Jace Jacobs places a note, or insert, into programs for “Nina Simone: Four Women,” a recent production at Geva Theater, to indicate an understudy will appear in an upcoming performance of the drama. (Photo credit: Nicolette Ventimiglia)
In the internship world, Jace Jacobs hit a homerun – landing a job that successfully builds on internship experiences.
Through the SUNY Fredonia Career Development Office (CDO), the 2024 SUNY Fredonia graduate completed summer internships in 2023 and 2024 with the Chautauqua Theater Company at Chautauqua Institution, serving as a sales associate and assistant house manager.
Today, the Theatre Arts major, who has a minor in Arts Administration, is a house manager at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, N.Y., his hometown.
“That’s the dream, ideally what we want to see happen,” said Internship Coordinator Jennifer Wilkins, of the CDO. “The student gets the experience, which leads them to a job right away.”
Of course, networking is also a vital element in job searches, Ms. Wilkins added, which Jacobs gained through his Chautauqua experiences. “And you have to be able to back that up with relevant experience, which is what he got at Chautauqua.”
This just goes to show how important networking is, especially in the arts!” – Jace Jacobs
Jacobs was offered the Geva Theatre job by way of a connection he made with a friend from a Chautauqua internship that he stayed connected to through social media. Jacobs subsequently learned Geva was hiring ticket agents and house managers, so he applied for the house manager position because he’s very passionate about assisting patrons.
“This just goes to show how important networking is, especially in the arts!” Jacobs remarked.
Geva Theatre is a regional, not-for-profit, professional theatre company that creates and produces professional theatre productions. Its multiple venues host a wide variety of performances, as well as comedy improv, new play readings and an innovative play-reading series designed to facilitate community-wide discussions.
Jacobs’ first internship at Chautauqua was connected to his Theatre Arts major, the second to his Arts Administration minor. Both were paid internships, and one also earned academic credit.
Job duties at Geva Theatre are varied and many: opening and closing the theatre after performances; ensuring patron safety; helping the stage manager start performances on time; assigning ushers to their posts and training those who are new, and assigning and training interns. He also sets up and breaks down a small retail space that involves counting down the cash register, assisting with sales and passing out assisted hearing devices to patrons.
Jacobs also ensures cleanliness of the theatre and building, locking and alarming the entire building at night and, he added, “and assisting patrons with whatever they need!”
At Chautauqua, Jacobs wore two hats: sales associate and assistant house manager. Sales involved processing and filling complimentary ticket requests, “selling” the tickets to the company as well as printing and organizing them, and sending confirmation emails to requesters. He also assisted the marketing team.
As assistant house manager, Jacobs trained the new house manager, wrote the house management manual, opened and closed Bratton Theatre after performances and assisted patrons with whatever they needed, mostly focusing on those with accessibility needs or in need of listening devices, as he does at Geva.
Jacobs was already a veteran of Chautauqua before his first internship, having worked in the institution’s ticket office in the summer of 2022.
“The Arts Administration curriculum as a whole was very helpful!” he said. AADM 410: Ticket Office Practicum taught the skills that helped Jacobs land the first internship and helped him in his leadership role. Also valuable were MUS 272: Arts Advocacy and Leadership, THEA 460: Performing Arts Organization and Management and AADM 310: Fundraising and Grant-Writing for Nonprofits.
“Communication and time-management were skills I developed, and I developed a strong proficiency for researching, cold calling and emailing different organizations within specific interest groups,” he added. The biggest aspect learned from internships was advocating for oneself in the workplace, Jacobs said.
