Summer Internships

The Great Lakes Center for the Arts (GLCFA) is guided by its mission to inspire, entertain, educate, and serve all in Northern Michigan year-round by presenting exceptional experiences across the full spectrum of the performing arts and offering impactful educational opportunities.

The Center is a 501(c)3 with four paid internship positions available for the summer of 2025 in the capacities below. All interns will work alongside the entire GLCFA team and gain valuable experience in a variety of areas within arts management.

Internship Details

  • The application process will go live on Friday, January 17, 2025; applications will be considered immediately, on a rolling basis, until all positions are filled.
  • Full-time at $15.50/hour for 35 hours/week for up to 13 weeks; if overtime (>40 hours/week) is required by supervisor, the overtime rate is $23.25/hour.
  • Dates are flexible, but target dates are mid-May through mid-August.
  • Interns must have a vehicle at their disposal for the duration of the internship.
  • The intern will pay for housing, food, transportation, and necessities; GLCFA will help hired interns secure housing upon request.
  • Onboarding and exit surveys/interviews will be conducted; all interns will be invited to participate in longitudinal data collection.
  • Director of Education and Community Outreach will meet weekly with interns and schedule social events to build connections among the intern cohort and with the GLCFA staff.
  • GLCFA staff will complete evaluations per university requirements; responsibility resides with the intern. 

PRODUCTION INTERNSHIP

Duration: 13 weeks, full-time, late-May through late-August (flexible)

 

Primary tasks will include assisting with:

 

Production

  • Lighting setup for rentals and presented events in multiple spaces.
  • Sound setup for rentals and presented events in multiple spaces.
  • Video setup for rentals and presented events in multiple spaces.
  • Behind the scenes, backstage
  • Load-in/Load-out.
  • Stage management when not provided by artist.
  • General office duties
  • July 12 Gala mandatory

Additional tasks will include assisting with:

 

Artist logistics

  • Pre-planning
  • Transportation, contract needs, lodging
  • Be available to the artist/visiting company prior to, during, and after the event to meet their needs.
  • Set up/clean up artist dressing rooms and green room, including food
  • Manage all backstage signage.
  • Schedule for day of event – run of show.
  • Errands around town for artist requests

Supervisor: Technical Director

 

Rate of pay: $15.50/hour for up to 35-hours/week; should overtime be required by your supervisor (>40 hours/week), the overtime rate is $23.25/hr.

 

Schedule: A "work week" is Saturday through Friday; responsibilities and schedule will be determined weekly by supervisor and, in addition to traditional business hours, will include evenings and weekends as events require. 

 

GLCFA staff will complete evaluations per university requirements. Housing, food, transportation, and necessities to be paid by the intern.

 

DEVELOPMENT INTERNSHIP

Duration: 13 weeks, full-time, late-May through late August (flexible)

 

Primary Development tasks include assisting with the following:

 

Fundraising

  • Learn the fundamentals of a non-profit fundraising department
  • Interface with the GLCFA departments as needed
  • Assist with various donor tracking, communication, and recognition tasks
  • Solicit and steward donors with calls, emails, gifts, and letters

Donor Events

  • Assist staff leading up to and at the Gala on July 12 (mandatory)
  • Assist with a variety of functions including but not limited to event planning, executing invitation lists and mailings, and tracking RSVPs
  • Staff the Donor Lounge with senior Development staff before and during Center Stage Shows at the Center
  • Assis with planning and staffing 6+ stewardship and cultivation events at the Center

Back Office/Administrative

  • Assist Development Coordinator with a variety of database management activities
  • Assist with essential administrative functions

Other tasks as assigned

Supervisors: Development Director or Development Officer

 

Rate of pay: $15.50/hour for up to 35-hours/week; should your supervisor require overtime (>40 hours/week), the overtime rate is $23.25/hr

 

Schedule: A "work week" is Saturday through Friday; responsibilities and schedule will be determined weekly by supervisor. In addition to traditional business hours, the schedule will include evenings and weekends as events require. 

 

GLCFA staff will complete evaluations per university requirements. Housing, food, transportation, and necessities to be paid by the intern.

 

 

MARKETING INTERNSHIP

Duration: 13 weeks, full-time, late-May through late-August (flexible) 
 

Primary Marketing tasks include assisting with:

Social Media Marketing

  • Social media content brainstorming, planning, creation, & execution
  • Helping maintain the social media calendar
  • Content creation: taking photos and videos as needed

Events

  • Represent the Center at community events as needed
  • Help at GLCFA events as needed - July 12 Gala mandatory
  • Photography at events as needed (will depend on candidate)

Communication/Administration

  • Distribute posters/flyers to communities as needed.
  • Update digital community calendars.
  • Submit info to Chamber promotional blasts.
  • Submit weekly ads to print partners.
  • Organizational tasks
  • Assist in keeping the department's digital project management tool organized & up to date (Asana)
  • Assist with weekly newsletter content and creation (Wordfly)
  • Simple design work via Canva (candidate dependent)

Supervisor:  Marketing Director

 

Rate of pay: $15.50/hour for up to 35-hours/week; should overtime be required by your supervisor (>40 hours/week), the overtime rate is $23.25/hr
 

Schedule: A "work week" is Monday through Friday; responsibilities and schedule will be determined weekly by supervisor. Evenings or weekends as events require. 

 

GLCFA staff will complete evaluations per university requirements. Housing, food, transportation, and necessities to be paid by the intern.

 

VENUE OPERATIONS INTERNSHIP

Duration: 13 weeks, full-time, late-May through late-August (flexible) 

 

Primary Venue Operations tasks include assisting with:

 

Daily Operations

  • General day-to-day operations of the venue
  • Working events to include weekdays, weekends, and evenings
  • Training and upholding GLCFA standards, especially when providing services to patrons, donors, and special guests
  • Responsible for overall cleanliness of venue and event spaces
  • Assisting with concessions and bartending as needed
  • Assisting with event set up and tear down; week of July 7 and July 12 Gala are mandatory

Artist Management

  • Transporting artists and driving for artist-related errands
  • Preparing artists' spaces per artist rider
  • Catering assistance and shopping for artists' needs

Rentals and Events

  • Set up, tear down, and executing venue concerts, shows, and events at GLCFA
  • Set up, tear down, and executing other venue rental events for GLCFA
  • Working the box office before and during events, as needed
  • Working with Special Events as needed
  • Load-in/load-out as needed
  • Occasional tech support

Supervisors:  Director of Venue Operations; Venue Sales and Ticketing Manager

 

Rate of pay: $15.50/hour for up to 35-hours/week; should overtime be required by your supervisor (>40 hours/week), the overtime rate is $23.25/hr.

 

Schedule: A "work week" is Saturday through Friday; responsibilities and schedule will be determined weekly by supervisor and, in addition to traditional business hours, will include evenings and weekends as events require. 

 

GLCFA staff will complete evaluations per university requirements. Housing, food, transportation, and necessities to be paid by the intern

 

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Questions?

For details about the Center, the internship opportunities, or other questions, please: