Atlanta recently completed a six month internship organised by Sonia Friedman Productions and Masterclass.

What did your internship include?

During my internship I took on a variety of tasks that gave me broad exposure to the different aspects of working in a production office. For example, I helped prepare a meet and greet with the cast and creative team of Mean Girls, assisted with food orders and later took on booking accommodation, managing receipts and invoices and handling email correspondence. I worked with Airtable, gaining insight into how data is organised, and was responsible for processing starter forms, handling passports and following up with people for additional information. It was all kind of corporate cool compared to anything I’d done before!

What did a typical day look like?

No two days were the same. During my time working with Sonia Friedman Productions I was given tasks that varied from sitting at the computer crafting emails and shopping for essential bits and pieces, to collecting scripts and items for the producers, to reading and drafting contracts or managing seating plans and arranging gift bags for Press Night. I worked mostly on Mean Girls, but also had the chance to help out on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Stranger Things and Juno and the Paycock. Although I sometimes would have liked a bit more predictability day-to-day, I learnt so many new skills that I am already applying in my personal and professional life.

What new skills have you learnt/developed?

I saw a significant progression in my Excel skills! I started off really unfamiliar with Excel and in fact I was a bit afraid of it. However, in any free time I would work on familiarising myself with it and learnt to navigate my way around, with help and support from the team. They incorporated Excel into my tasks, forcing me to grasp its functionality and apply it effectively. I also got much better at spotting tricky wording in the contracts. In addition to this, I noticed growth in both my confidence and organisation skills. I began to express myself more clearly and assertively at work, while also learning good project management practices.

What was your biggest challenge during the internship?

My biggest challenge was learning not to take things too personally. Producing is a high-pressure career, and when you’re opening a West End show the pressure gets even higher. The people around you are often stressed, with lots of other things on their mind, and it’s important to remember that their reactions to you are not personal. My communication and interpersonal skills definitely improved as I understood more about this context, but I also developed resilience and a thicker skin.

What was the highlight of your internship?

Every day working with Sonia Friedman Productions was a great experience, but a particular highlight was the relief and excitement we all felt after the Mean Girls press night. It left us all celebrating with a shared sense of accomplishment, saying “OMG we finally did it!” Big up the Mean Girls team who, all the way through my internship, emphasised the lesson that it’s okay not to know everything, but it’s important to be open to learning. Even though it was a job, a lot of it was about personal growth and I believe that the skills and resilience I developed during this time will have a lasting impact on me. They really encouraged me to keep being kind and keep smiling, and that (combined with being really competent!) those things would be valuable to me professionally.

What advice would you give to someone starting an offstage internship?

My advice would be to expect the unexpected, as the journey is rarely linear. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and remember to listen and be open to learning. It’s important to not take things too personally, and above all, try to have fun and focus on seeing the positives in every experience.