myself hard enough.

Besides these two events though, the week was good. A lot of filing and organizing had to take place. I also helped my boss, Jon, prepare for next season's promotions.

The thing about working for a theater is that your working in the name of art sort of. I've found myself talking about the plays to people back in Boca, encouraging them to come see the plays as it's such a wonderful emotional experience.

Working for Mosaic Theater truly is working for a bigger cause...

I love it.

Keep reading for more of my weeks at Mosaic Theater, and if you're around... COME SEE THE PLAY!! This weekend is our last weekend.

If interested, call for tickets or more information to:

(954) 57 STAGE

or go online to mosaictheatre.com


Happy Acting,
Gracias

    

Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 2)

Hey!

So my second week at Mosaic Theatre was a lot more fun! I'm starting to get use to everything and since I now know most of the things I need to do and I've been properly trained, I've been given a lot more responsibilities this past week. They are trusting me with Box Office duties, Usher and House Manager duties, as well as office duties. Mondays' and Wednesdays' I handle the basic office duties of answering the phones, taking subscriptions and ticket orders, updating the systems and files on the computers, running the credit card payments, and preparing mailing packages for other companies and possible sponsors. These office duties, though seemingly easy, require a lot of organization and handling different responsibilities and the same time.

MULTITASKING! :)

I've therefore learned a lot about organizing myself and about the importance of having everything filed and on record. Everything requires to be kept on track and easily found. I now understand that for a Theatre company to run successfully, the administrative office must be prepared for everything. COPIES AND FILES ARE ESSENTIAL!! Plus, it's become extremely evident that a successful company runs on paper copies, not solely on computers as they run the risk of crashing.


Anyway, Thursdays' through Sundays' I run the Box Office and i'm House Manager. These two jobs require a lot of responsibility too, but more so, they require a lot of confidence and personality when dealing with customers who come to see the play and expect the theatre to be working as expected.

I deal with a lot of different people, especially elders who could tend to look down on me because of my age, but I personally think that with my organization, personality and maturity, I make them feel very welcomed and I'm able to answer all of their questions.

As the saying goes, "The customer is always right!". With this, I know that in the event of an unsatisfied customer, my boss instructed me to give them what they want, be polite, but to also remind them, for future events, about the policies of the company. I would have not really thought that that's the way to deal with a problem, but as my boss, Richard, has taught me, it keeps customers coming back.

Nevertheless, these are the main things I learned last week from my Internship and I can only wait and hope that next week I learn even more.

For now, I really am enjoying the experience.

Check in for more updates and posts…

Happy Acting,
Gracias

        

Internship @ MOSAIC THEATRE (Week 1)

Hey!
So, during this summer, I will be interning at a non-profit theatre company in Plantation, FL called MOSAIC THEATRE.


(HERE'S THE THEATRE'S WEBSITE)


http://www.mosaictheatre.com/


The theatre's Executive/Artistic Director, my boss, is Richard Jay Simon, and the Associate Director, my other boss, is Jon Saldivar; with the collaboration of a great casts and crews, both have turned Mosaic Theatre into one of the most entertaining and professional theatre company's in the state of Florida. So naturally, I was very nervous at first to join the team as I knew little of what I would be doing. I signed up for an acting internship, but I knew I would need to work my way up in the company and begin with the little jobs.

The office needed a third hand dealing with SUBSCRIBERS and TICKET RESERVATION CALLS, so they started me off with that. I learned to pick up the phones and fill out the information the customer would tell me over the phone, on the correct form. They also started me on helping organizing the chairs in the theatre and driving around Fort Lauderdale, with a list of locations, placing flyers in different businesses to help spread the word about their fifth and final show of the season, The Edge of Our Bodies, starring Lexi Langs.

Therefore, the first few days of the first week were overwhelming but nice as I had a lot to learn, and quick, but Richard and Jon were more than nice and happy to show me the ropes. Nevertheless, apparently I did a nice job those first few days and really impressed them when they asked to take over the nights shifts as BOX OFFICE for the duration of the play.
I obviously said yes as I knew this would be a great opportunity for me to get closer to the real deal.

For the rest of that first week, I attended the nights shifts and basically shadowed the current BOX OFFICE director, surprisingly Mrs. Simon, so that I could learn how to run it on my own.

I'm not gonna lie, it's a bit tough having to work during the night and have work everyday of the week and weekend, except tuesdays, but it's already starting to become such a great experience. As BOX OFFICE operator, I'm learning so much about the little things that people didn't know about running a theatre. I'm learning about the importance of starting the shows on time and the importance of dealing with customers and arranging their tickets and seats. I even learn about the ushers and how they help keep order in the theatre itself. I have to keep track of who's seats are who's, make sure they've paid and if not then charge them, make sure to inform them about future events and remembering to subscribe for the following season, making sure the paper work is filed correctly and goes through smoothly, and mainly working with crowds…of old people as well…who can't really hear much haha. It all requires a lot of patience I guess.

Working at a theatre is about organization, all with a greater cause… ART!! THE ART OF ACTING!!

I can successfully say that I really enjoyed my first week working at Mosaic Theatre.
Hopefully this following week 2 will have more positive things in store for me :).

I definitely recommend to all other aspiring actors/actress to Intern for a theatre company and learn about the backbone of the theatre and the play. Plus, you get to meet a lot of important people and isn't acting all about being in the right place at the right time? ;)


Happy Acting
Gracias

How to start off your acting career? (Step 5: Social Media)

Okei, so the last and final step in How to start off your acting career? is social media.
Basically, social media is you way of putting yourself out there so that others can hear more and more about you and get to know you as well. It's putting an image and personality on the name.

You will need to get accounts on all the major social networks, like Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, Blogger, etc. Careful! Make sure these accounts are mainly about you and as an actor/actress. If they're personal accounts, like a Facebook personal account, you might want to double check that there are no pictures, videos or posts that can damage your image. Best case scenario… make a different one for your acting career. Learn to separate your career from your life.

I, for example, have the following accounts…

 -  Twitter Account: http://twitter.com/#!/nmarquez20091

 -    Facebook Account: Natalia Márquez

 -    StumbleUpon: Posted my resume.

 -  Tumblr: http://natamarquez.tumblr.com/

So there we go! THERE'S YOUR 5 STEP BUSINESS PLAN TO STARTING OFF YOUR CAREER.

I hope you learned and got some great pointers. You are now 5 steps closer to that Oscar haha.

LOADS of more posts to come,






Happy Acting