Bernard B. Jacobs Internship Program
Who We Are
New Dramatists is the nation’s oldest non-profit organization dedicated to the playwright’s process. Founded in 1949 by Michaela O’Harra with the assistance of Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, John Golden, Oscar Hammerstein II, Moss Hart, and Richard Rodgers, New Dramatists began with a mission to strengthen the work of emerging professional playwrights. Today, the organization has 49 resident playwrights and hundreds of alumni—well over 500 writers since 1949. Just a few of our more well-known alumni are Robert Anderson, James Baldwin, Paddy Chayefsky, Alice Childress, Israel Horovitz, Maria Irene Fornes, John Guare, William Inge, John Patrick Shanley, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks, Paula Vogel, Donald Margulies, Nilo Cruz, and Doug Wright.
Of the approximately 250 writers who apply to join this esteemed company each year, fewer than 10 are accepted. Those chosen are given seven-year residencies with the organization which include free use of two performance spaces for readings and workshops, overnight facilities, free copies, a library that houses their plays, advocacy, and music-theater development.
Resident playwrights and alumni have won 13 Pulitzer Prizes (including five of the last seven), 24 Tony Awards, 59 Obie Awards, 18 Drama Desk Awards and 12 Susan Smith Blackburn Awards. In 1991 New Dramatists received a special Drama Desk Award for “decades of nurturing American Playwrights.” And in 2001, New Dramatists was the recipient of a special Tony ® Honor for “excellence in theatre.”
Where We Are
Located on West 44th Street, New Dramatists is in the heart of New York City’s Theatre District. From here, all of New York’s museums, galleries, restaurants, and cultural events are easily accessible. You can go most places on foot, or can get wherever you want by hopping on one of the many nearby subway or bus lines.
Our Internship Program
Interested in starting your own theatre company? Want to learn about casting? Desire exposure to some of the nation’s most talented playwrights, actors, and directors? Or perhaps you want to learn about fundraising or literary management. New Dramatists has something to offer just about any dedicated theatre artist who wants to develop his or her craft.
We depend upon the dedicated, enterprising people who work for us as interns; we offer them responsibility and an opportunity to make an impact by helping to nurture America’s emerging playwrights. Offered a unique opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a professional, non-profit arts organization in New York City, interns are welcomed aboard as vital members of the New Dramatists organization. They are encouraged to become an active part of this New Dramatists community, to participate in as many readings and workshops as possible, and to take advantage of the complimentary tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway productions that are frequently made available to us.
· Full-time interns work 40 hours a week. Part-time interns work a minimum of 24 hours a week, and should be able to commit to a regular schedule. interns are provided with a weekly stipend of $50 for full time and $25 for part time.
· College credit may be available; check with your school for details.
· Application deadlines are: Aug 10 for Fall, Nov 10 for Winter, and April 10 for Summer.
All interns participate in maintaining the day-to-day activities and upkeep of life at New Dramatists. This provides great exposure to the playwright’s process, and a serious involvement in the facilitation of the many workshops and readings that happen in the building. The rest of an intern’s activities at New Dramatists will be as varied as the intern’s own personal interests. Self-motivated, enthusiastic individuals excel in such an environment, because an internship at New Dramatists is truly what you make of it.
Here are some of the things you could become involved in:
Fundraising/Special Events
New Dramatists charges no dues to its resident playwrights and asks for no royalties, rights, or financial benefit from their work. Our year-round fundraising campaign helps to lay the financial foundation that makes all our artistic programs possible. You will assist with research, mailings, proposal development, and donation processing. In addition, you will provide general office support including telephone, filing, copying, and correspondence. Good organization, research, and writing skills are essential.
Spring Internship Only: You will be involved in helping to plan and coordinate the Spring Luncheon, our annual benefit. Responsibilities may include gift bag item solicitation, research, publication editing, and assisting with mailings.
Literary Services
When you work in literary services you support our most fundamental activities. You’ll have direct and frequent communication with the playwrights and will witness first-hand the continuing evolution of each new work. You also get to experience some part of the 8-month long admissions process, as it begins in July and ends in May. There are opportunities for writing assignments, such as articles for the monthly bulletin, or coverage reports for plays outside of New Dramatists. If you have good communication skills, enjoy a busy schedule, and have an interest in the written word and the American playwright, you may find a home here.
Stage Management
One of our most important functions is providing readings and developmental workshops for our playwrights. When you work in stage management, you’ll work directly with our playwrights as well as many professional actors and directors to help their workshops run smoothly. You will hear scripts read in all stages of development and often participate in the reading of stage directions. Other programming activities which you may help coordinate include international playwright exchanges, auditions, and our Composer-Librettist Studio. We are looking for people with good communication and organizational skills who are self-motivated and can handle several things at once.
How to Apply
Click here for the internship application form.
This page was last update 08/04/2008