Final Week at Hangar

I will be writing ten handwritten thank you notes for the people who taught me, worked with me, and helped me with my internship. Many of my thank you notes came with a gift of some sort and have already gone out but I will be sending several more to those I could not find before leaving Hangar.

My internship has been over for about a week and unfortunately this is the first time that I have had a chance to sit down and write about the process. The final weeks became the most educational as they informed me about the relationships I would have with people working on building my design, mentors, and those for which I work with and for. I think that this experience culminated by teaching me that kindness towards those around you leads to the best product. Being able to request more from my shops helped my production in the long run and bonded those relationships.

Over the past few months I have learned to function as a true designer. I became accustomed to communicating with several directors about different projects in one day. I was able to keep these productions separate in my head and therefore was able to properly partake in meetings. Each meeting required specific preparation and so my time management skills increased tremendously. Overall, I would say that I truly learned to be a designer.

My goal for the summer was to get better at drafting and paint elevations. While those technical skills did get much better I would have to say that I achieved far more than previously thought. I learned to be confident in my work but specific with my words. I learned to think differently and not be afraid of new and challenging ideas. This process taught me far more than I ever imagined possible.

This internship has only reinforced my love for theatre and more specifically theatrical scenic design. Working for the Hangar Theatre Company was very challenging but it teaches you whether or not you are serious about this path; I learn that I am.

I would encourage next year’s apprentice to come in ready to work. It can become extremely overwhelming to be in this environment and be constantly put under such high pressure. If the next individual is aware of that prior to starting the job they will have an easier time getting started.