Behind the Curtain: Interning with Dobama Theatre

May 8, 2026 | By Dani Young, Communications & Marketing Specialist

What does it take to run a professional theater company? For interns at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights, the answer goes far beyond what audiences see on stage.

Through the Y.O.U. Internship Program, interns are provided a unique, behind-the-scenes look at how a theater operates while gaining hands-on experience, building real-world skills and exploring their own career interests.

“We've had the fortune of having several Y.O.U. interns over the years. It's great to be able to adapt the work that we have going on over the summer to fit what they're interested in,” said Colin Anderson, Director of Production at Dobama. “We've done everything from filing, reorganizing prop spaces, working in technical theater and even getting some acting training.”

“The challenge and opportunity really is finding that balance between what Dobama needs for the summer as well as what the student needs in terms of their continued education,” he added.

Dobama Business Director Amy Weaver noted how each internship is very personalized, with no two experiences being exactly the same. She recalled how a previous Y.O.U. intern was interested in being an actor in musical theater so the Dobama mentors were able to go through his resume, audition prep materials and resources like the Actors’ Equity Association union handbook, helping build a foundation before pursuing formal training.

“A huge part of the business of theater is making sure that folks, as they're coming up, know what rights they have and know how to advocate for themselves,” Colin added. “And we're grateful to be able to provide that training to them at this age, at this stage in their career.”

For Lauren, a senior at Cleveland School of the Arts, her internship with Dobama last summer was her first professional work experience — and a chance to try something new.

“One of my careers that I want to do is singing, acting, directing, and also some behind the stage stuff just to get something else to learn,” Lauren said. She noted she is more of a film person but still loves being involved in theater.

Through her internship with Dobama Theatre, she explored more behind-the-scenes work, helping with organizing materials, cleaning spaces, and supporting daily operations.

“Some skills… I would say teamwork and adaptability. Just learning how to be in a new environment and move around,” Lauren said. One of her favorite parts was seeing how everyone interacted and collaborated during staff meetings.

As the summer progresses, the mentors see how the interns grow more confident throughout their internship.

“I think the most exciting thing to me is seeing them getting more comfortable with the staff,” Amy said. “They come in and they're a little nervous. They've never possibly worked in a professional environment. And so just becoming more comfortable being able to ask questions and contribute to staff meetings is just really exciting.”

While Dobama does not typically produce shows during the summer, the internship offers valuable, hands-on insight into the behind-the-scenes work.

“I think what's really exciting for us is that a lot of people won't get to see the back end of how a theater runs and the operations of it,” Amy said.

Another benefit is learning about Dobama programming so interns can then come back and see a show or even participate with a deeper understanding of the organization.

“During the summer, since we're not producing, there is a lot of cleaning and organizing and all of that,” Amy added. “But during that time, it's a great time to be able to chat with the staff and have a lot of those conversations on what it's like, what the professional world is like.”

Colin noted that interns often come in seeing certain duties as “intern jobs,” but see throughout the summer that the staff is completing those same tasks alongside them.

 “Learning the importance of each part of the organization and how we keep it running is the benefit of working with a small company in an internship like this,” he added. “Because you get a lot of face time with the people who keep the wheels turning.”

Both the Dobama mentors and intern had positive experiences partnering with the Y.O.U. Internship Program.

“I would definitely recommend being a Y.O.U. mentor,” Amy said. “I think the Y.O.U. program is really, really great at prepping the interns for what they're walking into, making sure that it's clear on both sides what the summer looks like and what you're agreeing to.”

Colin agreed, adding that “The benefit of that preparation is that it makes our day-to-day sort of oversight of the program and the interns involved very easy. We have our information on the front end so that we're not always playing catch up… And we've really had wonderful experiences both years with both interns doing wildly different things but learning all the same.”

For Lauren, she sees this experience helping her in her future and encourages other students to participate.

“I definitely recommend. I feel like they could learn a lot from this experience,” Lauren said. “This could definitely help someone, especially a theater person who's trying to move their way into that environment.”