Summer of Growth: Our Opportunity Greensboro Fellow

Hannah Dobrogosz is a rising junior at Elon University in their B.F.A. Acting program. This summer she’s also an Opportunity Greensboro Fellow, which means she’s gaining professional experience at a paid local internship (here), and receiving intensive professional development and access to community leaders throughout the summer along with a cohort of other Greensboro college students.

Hannah is Triad Stage’s second Opportunity Greensboro Fellow. She’s joined the team working with our new Learning Director as our first Education intern, and she’s been involved in running our inaugural summer camp as well as doing some important research and planning for the coming year.

We sat down to talk with her a little more about her experience so far this summer:

Triad Stage: Why did you choose to apply for the Learning Internship at Triad Stage?

Hannah Dobrogosz: I have been a part of the Greensboro community for 14 years now, and I have been coming to shows at Triad Stage for almost as long! I grew up performing in community theatre productions and I’ve always longed to be a part of a professional theatre organization. Once I found out about the Learning Internship opportunity, I was eager to apply and become a working member of Greensboro’s art scene. I think the arts are an essential part of every community and I am an advocate for the incredible talent that we have in our midst. I also love sharing my passion for performing with students who are just starting to figure out who and what they want to be. When I was in high school and doing community theatre as a hobby, I was really influenced by the people around me. Seeing others so dedicated to the arts inspired me to unleash my creative potential and embrace my artistry. I hope our summer camp students see my love of the arts and feel reassured knowing that they are in the right place.

TS: What does your day-to-day look like?

HD: My day-to-day varies quite a bit! Some days I work with the students in the summer camps and other days I work in the office on various research projects and potential partnerships. When I am with the students, I get to participate in their theatre games and offer advice when they work on new material such as scenes or monologues. When I am at my desk, I write for Triad Stage’s blog and do a lot of brainstorming and note-taking. I recently started brainstorming plans for potential workshops that Triad Stage could offer to the Girl Scouts to help them earn arts-related badges. I am particularly excited about this project because I was a Girl Scout for seven years when I was younger, and I would be so happy knowing I helped current and future Girl Scouts express their creativity through new and exciting artistic programs!

TS: Why do you think arts education is important?

HD: Arts education is so important because the arts play such a key role in a person’s emotional and mental development. When a person can harness the creative potential inside of them, they can truly become unstoppable. Without arts education to unleash the limitless possibilities of young people’s imaginations, we would never advance as a society. Artists are the unsung heroes of our world because they bring color, creativity, and heart to a population that is always in need of inspiration and hope.

TS: What have you been the most excited to work on so far?

HD: I have been most excited about spending time with our incredible Teaching Artists and students during summer camps. I have met some fantastic local theatre artists and learned about their extensive careers in the arts. I have also had the privilege of connecting with students as they begin their long journey as theatre makers!

TS: What do you hope to have accomplished at the end of your internship?

HD: By the end of my internship, I hope to have helped establish new and exciting programs that become and remain important assets to the organization. I hope that because of my dedicated research, the Poetry Out Loud program takes the state by storm and gets high school students in every county learning and performing famous pieces of poetry. I also hope to create lesson plans for theatrical workshops to help local Girl Scouts explore their creative potential and earn some fun badges along the way. Finally, I hope that my presence in the summer camps is meaningful and helpful to at least one student out there! Art is all about sharing and connecting, so I hope the students have found my time with them to be valuable. It has been such a privilege to see their work and be a part of their growth.

TS: What’s been your biggest learning experience so far?

HD: There is no single learning experience I can name because I am learning new things each and every day! It has been very helpful, however, to spend one-on-one time with various members from the organization to hear about their lives and learn about the work they are doing for our community. I’ve seen so many productions here at Triad Stage, but now I am getting a backstage look at how the organization runs every day.