Current and Alumni Apprentices

CURRENT APPRENTICES

Stephen Wuycheck is the Conservatory/ Administration Apprentice.  He is currently a Graduate student at Florida State University where he is pursuing an MFA in Theatre Management. Before returning to school, Stephen was the Director of Theatre at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce Florida. While at Lincoln Park, Stephen directed, produced and collaborated with his peers to create a variety of productions with a multidisciplinary educational focus. Stephen holds a B.A. in Theatre from Flagler College with an emphasis on Acting and Directing. Directing credits include: Fellow Travelers (world premier at Florida State University), You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (revival), Sweet Eros, and Retrograde. Favorite acting part – Lord Dundreary, Our American Cousin.

Mary Pilger is the Carpentry Apprentice. A native of McLean, Virginia, she graduated from The University of Mary Washington in 2009 with degrees in theatre and physics. Before beginning her apprenticeship at The Studio Theatre, she worked as a physicist for the United States Navy in Dahlgren, Virginia. While earning her degree, she was the president of her university’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega and she was a scenic designer for the student-run black box theatre, as well as for the main stage production of Far Away. She is currently one of the captains of the NOVA Women’s Rugby team.

Brittany Shemuga, the Electrics Apprentice, is originally from Akron, Ohio. She graduated from Ohio University with a B.F.A. in Production Design and Technology with an emphasis in Lighting Design. Her recent lighting design credits include Marisol, Big River, The Hallucinogenic Toreador and Chairs which received a 2009 USITT Peggy Ezekiel Outstanding Achievement Award. She has also worked as Master Electrician for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival for the past two summers.

Ashley Hall, the Literary and Public Programs Apprentice, hails from South Carolina but was transplanted to the Midwest in her teens. There, she attended Lake Forest College where she majored in Theatre and American Studies and spent a semester abroad studying Shakespearean drama at the British American Dramatic Academy. Spending her college years in Chicago, she served as a Literary Intern for Northlight Theatre and created an Education Internship at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. After spending four wonderful years in the Windy City, she is excited to experience working for The Studio Theatre and explore Washington, DC!

Janill Espaillat originally from Union City, NJ is The Studio Theatre's Business Apprentice. She recently graduated from Dartmouth College majoring in Theater and Economics. Her productions credit includes The Lover (Dartmouth College Student Production: Stage Manager), A Bicycle Country (Dartmouth College Student Production: Ines), Hair (Dartmouth College Mainstage Production: ASM), Grapes of Wrath (Dartmouth College Mainstage Production: SM), Miss Julie (Dartmouth College Student Production: SM), Strings Attached Short Festival (Strings Attached Theater Company, ASM), The Joys of Fantasy, (Ordinary Theater Company: Production Staff), Beyond Therapy (Displaced Theater Company:  Producer), Antigone (Dartmouth College Student Production: Lightning Designer), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Dartmouth College Student Production: Lightning Designer), and The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Senior Culminating Project: Stage Manager).

Betsy O’Connor is the Company Management/Production Management apprentice for the 2010/2011 season at The Studio Theatre. She will be a graduate of Clemson University in December with a major in Production Studies in Performing Arts with a concentration in Theatre and a minor in Marketing. Before moving to DC she worked in various environments such as WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory, the Avenue Q national Broadway tour, and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. In addition to working with artists, she has performed in plays - Urinetown (Little Sally), The House of Bernarda Alba (Prudencia), and Two Gentlemen of Verona the musical (ensemble). Betsy was also nominated to attend the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for her work as a dramaturg for RENT.   She is a Virginia native but wears the Palmetto on her sleeve and she is looking forward to making new connections and learning new skills during her time at The Studio Theatre.

Billie Jean Pinheiro, the Stage Management Apprentice is originally from Brazil. She recently graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA with a Bachelor's in Theatre. Her recent stage management credits include: Noises Off, Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, A Number and Three Sisters. Additional credits include the role of Matilde in The Clean House, and the lighting design for Recklessness.

Lindsey Barlow is the Communications Apprentice. A North Carolina native, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009 with degrees in English and linguistics. Before beginning her apprenticeship, she worked as a house manager at the Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as an accounts receivable assistant at Longleaf Services in Chapel Hill. While earning her degree, she was a sales intern at W.W. Norton & Co. in New York City and a production intern at TIPS Technical Publishing in Carrboro, North Carolina, where she copyedited a higher level linguistics textbook for Georgetown University Press. She also spent a semester studying at the University of Bristol in Bristol, England.

Megan Corbin is the Development Apprentice. Originally from Lancaster, Ohio, she is a recent graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Theatre and English. During her time at Ohio State she focused primarily in Directing but obtained experience in acting, stage management, and technical theatre as well. She has worked as a director, co-director and stage manager with Whistling in the Dark Theatre Co. of Columbus. Recent production credits include The Soulmate Factory (Columbus, director), O Pioneers! (OSU, live sound mixer), Summer and Smoke (OSU, assistant director), The Woman in Black (WITD Theatre Company, stage manager, co-director), God Forbid (OSU, director), Godspell (CAPA-OSU, Joanne), Noises Off (OSU, assistant director), Working: A Musical (OSU, Sharon Atkins), The Three Bully Goats Griff (OSU, Wilhemena), and The Trojan Woman 2.0 (OSU, Assistant Stage Manager). 
 

APPRENTICE ALUMNI

 

Miriam Yoder
Stage Management Apprentice 06-07

“I was the Stage Management Apprentice at Studio during the 2006-2007 season. I am currently assistant stage manager on Eclipsed at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and in the Spring of 2010, I will stage manage Sixty Miles to Silver Lake for Studio's 2ndstage. My apprentice year was the most exhausting year of my life, but in the best kind of way. I learned so much about the business of theatre and about myself. It was great to see different aspects of all of the departments; now when I'm at other theatres I have a basic understanding of what is happening in all of the other departments. I'm pretty sure I was living on espresso and Chinese food (because Yums is right next door and awesome!)! I wouldn't change it for the world, though. Those challenges shaped me in ways I can't even being to put into words. I'm thankful for that. The added bonus of the apprenticeship? Friends. I deeply cherish my friendships with past and present Studio staff members and crew members. Of course, my fellow apprentices were key too. We all learned different things from each other, helping each other make it through the rough days.”

Julie Lamb

Admin/Conservatory Apprentice 07-08

“Since my apprenticeship I have been working at the National Endowment for the Arts as a Staff Assistant for the Deputy Chairman of Management and Budget. My favorite part of the apprenticeship was the fact that I had such a diverse experience. I'm pretty sure that--because I was the admin apprentice--I ended up working for every single department at the theatre, if not every single person, at some point during my apprenticeship. As a result, no day was like another and I was constantly learning and growing.”

 

Chelsey Christensen

Development Apprentice 08-09 

“I was the 2008-2009 Development apprentice at The Studio Theatre.  I am now the Membership Gifts Associate at Washington Performing Arts Society in downtown DC.  I love the DC area and wanted to continue to be involved in the arts nonprofit community after my apprenticeship, and I am doing exactly that! I am certain that I would not have my current job if it weren't for my apprenticeship experience.  During my apprenticeship I assisted in every aspect of the Development Department and I was given responsibilities that surpass those of many other internship/apprenticeship opportunities. The well-rounded experience and the knowledge I gained prepared me for my current full-time development position.  I had an invaluable experience while also making friendships and connections that will last a lifetime.”

Melissa Hinojosa
Carpentry Apprentice 08-09

"As the 2008-2009 Carpentry apprentice,  I worked alongside some of the most talented and passionate people in the industry. The hard work and dedication exhibited by Studio's staff members was unrivaled. I absolutely loved working in the shop! As an apprentice, I really enjoyed the production meetings. It was a chance to see the process of a production start out as an idea or a drawing, and evolve into a full scale performance on stage. The Apprentice Program not only helped me refine my skills as a carpenter but helped me grow as a person. Making the transition from a college student to a young professional can be a daunting task. I can honestly say that the friendships and experience I gained from the program will be with me for the rest of my life. Thanks to Studio, I am proud to be part of an industry where sawdust in your pocket is an everyday thing and 'it's not worth doing unless you get dirt, grease or splinters under your fingernails.'”

Jennifer Harris
Production/ Company Management Apprentice 09-10

"I entered The Studio Theatre Apprentice Program after finishing my Master’s Degree at New York University in Artistic Direction and Production.  While the knowledge I gained from my studies was (and always will be) completely invaluable, I knew I needed the hands on experience of working with an established institution to really grasp what it meant to run a successful theatre organization.  My time as the Company Management Apprentice was like nothing I could have ever imagined. I was not only a member of a production team that produced 10 shows over the course of the season, but I was also involved in the largest leadership transition The Studio Theatre has seen. Witnessing such a turning point in this institution was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career as of yet. But beyond the skills I learned, the people were by far the best part of the job. The Directors and Designers are some of the most talented people I have ever met, the staff members are some of the most dedicated individuals I know, and my fellow apprentices, my colleagues, are some of my closest friends . I felt so much a part of this family that after my apprenticeship I applied for a full time position in the production department.  As the current Assistant Production Manager and Casting Assistant of The Studio Theatre, I continue to grow as an administrator, an individual and an artist thanks to the support of The Studio Theatre community."