The moment I was handed a blank floor plan of the promenade level of the Koch Theatre and was told to map out a to-scale drawing of the event space for the family-friendly matinee performance during ABT’s fall season, I will admit I was a little nervous. It seemed like a huge responsibility; to create a document that would lay the foundation for the entire event. Would I get the dimensions of every station table correct? Would the flow of line traffic make sense and would there be enough space between the craft tables and the meet the dancer tables for the right amount of chairs to be set up? I sat down, determined to do it right, taking into account every detail I could think of and mentally preparing to erase and start over, multiple times.
Fast forward to a week later, I was invited to join in on a tour of the theatre’s event space prior to the event. We discussed logistics with the coordinator at the Koch and mapped things out, in person, viewing the space as an empty canvas, making changes to the original plan and solidifying ideas. To-scale event floor plan take two. As I measured and drew up my second draft of the promenade, I had a feeling this was the final piece to the puzzle and was confident we had it right this time.
Two weeks later, it’s Family-Friendly matinee day at the ballet. The elevator from the basement of the Koch Theatre opens up to the promenade and we’re looking at the real thing, a drawing come to life. What was once just a project to work on had become a reality and it looked great!
This is how my entire experience interning at ABT has been. I have been entrusted with important projects and encouraged every step of the way. There is an obvious feeling of teamwork within the education department and I feel very lucky to have spent some time being a part of that team. My time at ABT has been very rewarding and being able to work on a wide variety of projects has allowed me to learn in a very hands-on approach. The mentorship aspect of the internship program is a
huge part of what makes the experience so fulfilling because interns are able to learn directly from a staff member in the department they are working within, seeing their day to day responsibilities and how their work directly adds to supporting the mission of the company. It has been a privilege to play a small part in such a big organization and to get the chance to witness the direct results of some of my own work and the combined work of my team this Fall.
Nicole Stein
Outreach Intern
Fall 2019
abtinterns 
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