Andover’s Ryelle Jenifer and Tori Braley are both involved in the New London Barn Playhouse’s Junior Intern (JI) Company. This is Ryelle’s second year in the program, and she loves dedicating her summers to theater. This is Tori’s first year in the program; she’s loving it and already looking forward to going again next year.
The Junior Interns are 25 young performers aged 12 to 18 who, over the course of nine weeks, rehearse, build, and perform plays and musicals for young audiences.
JIs not only play all of the roles in each of the productions, but they also help build the sets, choose the costumes, and make the props. JIs also get a chance to work with professional guest directors, choreographers, and actors and the Barn’s Artistic Director, Keith Coughlin.
This year, the JIs are performing Happily Ever After; The (Almost) Totally True Story of Hansel and Gretel; As You Like It; Pippi Longstocking; and Peter Pan.
The company rehearses Mondays through Fridays from 9 AM to 4 PM, with performances on select Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The full program runs from June 22 through August 22, with each production getting two or three weeks of rehearsals.
Junior Intern productions are directed and choreographed by Director of Education Josh Feder, as well as guest directors. Other events, such as performances at New London’s Market on the Green, “JI Nights” for the mainstage shows, and outings to other local performances and events will be announced throughout the summer.
Junior Internship is also available for teenagers in the technical aspects of theater, to work with our Stage Manager and Technical Director to help with the building and painting of the sets and props, as well as managing the running of backstage and the light/sound boards during the performances.
Besides mounting highly professional shows for consistently sold-out houses, this performance-based program fosters individual growth in performance skills as well as nurturing an ensemble experience where each member supports and encourages their castmates. Theater games and educational exercises, in conjunction with the work toward each production, develop the performance skills of each member of the company.