Employment Opportunities

Summer College Acting & Teaching Interns 2025

Playground Stage Children’s Theatre is hiring College Acting and Teaching Interns for our 2025 Summer Camp in Asheville NC.

Required dates and times

Summer Prep Days: Thursday June 5th - Friday June 13th 12:00pm-5:00pm 

Summer Camp Session 1: Monday June 16th –Friday June 27th  8:30am-4:30pm

Summer Camp Session 2: Monday June 30th- Friday July 11th 8:30am-4:30pm (No camp July 4th)

Summer Camp Session 3: Monday July 14th- Friday July 25th 8:30am-4:30pm

Summer Family Musical Rehearsals: Evenings July 14th - July 31st

Summer Family Musical Performances: August 1st-2nd Evenings & Matinees

Staff Wrap Up Days: August 4th-5th 9am-5pm

About Playground Stage Children’s Theatre

Playground Stage is a non- profit 501(c)(3) Children’s Theatre based in Buncombe County NC. Our mission is to empower and nurture children to learn 21st century skills using hands-on theatre education. Playground Stage specializes in teaching children in Kindergarten-6th grade.

About the Position

The Acting and Teaching College Internship at Playground Stage Children’s Theatre is geared toward young performers pursuing a musical theatre career and who are also interested in gaining skills in theatre education. We believe great theatre teaching artists should have strong performance experience and should be competent in their craft in order to be an effective educator. We want our college interns to leave the summer with both skills as an educator and a professional performance role on their resume as they enter the job market.

Teaching

During Summer Camp, College Interns will assist experienced Teaching Artists with a cast of 15-30 children in an age appropriate musical in our 1-2 week long summer day camps. Our Summer Camp provides children the opportunity to try out every aspect of theatre. Campers will act, sing, and dance in a musical, design the scenery and props, create costumes, learn how to run a box office, and put it all together for a final show at the end of each camp session. College Interns will assist Teaching Artists with directing & choreography, back-stage duties, theatre crafts, lunch & snack time, and other camp activities. College Interns will receive coaching in teaching pedagogy,  age appropriate stage direction, and choreography. 

Performance

College Interns will perform a lead role in the musical The Wizard of Oz (RSC Version) as a part of our Summer Family Musical Production. Rehearsals are in the evenings after the camp day ends. We will be considering the following roles for our Summer College Interns:

DOROTHY GALE – (Range: G3-C5 (opt. E5))

Zeke – Farmhand / COWARDLY LION (Range: Bb2-F4)
HICKORY – Farmhand / TINMAN (Range: Bb2-G4)
HUNK – Farmhand / SCARECROW (Range: Bb2-F#4 (opt. Ab4))

Essentials for a College Acting & Teaching Intern

• Enrolled or recently graduated (2023, 2024, 2025) from a higher education institute studying theatre (or studying education with collegiate musical theatre performing experience).
• A well-rounded knowledge of both performance and backstage theatre arts.
• Experience or willingness to learn how to lead a large group of elementary aged children.
• Pass a fingerprinting and background check before the start of camp.
• Attend Summer Camp training before the start of camp.
• A can-do, go with the flow, upbeat attitude.
• Ability to be physically and mentally active for up to 9 hours.
• Interest in Children’s Theatre, Theatre Education, and a genuine love of teaching children.
• Non-equity Actor
• Asheville does not have reliable public transportation, bringing a car is preferred.

Job Details

• $400/week salary (Pro-rated for partial weeks)
• Housing provided in Asheville, NC for the duration of your contract. Housing is shared with other PGS Interns.
• College Interns will be employed as W2 employees.
• College Interns will be encouraged to set professional goals and gain experience in an artistic area of choice as it pertains to children’s theatre.
• College Interns will perform as a professional actor in a lead role in the Summer Family Musical in August.

To Apply Please Submit:

• Interest letter or email
• Performance Resume
• A list of any relevant teaching experience (not required but considered)
• Audition Video Submission
  • 2 contrasting Musical Theatre songs
  • Video highlighting any basic dance ability

Feel free to send us videos you have already made, even if they are for other companies. We just want to see your best work and don’t need a video made specifically for us.

• Any conflicts you may have during the required dates and times listed in this description

Email to Executive Director Leslie Putnam at education@playgroundstage.org. Interviews will be conducted via zoom on a rolling basis when submissions are received. Final deadline for submissions is EOB Monday April 14th.

Any questions about the position or application process can be directed to Education@playgroundstage.org