Getting Settled at CCT
Reporting back after a successful first week at the Chicago Children’s Theatre! I didn’t really know what to expect going into the internship, as CCT has a very small staff– the marketing department solely consists of my boss, and now me by association, so it’s pretty different from other jobs in this industry that I’ve had in the past. The job is in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, and getting there can be a little dicey. I live in the Chicago suburbs, so I have to take the train in to Union Station every morning and then take a 20-minute walk to The Station, CCT’s brand-new home in an old Chicago police station. CCT is in a transition period right now, as The Station is a new space. CCT’s 2017.2018 season will be its first to be all housed under the same rough, which is pretty exciting! Beforehand, they had to rent out other theatre spaces in Chicago throughout various neighborhoods. Because we are still transitioning into this space, there are still some administrative offices in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, which is a bit more north of The Station.
It’s a pretty laid-back environment at CCT, with no separate offices for the staff– everyone just works together at tables in the lobby of The Station. After getting to the theatre after my walk, I usually start by meeting my boss (the Director of Marketing) at one of the tables in the lobby to discuss what he wants me to do for the day. My tasks consist of curating and scheduling social media posts (usually just on Facebook), searching for contacts in various target markets, coming up with content to put on fliers and posters for parents, as well as helping the administrative staff with planning a special event CCT is putting on in June called BOING. Planning this event has taken up a lot of my first week at this internship, as this is the first annual BOING, and they hope to continue it for years into the future. Because some of the administrative offices are still in a different location, my boss and I often uber between the two locations during the day in order to cover all our bases with the staff. This has sort of become our routine, so my expectations for the summer are just that I learn all I can about the niche market that theatre marketing and PR is so I can apply this knowledge to my future career.
CCT is a really fun environment and I’m already getting settled into the workplace and getting to know the staff. My favorite part of this week was on Wednesday when WGN Morning News came on site to The Station to do their morning broadcast in order to show off all that we have to offer at The Station. I had to get there pretty early, but once I was there, it was a blast! I got to hang out with a bunch of kids we were showcasing on the air who could do some really cool beat-boxing skills. Another fun moment was when I sat in on a staff meeting on Thursday right after CCT announced their 2017.2018 season– seeing the looks of pride on everyone’s faces for the hard work they do made me really excited for my summer here.
