WOLF TRAP FOUNDATION FOR THE
PERFORMING ARTS
Kirk Sob

A Dean’s List student who graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (whose career planning and placement office won an award offered this past year by the Washington Internship Program), Kirk Sobell had worked in the past at Zoellner Arts Center and University Productions where he functioned as a promotional coordinator as well as an arts-excursion chair from 2003 through 2005. Kirk won the Williams Award for superior writing and studied abroad in Galway, Ireland. A former stage manager and event planner for a theater, Kirk directed plays and wrote for a newspaper. He requested an internship in theater and other forms of entertainment where he could be assigned to marketing, public relations, and other forms of communication. Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts were two of the prestigious placements Kirk mentioned specifically when applying to the Washington Internship Program in late February, and WIP helped him secure offers and interviews from both institutions along with the public-relations firm of Compsierge USA. Kirk chose Wolf Trap where he worked from June through August while living at Georgetown University where he took WIP’s course on “Washington and Work.” Following his internship in September, Kirk applied for a position in group sales at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., for which WIP recommended him most highly and where he will probably be chosen. His final paper is quoted here:

“At the first meeting I attended of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the supervisors told the interns that this summer could be the best of our lives. This prediction definitely came true. I worked as the advertising and group sales intern who reported to Wolf Trap’s group sales manager and the director of advertising, sales, and business development. I handled arrangements for several of the Filene Center’s events (from among a hundred such productions) as well as for children’s shows at the Theatre in the Woods. I took phone orders, answered customer inquiries, wrote and distributed invoices, processed payment, and mailed tickets. In addition, I served as group sales manager during my supervisor’s vacation. I helped develop an e-flyer to promote sales for the Theatre in the Stars production of Beauty and the Beast: The Musical. I researched prospects, created an e-mail list, and wrote copy for the flyer. Then I researched prospects to advertise in Wolf Trap’s summer playbill Center Lines and the fall playbill Timbre. I drafted letters to advertisers and persuaded them to make their presence felt at Wolf Trap. I also analyzed competitors’ business by tracking down advertising rates in local magazines and performing-arts venues across the country.”
 
“I had the opportunity to work on a marketing project for the National Symphony Orchestra’s concert: Play! A Video Game Symphony. I formed a partnership with x3o Emerging Technologies to promote the performance at a video-game tournament sponsored by the company. There I managed a campaign of enter-to-win free tickets and developed flyers for tournament attendees. I also assisted in writing a radio spot for the event, which was featured on stations like DC-101.”
 
“I deeply appreciated working in an innovative, motivating environment with a friendly group of co-workers. My experience was heightened by seeing performers like B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, the Doobie Brothers, Ziggy Marley, Chris Isaak, and Guster as well as performances of Riverdance, Chicago, The Marriage of Figaro, and the National Symphony Orchestra. The internship also provided tours of other performing-arts venues in the D.C.-Metro area, including Strathmore Hall, Arena Stage, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”

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