Angela at the Boston Ballet
Notes from Angela: Before this summer the only ballet productions I had been familiar with were The Nutcracker and a few others from “Great Performances” on PBS. I had always noticed the ads for the Boston Ballet on passing buses from Giselle to Cinderella and heard the announcements on the radio, but to be able to see and be of help during the design process has been amazing. There is so much more to designing than the obvious; so many jobs from marketing to advertising are intertwined to promote and produce unique productions. I’ve been to so many fascinating meetings thanks to my mentor, Kristin, on topics ranging from the quantity of posters to produce to outdoing the competition.
This summer I’ve helped in the costume shop recording measurements and organizing fabric swatches, worked at the retail shop and researched potential merchandise, photographed merchandise to make ready for the web and even took a stab at designing a shirt. I’m also pretty sure that I have seen every Boston Ballet design for countless productions and mail dating back to the 80s while helping to organize for the move during the ongoing renovation. I’ve been immersed into such a creative environment for the past weeks and loved it: seeing so many potential jobs related to design, dancers on each floor and music playing all day long. I feel like I have a better understanding of all the work that goes into Boston Ballet from its productions to advertisements to marketing and an even better understanding of what it’s like to be a designer. Best internship ever!