Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s world-renowned Apprentice Program assists young members of the theater community as they make the transition from student to working professional. Apprentices work under all different parts of the Steppenwolf umbrella, from production to development, marketing to stage management and everything in between. In all departments, tasks range from the less-romantic and mundane – work essential to any organization – to the more specialized and exciting, with a consistent focus on education and professional growth.
Jeffrey Amos
Sound Apprentice
Hometown: Austin, TX
Jeff has been diligently working at setting up and maintaining Steppenwolf’s sophisticated sound systems. In the future, Jeff – a playwright, musician and sometime performer – hopes to continue creating theater and looks to Steppenwolf as an example of how many different people “come together to create one piece.”
Ellie Anderson
Arts Exchange Apprentice
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Ellie spent the last three months preparing a comprehensive study guide for Arts Exchange’s production of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. She now helps coordinate Cross-Town Ensemble, an Arts Exchange program in which Chicago youth collaborate with local mentors in the writing and performing of an original play.
Brittany Barnes
Company Management Apprentice
Hometown: Wichita, KS
“There is no average day” says Brittany. Under the guidance of Cat Tries, Company Manager, and Claude Binder, General Manager, she spends her time helping Steppenwolf “put out fires,” which includes fixing contracts, researching various solutions to problems and creating a smooth work environment for all of Steppenwolf’s employees.
Margot Bordelon
Artistic Apprentice
Hometown: Everett, WA
After finishing a three-month rotation with Erica Daniels, Casting Director, in which Margot assisted in the casting of Take Me Out, Pacific, One Arm and Red Light Winter, she is now working under Director of New Play Development Edward Sobel, where she assists with script evaluation, maintains the playwright database and conducts research for dramaturgical support on Pacific and Lost Land.
Lois Bryan
Lighting Apprentice
Hometown: London, England
Although Lois spends a fair amount of time cutting color gels, making practicals and assisting with paperwork, her main job, simply stated, is “to put lights in the air and make them work.”
Morgan Caputo
Marketing/Publicity Apprentice
Hometown: Birmingham, MI
Morgan has spent the majority of her apprenticeship focused on the launching of Steppenwolf’s brand new website. “Working on the website has been a great way for me to understand how an organization goes about building a website based on their needs and goals, and specifically how Steppenwolf has used this new site to better reach its audience.”
Julia Dossett
Publicity/Marketing Apprentice
Hometown: Champaign, IL
As the Publicity Apprentice, Julia scours the daily papers of Chicago and New York, keeping Steppenwolf up-to-date about the latest projects of our ensemble members and about the ever-changing world of theater. “Publicity is about good press releases, good communication, but it’s also about building relationships with people in the media, with people not only in your city, but nationally and internationally, as well.”
Chris Melton
Properties Apprentice
Hometown: Richland, WA
Chris, who is a trained actor and dancer, spends his days on a range of different tasks. His main projects include building furniture from scratch, repairing small props pieces and wiring lamps. “It’s amazing, the amount of detail that goes into a prop that perhaps only a few audience members will even see.”
David Perez
Films and Special Projects Apprentice
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
David is hard at work reading and evaluating screenplays, new drafts of projects and other materials under consideration for Steppenwolf Films. “Mostly I assist Tim [Evans – Producer – Steppenwolf Films] and Apphia [Parsons – Steppenwolf Films Production Associate] in making sure that the day-to-day stuff for this small and emerging program gets done.”
Sarah Samuels
Special Events Apprentice
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Sarah is currently hard at work on the Steppenwolf Golf Classic, preparing activities for those participants who might be less than avid golfers. “I think people would be surprised by the symbiotic relationship between production and administration if they were used to just one or the other.”
To learn more about our Internship Program, please visit our website at steppenwolf.org or contact Libby Ford, Community Programs Coordinator at (312) 654-5657 or internships@steppenwolf.org.