This month, we checked in with alum Hannah Donovan '18 to discuss her life and successes since graduating from St. Ambrose University.
In the past couple months, she has taken on multiple jobs including set designing for the SAU fall Studio Theatre production of Rabbit Hole; stage managing and designing props professionally for Mamma Mia at Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse; and interning at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago as the stage manager's intern for a new production, Lady in Denmark, under production stage manager Donald Claxon.
At the Goodman, Donovan has a variety of responsibilities.
"Essentially, I make coffee, help set up rooms, and generally assist the production stage manager as an intern would normally do: making copies, distributing items, cleaning mugs, running errands, etc.," Donovan said. "But I also have a few Production Assistant responsibilities thrown in: tracking props, keeping tech documents up-to-date, tracking script changes with the Dramaturgy team, maintaining the master script, and organizing previous script versions (Lady in Denmark is a new play so that's why script changes and stuff come into play). I also take and distribute line notes."
The St. Ambrose Theatre Department works hard to provide each student with the information and experience necessary to succeed in our desired career paths. However, working in a professional setting like the Goodman is bound to be a different experience than working on an SAU production.
"The Goodman has been different because I'm back to the bottom of the stage-manager totem pole," Donovan said. "I was an Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) for the fall and winter show my first year at Ambrose and have been stage managing (SM) ever since my second semester. That makes it nearly three years – or 16 productions – since I've assistant stage managed. Interning is even below that as far as responsibilities go."
But as all newly-minted theatre grads know, life after college can't all be glitz or glamour right away. There's plenty of learning-on-the-job to do.
"That's not to say my job isn't important or fulfilling," Donovan said. "I simply mean to say that this experience has been a great preventer of the big-fish-little-pond syndrome."
Reflecting back to her college years, Donovan said SAU Theatre is only as limiting as you make it.
"I do think SAU prepared me for this, though perhaps not directly," she said. "SAU provides great opportunities for stage managers but with arguably very little guidance. You need to actively seek out ways to better yourself and learn - whether that be through workshops at ACTF, trying different techniques, or stage managing in the community to see how other theatres work. It's very easy to remain stagnant. But the way the ASM/SM positions at Ambrose are set up is very much like an apprenticeship program, which is why I've always been a fan of it.
Working at the Goodman Theatre has been a wonderful learning experience for Donovan.
"The most important thing I've learned in this process is to know my place," Donovan said. "I'm used to working in a university and storefront theatre. Both are typically understaffed, and thus, require members of the production team to fill multiple production roles. But, the Goodman is a well-established theatre and fruitfully staffed. This means that responsibilities are all appropriately designated, and the SM is responsible for much less. For me, this internship has been an exercise in learning to relax and be comfortable knowing that things will get done by the people hired to do them. It was almost like culture shock. The concept of an SM not having to take their work home and having a personal life was foreign."
This was a rewarding experience full of new tools that Donovan can use as she pursues a career in stage management. She said it has been an incredibly enjoyable opportunity to explore Chicago and connect with old friends.
"I've had the most fun getting to know the city and the people I'm working with," Donovan said. "From Donald (Claxton) to Shannon (Rourke '16), the people have been extremely supportive and professional, and connecting with other St. Ambrose alumni in the Chicago area has been great as well."
Her advice to anyone interested in pursuing an opportunity like hers is: "START LOOKING NOW. Honestly, start applying as soon as possible. Stage management internships are great because they are for specific productions so it's easy to find slots that work with your academic calendar. Getting SM jobs is all based on where you've worked and who you've worked with. If you want to work in Chicago, find a gig in Chicago. That way, when you graduate and start applying, you'll have theatres on your résumé that are in the same region."
For now, we await Donovan's next great adventure!
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