Two Oglethorpe students had the opportunity to spend their summers working behind-the-scenes with the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta’s Tony Award-winning regional theatre.
(l-r) Jordan Houser ’18, D’Zerrea Richarte ’21 and Caitlin Way ’91 pictured with the Alliance’s Tony Award
“I learn something every day, big or small,” said D’Zerrea Richarte ’21 of her literary intern position. “Officially, I read scripts and research any dramaturgical needs the director or producers may want. I told my supervisor what my aspirations for my career are and she met me in the middle to go beyond my internship title. My biggest projects have been facilitating auditions, callbacks, and preliminary auditions.”
Richarte was joined at the Alliance by fellow Theatre major Jax Wright ’20. Wright worked in scenic painting and design during the summer.
“This internship has solidified my interests in theatre and in film,” said Richarte. “Now that I had a taste of professional theatre, I want more. I haven’t felt like this about theatre since I was a child.”
Richarte and Wright weren’t the only ones from the Oglethorpe family at the Alliance. Alumna Jordan Houser ’18 works as a management assistant for the theater, directly aiding directors and managers of the company. Houser was initially connected to another alumna at the theatre via campus networking.
“It truly was that so oft-spoken about ‘Oglethorpe Connection’ that led me to the Alliance,” said Houser. “Dr. Beth Concepcion realized that Caitlin Way ’91 [associate director of development and individual giving at the Alliance Theatre] had been a student at Oglethorpe around the same time she had and put us in contact with one another. A coffee date and some interviews later, and I was starting at the Alliance!”
Oglethorpe’s Conant Performing Arts Center
The Alliance Theatre is an artistic and cultural Atlanta institution that offers 10 productions annually at their Midtown space, just down Peachtree from Oglethorpe University.
The two have a strong relationship. Oglethorpe regularly hosts the Alliance’s summer camps, and in fall 2017, as the Alliance’s performance space was under renovation, they staged their season opener at Oglethorpe’s Conant Performing Arts Center. Shakespeare in Love’s cast included three Oglethorpe students.
Alliance professionals have also volunteered their time to help during Oglethorpe’s annual Scholarship Weekend, where incoming students compete for OU Theatre scholarships.
