"It Was A Scene." -Becca Leshin

From Hillary, Casting Intern

My birthday is March 18th- the day after St. Patrick's Day. Festivities are often collapsed with the national day of drinking. This year, a new theatre company in town hosted at St. Paddy's Day fundraiser at the local bar. I walked in and realized that I knew everyone there and, in that moment, knew that my internship had come to its fullest fruition.

There were the actors from our shows, who plied me with birthday drinks. There were the actors who introduced themselves to me not knowing that I already knew their name from my extensive headshot sorting and because I've seen them on stages in town. There were the folks who are directing and acting in the festival I'm performing in during April. And then there were all the Repsters. It was an amazing evening, and I knew that it was a sign of my legitimacy in Seattle that I knew everyone there.

So what's a massive theatre party look like in the professional world? We casting folk were delicately prying actors for casting gossip while actors were not-as-delicately insisting how right they'd be for shows we haven't publically anounced yet. People discussed the woes of day jobs, the highs of recent performances and their hopes for Seattle theatre. Drinks were flowing and meeting-and-greeting was the m.o. If small talk isn't your bag, run away. Theatre networking is built on the quick chats over a cocktail as much as the time spent in rehearsal rooms, carpentry shops and theatre offices. It's in the socialest of settings where you learn about people's passions, their experiences and their attitudes. You learn who you would want to work with and who you would want to avoid. I believe that for me, life in theatre is the ultimate mixing of business and pleasure. For me, I can't imagine a better cocktail.