by Current Pearl Theatre Intern Zoë Maltby

The first day of anything is always a little terrifying, be it high school, summer camp, or—two weeks ago—my first-ever internship. Full disclosure: my most notable work experience up to this point has been as a nanny for my neighbor last summer, and my résumé is primarily a list of which Shakespeare monologues I’ve performed. And so it was with an equal mix of excitement and trepidation that I reported for my first day of work at The Pearl.

I am a longtime fan of the company, having seen (and, okay, kind of worshiped) Sean McNall’s Hamlet in 2007. It’s incredibly reassuring for me, as an aspiring actor, to know that a theatre whose ethos is founded in the principle that quality work always trumps commercialism can not only survive but actually thrive in the brutal NY theatre world. I eventually want to be a real “working” stage actor, and the fact that The Pearl has maintained a diverse, crazy-talented repertory company of working actors for over 20 years is seriously inspirational (And I promise, no bribery was involved in the writing of this blog).

So when the time came for me to get my life in order and figure out what I was going to do over the summer, I immediately thought of The Pearl. Unfortunately, at 17 years old I am too young to qualify for an acting apprenticeship, and because I don’t start college until the fall I was afraid my options would be limited. Luckily for me, Artistic Administrator Sarah Wozniak was willing to take a chance on a starry-eyed Shakespeare geek, and actually sat down with me to figure out what kind of opportunities were available to me at The Pearl and how I could take advantage of them.

Which brings me back to Wednesday June 23^rd, my first day of work. Wearing my power outfit and clutching my trademark giant takeaway cup of coffee, I greeted Sarah and sat down at my (very own, totally legit!) desk. By the end of the day, I’d met most of the other people working in the office as well as two members of the resident acting company, taken stock of The Pearl’s massive Shakespeare inventory, and worked with Sarah to come up with a comprehensive list of tasks to be completed over the next two months. Everyone was incredibly friendly; both of the actors I met even volunteered to meet with me at some point to talk about breaking into the business, theatre education, and life as a working actor in NY. I left the first day feeling simultaneously elated by my first-day experience and frustrated that I’d have to wait an entire weekend before returning to work.

My responsibilities range from typical intern-y activities like filing correspondences and updating the personnel database to more hands-on things like creating fliers, auditing auditions, and writing this blog. As I said before, this is my first internship experience, and I fully expected that the majority of my job would be taking care of all the mindless, menial chores that needed to be done around the office. Instead, I already feel like I have an active role in the company and have learned more about the NY theatre scene in my three weeks with The Pearl than I have in four years of high school. As part of the American Theatre Wing’s NY intern network, I get to meet with theatre professionals involved in all aspects of production and management, from general managing and producing to acting and directing. The program also provided me and a friend with free tickets for Sherie René Scott’s Everyday Rapture a week before its closure—not such a shabby perk!

Last week I was walking to The Pearl through the theatre district, Sweeney Todd on my iPod and David Mamet’s True and False tucked into my purse alongside a pocket-size Hamlet given to me by Sarah. I was planning this blog entry in my head, and thinking about my top five Shakespeare dream roles, when I realized that I was basically in my very own theatre-geek heaven. The Pearl is the first place I’ve ever been where the love of theatre is palpable the minute you walk in the door, and I can’t wait to become a part of this community over the next two months. And just for the record: it’s Rosalind (Duh), Hamlet (Also duh), Richard III (If gender were no object), Lady M, and then a tie between Viola and Beatrice. Apologies to Juliet—so close, but no cigar.

I recently had the amazing opportunity to take a week’s vacation (yes we at The Pearl are allowed to take time off) in Paris…yes you heard right, PARIS! I had never been and I was so excited (and a little nervous) to do so! I had 6 nights and 7 days to explore the City of Lights and fall in love with it, as you are supposed to do.

And boy did I fall in love!

It was just an incredible city…everything you would ever expect from it, it was. It was busy. It was romantic. It was beautiful. It was cosmopolitan. It was ALSO HOT! New York may be hot and humid in the summer—but we over air condition everything. The Parisians haven’t learned that art yet.

I could spend hours going over all the things I did and the sites I saw. From the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre, the Musee D’Orsay to Versailles, Notre Dame, Saint Chappell, Champs Elysee, Montmartre, Place de Voges…the list can go on and on.

Of course you can take the boy out of the theatre company, but you can’t take the theatre company out of the boy…and especially when the boy is a marketing director! I spent my entire time thinking about what I could get in Paris that would help me better market and sell The Pearl or what pictures I could take that I can use throughout the season. Isn’t it lucky we’re doing a Molière play this season!?

The Pearl's Misanthrope image in front of Molière's grave

So there I was, a good ole’ New Yorker armed with my trusty map, my tour book, and my Pearl Theatre brochure (aren’t those the three most important things to take on any vacation?) navigating the streets of Paris, expressing myself with the sole word I knew in French (“Bonjour Madame/Monsieur”), and having the time of my life. I even took a trip to the BEAUTIFUL Père Lachaise cemetery, where Molière himself is buried.  Stay tuned for our production of THE MISANTHROPE, where many of my pictures will appear!

There is a busy season ahead—one with gripping drama, fall-out-of-your-chair comedies, and everything in between. But thankfully I had a vacation to both prepare me emotionally, and inspire me professionally!

Aaron outside the Louvre with his Pearl Theatre brochure

Finally, I’ve shown my pictures and I’d love to see yours (here’s is where the Marketing Director in me comes out). As we announced last month, we’re holding a contest. Anyone who takes a picture on their summer vacation with our 2010-2011 Season Brochure and sends it in to us will have a chance to win 2 tickets to THE SNEEZE this fall. We’ll give the tickets to the person who takes the brochure farthest away from New York City—and don’t worry, I don’t count! So send them to me at aaron@pearltheatre.org.

In constant pursuit of cultural nirvana, our Marketing Director, Aaron Schwartzbord, is starting to document The Pearl staff’s cultural experiences around town. This is, hopefully, the first of many posts about what we’re doing and seeing around the city. Below is Aaron’s account of his trip to the see the New York Philharmonic play in Central Park. Enjoy!

There is so much that goes on in New York City, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of it all. I feel like I get to participate in less than 1% of what New York City has to offer. It’s overwhelming!

Last night, on a fluke, I went to listen to the New York Philharmonic play (for free) in Central Park. It was the perfect New York evening. Despite the humidity and the rain, sitting in the middle of the park, surrounded by buildings, and listening to amazing music…it was magical (I know that sounds like such a cliche!).

When New York Philharmonic played a medley from WEST SIDE STORY, I just about died! As amazing as the evening had been up until that point, it really became a quintessential New York event. Again…I’m sitting in Central Park, listening to the New York Phil play Leonard Bernstein! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

If anyone reading this was there last night–please write in and let us know what you thought?! Was it just magical for me or everyone there?

If there are any other events like this you want to recommend, let us know. Leave a comment!