NEW HAVEN, CONN.: Long Wharf Theatre has announced a partnership with Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) to form a new paid internship program. Additionally, Long Wharf’s benefit production of The Crucible will be presented at SCSU, with the opportunity for students to collaborate on the production.
“Long Wharf deeply values strong community partnerships and advancing educational opportunities,” Long Wharf managing director Kit Ingui said in a statement. “As our company continues to evolve, the expansion of our learning programming remains a high priority so that we can share the knowledge of theatremaking with the next generation.”
The partnership will offer up to five paid internships for SCSU students in the Theatre and Arts Administration and Cultural Advocacy departments. All SCSU students will also have the opportunity to purchase discounted $10 tickets to Long Wharf productions, and all faculty will be able to purchase tickets at a 20 percent discount. An allotment of free student tickets to all Long Wharf productions held at SCSU will also be available.
“We are thrilled to formalize a 30-plus year informal partnership with Long Wharf Theatre, where many of our graduates have begun their professional careers,” SCSU Theatre Department chair Mike Skinner said in a statement. “We proudly share Long Wharf’s mission and belief that theatre is for everyone.”
SCSU’s newly established minor in Arts Administration and Cultural Advocacy will offer students hands-on experiences in the field via the Long Wharf partnership. “Southern students will have unparalleled access to new kinds of internships, both in theatre management and other career experiences of interests,” program co-coordinator Joel Dodson said in a statement.
In addition to the benefit presentation of The Crucible, which was Long Wharf’s first production in 1965, Long Wharf will hold a second public event at SCSU as part of the new partnership. SCSU students will also be invited to Long Wharf’s annual season auditions, and Long Wharf artists will work organize workshops, lectures, and demonstrations on the SCSU campus.
Long Wharf Theatre is a Tony-winning theatre company that serves the New Haven community. Long Wharf is committed to commissioning, developing, and producing new plays to expand the legacy of storytelling in the America theatre. In 2022, Long Wharf left its building space to start a new chapter of theatre without barriers in spaces and stages across New Haven.
Southern Connecticut State University is a comprehensive public research university in New Haven. Established in 1893, SCSU serves approximately 8,700 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs and is committed to accessibility, affordability, and social justice.
