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Founded in 1980, the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre presents new British writing, UK premieres of overseas drama, particularly from the United States, Canada, Ireland and the English-speaking world, music theatre and an idiosyncratic selection of unjustly neglected work from the last 150 years. The Finborough focuses not only on the play, but on the total theatrical experience - regularly attracting the finest emerging directors and designers to work with award-winning actors.

The Finborough Theatre is an intimate space. We have discovered from many of our volunteers who have also volunteered for other venues that they get considerably more out of the experience of working with us for the simple reason that they are immediately thrust into the heart of the action!

ADMINISTRATION INTERNS
This internship offers experience of running a theatre including Box Office, marketing, PR and casting duties.

Responsible to: the Artistic Director

Responsibilities include:
1. Administrative Duties
2. General upkeep of a small, fast-paced office
3. Box Office Management
4. Casting (when required by the theatre's schedule). Specific duties include communicating with agents and artists, preparing audition materials, maintaining casting files, and attending casting meetings, readings, and plays.
5. Marketing / PR. Specific duties include maintenance of the Press List, overseeing and executing mailings and - in some cases - liasing with members of the Press.
6. Computer literate.

Person Specification:
1. Energetic individual with a passion for Theatre
2. Detail oriented
3. Able to work independently and under pressure. (Scant resources mean that supervision will often be minimal and so the ability to work independently is of paramount importance).
4. Able to take on additional tasks (however small they may be)
5. Excellent level of written and spoken English
6. Experience in a retail environment is desirable, but not essential.

Hours:
We can only accept interns who can work with us for at least a month. We prefer interns who can work at least a four-hour day on a daily basis, 4-5 days a week.

PRODUCTION INTERNS
This position offers hands-on experience of theatre production.

Responsible to: the Director of the Production and the Artistic Director

Duties may include:
Setting up and running rehearsal schedules
Liaising with Designers concerning procuration of props, furniture and set dressing
Managing the properties budget
Supervising the 'get in' and 'get out'
Compiling and operating the show from the prompt copy
Running the sound and lighting boards during performances
Liaising with the Director
Calling actors for rehearsals and performances
If you are particularly interested in a specific area of Production - i.e. costumes, set design - it may be possible for you to specialise in these areas.

Person Specification:
1. Energetic individual with a passion for Theatre
2. Detail oriented
3. Able to encourage a team atmosphere
4. Able to take on additional tasks (however small they may be)
5. Excellent level of written and spoken English

Hours:
By negotiation. We only accept interns who can work with us for at least a month and for more than three days/evenings a week, but the demands of this job usually require a full time committment over a four week period during rehearsals. For Technical Operation, the normal commitment is five evenings a week and two afternoons.

TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT
Responsible to: the Artistic Director

Responsibilities include:
1. Keep an up-to-date inventory of all technical equipment
2. Train Stage Management on use of equipment
3. Assist to the needs of visiting lighting and sound designers during each ‘get-in’ and ‘get-out’
4. Maintaining technical equipment
5. Maintaining stocks of technical consumables.

Person Specification:
1. Energetic individual with a passion for Theatre
2. Detail oriented
3. Able to work independently

Hours:
Most Technical Management work occurs over the weekends when productions change. This usually means working late on a Saturday evening and all day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and sometimes the following weekend if there is a Sunday/Monday production programmed.

WEBSITE DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE
Responsible to: the Artistic Director

Responsibilities include:
1. Maintaining the Finborough Theatre website.
2. Expanding the content of the website.

Person Specification:
1. Skilled in Dreamweaver and Fireworks software.
2. Energetic individual with a passion for Theatre
3. Detail oriented
4. Able to work independently

Hours:
Entirely at your discretion. This voluntary position can be carried out at home.

CASUAL HELP
We have a team of casual helpers for occasional help with activities like Box Office cover, our three monthly mailout, theatre maintenance etc.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When do you accept applications?
At any time. We are particularly interested in interns for quieter periods like December and January.

What about interviews?
We only accept interns after a personal face-to-face interview.

Do you offer Acting internships?
No.

Is there a probabtionary period?
Yes. We usually specify a three week probationary period for both parties.

I would like to work with you, but am not sure which position would suit me?
Please let us know what areas of the theatre that you are particularly interested in or intend to make your career. We do try and tailor the jobs to fit your interests and aspirations wherever possible (within the constraints of the theatre's needs).

Is there an age limit?
For legal and insurance reasons, you must be 18 or over.

What should I wear?
Dress is normally smart casual to casual. It helps if you have some clothes for dirty work or painting.

Are internships paid?
We regret that as the Finborough Theatre is a completely unfunded venue, we can only offer internships on a purely voluntary basis. We cannot pay expenses of any kind.

Can I work a second job to support myself?
Possibly. Wherever possible, we will try and work around your other committments, but serious consideration should be given to the financial implications of being a intern.

How flexible are the hours?
We are happy to work around your schedule where possible, providing that your other committments do not become too onerous. Please note that working in theatre is rarely a “9 to 5” job and a degree of flexibility is required. We do expect that if you agree to a schedule that you honour it absolutely.

I'm not from London. What about housing?
Past interns have found affordable housing by staying with relatives or friends, finding a share, house-sitting, etc. If you don't have housing prospects already, you should be prepared to deal with it before committing to an internship. We regret that we can’t find accommodation for you.

Is prior experience required?
We look for people who have demonstrated a passion for working in the arts and who are at a point in their careers/education to strongly benefit from the experience we offer - but enthusiasm and commitment is more important than experience.

HOW TO APPLY
Once you have decided which internship you're most interested in, please e-mail us at admin@finboroughtheatre.co.uk. Please include a CV / resume and clearly state which position you are interested in.

If we're interested, we'll ask you to come in for an informal interview. Please have a look around this website to learn more about our work.

Thank you for your interest!