A Month at Kansas City’s Castle, a.k.a. Starlight
A recap of my first month working as an intern at Starlight Theatre
If you told me it’s been a month since starting my internship at Starlight, I wouldn’t believe you. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time and gained several new experiences that continue to grow by the day. A month post-grad and a month at Starlight, what a mix. I’m loving it!
I am filled with dread already thinking about the day when my internship comes to an end here. Let’s just not talk about it.
Here’s What I’ve Picked Up
My awesome boss Colin, aka THE social media guy, has shown me more PC shortcuts than I knew existed prior to working here. It turns out PCs have a shortcut for about everything, so I’ve got a lot of learning to do. One day I will show Colin a new shortcut… one day (you hear that Colin).
Second, analytics. I have seen a variety of social and digital analytics that are so helpful to learn and understand, especially working in the digital communications field. Understanding what the analytics tell you and what the numbers are saying is key to getting it right.
Lastly, ask questions, be willing, and be a sponge!
Cool Things I’ve Done
Well, it’s hard to pick one thing because Starlight is a very cool place. One of my favorite things I have done so far is interviewing Haik Demirchian, the trombone player in Hadestown. Abigail, the multimedia intern, created a 30-second video from our interview, and it blew up on social media with over 28K views! You can find the video here. I had a lot of fun speaking with Haik and was blown away by his performance in Hadestown.
Another highlight was working on my first Broadway week for Hadestown. What a week. It’s the first Broadway show I have ever seen, and all I have to say is, I get it. Honestly, I saw Hadestown twice – it was that good. I enjoyed learning and seeing first-hand some of the differences between Broadway shows and concerts at Starlight. I am a huge concertgoer, so I am excited to finally enter the world of Broadway through my internship this summer.
Lastly, the Starlight interns went to the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium for lunch! Starlight is a five-minute walk from the zoo, and that’s a dangerous thing for sure. You’re telling me I can walk over, grab Dippin’ Dots, and stare at the giraffes? Wow. Starlight IS a magical place.
Looking forward
One upcoming show I am really excited about is the Bob Dylan concert July 4th with fireworks. Fireworks, yes. You heard that right. First, I want to see Bob Dylan IRL (in real life). Second, fireworks after the show, you can count me in! I will be grabbing social content during the concert and fireworks show and look forward to telling people, yeah, I did that. Because being an intern at Starlight is awesome.
I look forward to continuing to gain new skills, have new experiences, and deepen my appreciation for live entertainment.
Back to the castle I go, cheers!
Taylor Mayne
