
Starring Our Interns: Production
When Hana came to Starlight to see her favorite band, Two Door Cinema Club, she found herself looking at the stage thinking, “wouldn’t it be amazing to work here?” Less than a year later, she came back. Not as an audience member this time, but as a production intern, helping make Starlight magic happen backstage.
Hana Rose North is a rising senior at Kansas University studying theater design with a specialty in sound. At KU, she works as a sound technician, doing mixed productions like Pippin while also jumping in to help backstage with equipment, painting, and sewing costumes.

“I really like doing a bit of everything,” she said. “I’m kind of a jack of all trades.”
At Starlight, Hana has had the chance to work alongside theatre tech professionals and union crews on Broadway tours and concerts. Every show is different, and her role varies drastically from show to show. Most hands-on experience came from School of Rock, Starlight’s self-produced show. She worked backstage fixing mics, replacing things and being the person with tools in case something went wrong.
Opening night of School of Rock was especially memorable due to weather conditions. A summer storm rolled in and lasted most of the day. “It was honestly a really beautiful site,” she says, “seeing the rain come down and people still having a good time.” Backstage, the production crew worked hard to adjust and reposition accordingly to keep the show running safely.
With a different schedule from most of the other interns, Hana doesn’t see everyone daily but its exciting when the interns see each other around the venue.
“I think it’s funny when we spot another intern across the venue and yell down from the catwalk or backstage,” she said. “They look around like ‘where’s that voice coming from?’ and we say ‘We’re above you!” Even in the limited moments together, the interns have found a way to bond which is going to make it hard to leave. With a month left of the internship, everyone is thinking “I have to leave you guys already?”

One of biggest takeaways from Hana’s internship has been the reminder of why she loves this work, even on long and messy days. “I’ve had a lot of 15-hour days,” she said. “Going on roofs, standing in water, and doing some jobs other people don’t want to.” But still, the long hours are worth it.
“There’s always going to be a creative payoff,” she said. “And being with people that I love- sure I’m just now making friends here- but we’re all somewhat like-minded. It’s easy to connect with other people. And I’m so happy to be here.”
As her summer at Starlight starts to wind down, Hana is already thinking of ways to come back because of how important this place has become for her. This internship gave her an opportunity to learn about working backstage at a Broadway level, connections with professionals, and discover new parts of the industry. Though some days have been long and hectic, the production intern position solidified the path she wants to pursue. What started as a passing thought from the audience- “wouldn’t it be amazing to work here?”- turned into what Hana describes as a fate moment. And after a summer spent backstage, the feeling has only grown stronger.