1812 Productions is Philadelphia’s All Comedy Theater Company. 1812 is dedicated to: entertaining, educating and exploring a variety of issues through comedy, supporting and hiring local artists, and making the end product accessible to a diverse general public with a particular focus on the greater Philadelphia region (lifted from their website).

On Wednesdays, I am the resident intern, meaning that I do whatever they tell me to. They’re very nice, though, and care for my welfare. Often, you will find me putting return and address labels on envelopes, stuffing those envelopes with fliers, or entering information into their database. I also researched possible donors for their silent auction and raffle. And yes, sometimes I do have fun things to do. I have read scripts that were mailed in by aspiring playwrights, and most of those were fairly entertaining and thoroughly horrible. When they were rehearsing for their holiday show, I sat in on rehearsals and even got to participate a bit!

I can’t say I’ve learned a list of things. Mainly, I’ve just gained a lot of experience in a real-life setting/workplace. I’ve learned about office dynamics and such. I guess you could say I’ve improved in labeling skills…

My advice for choosing your ILP: make sure you pick something you like. I’ve heard my classmates complaining about how they hate their ILP and that they wish they had been able to pick something else. Well, they were able to pick something else. 1812 didn’t come to the ILP Expo, we found them. If you don’t like the options well enough (remember, you’re stuck for a whole year!), then find something for yourself.

1812-specific advice: If you’re interested in interning at 1812, just be open. Take advantage of the opportunities. The people who order me around at 1812 are really nice and helpful, and I have been to many of their events and stuff. I went to their major fundraiser, all of their shows this season, and other events. Those have all been outside of standard ILP hours, and I am so grateful towards the people there for letting me go to them. Overall, just be nice and personable.