GET STARTED: Fill out the 2025 interest form [HERE] by March 1 to receive latest updates on info sessions and audition sign-ups.
APPRENTICE INFORMATION
Each summer, OPS accepts a small group of 6-10 Apprentices who train with the Company and work on shows alongside our professional theatre artists throughout the summer season. The program is designed for high school graduates (or diploma equivalent), current college students, and early career professionals.
Apprentices attend training workshops, promote performances, assist with organizational tasks, work closely with company leadership, and perform shows in both acting and crew roles. Apprentices end the season with a complete foundational understanding of how our company operates through hands-on experience in the company.
While Apprentices are fully integrated into the company for our performance season, we also hold an Apprentice Showcase of scene work near the end of the season. A tech-focused option is also available for those who would like to focus solely on the technical & management side of outdoor repertory theatre.
Apprentices are paid a stipend range of approximately $600-$725 to support their time training and working with the company, based on number of scheduled shows. Limited "reduced commitment" Apprentice positions may be available on a case-by-case basis; stipends are prorated to reflect the Apprentice's time commitment
Apprentices attend training workshops, promote performances, assist with organizational tasks, work closely with company leadership, and perform shows in both acting and crew roles. Apprentices end the season with a complete foundational understanding of how our company operates through hands-on experience in the company.
While Apprentices are fully integrated into the company for our performance season, we also hold an Apprentice Showcase of scene work near the end of the season. A tech-focused option is also available for those who would like to focus solely on the technical & management side of outdoor repertory theatre.
Apprentices are paid a stipend range of approximately $600-$725 to support their time training and working with the company, based on number of scheduled shows. Limited "reduced commitment" Apprentice positions may be available on a case-by-case basis; stipends are prorated to reflect the Apprentice's time commitment
By the end of the summer as an OPS Fest apprentice, it is our goal that our apprentices will have gained:
Extensive knowledge of Elizabethan performance techniques:
You’ll learn how Elizabethan-era actors were able to create engaging performances with no direction save for their own text and cue lines. You’ll then put these skills into practice as you perform in the OPS Fest style. You’ll also gain a thorough understanding of Shakespearean language and plays; though Shakespeare's language often sounds foreign and confusing, playing in our first folio cue script technique is a surprisingly effective way to "decode" the plays. In addition, you will be exposed to a wide variety of the canon over the course of the season; our repertoire includes 27 different plays.
The opportunity to perform with professional actors:
Original Practice Shakespeare Festival is a professional company that employs a large group of talented and professional actors each summer in roughly 20-25 performances. Apprentices join our busy summer season as 50:50 crew/performer, helping to run half the shows and performing in the other half, in a variety of leading and supporting roles. These performances are great learning opportunities and your fellow actors are an important resource for your success in the program.
Large, enthusiastic audiences in beautiful outdoor settings:
We tour parks in the Portland area and enjoy spending much of our summers in the sunshine, not to mention the practical training inherent in performing in the open air. OPS Fest is grateful for the loyal support of returning audiences and for new audiences that find us each year; between old and new friends, our performances are fun and rewarding experiences.
***In 2020, we moved our season entirely online in the interest of actor and audience safety. We were surprised and delighted to discover how well the OPS style transferred to zoom. Since then, our seasons were performed fully in-person, with additional safety measures in place. OPS Fest will continue to prioritize the safety of the community in its decision-making -- made easier by the creativity and flexibility of the company.
Valuable experience working with a professional theatre company:
Working with industry professionals, you will gain important experience that is incomparable to purely educational or retreat-style programs. Real world, hands-on involvement with a self-sustaining company prepares you for further career opportunities and looks great on both performance and professional resumes.
Useful public relations and networking skills:
Apprentices represent the company in a number of different situations. Hands-on experience with company promotion and audience engagement is an important part of the self-sustaining company model. Public relations tasks may include distributing information about the company and performances through various media, staffing the concessions & information table for in-person shows, and moderating online chats during live-streamed shows. The skills you gain as an OPS Fest ambassador are both unique and applicable to several different employment arenas.
New friends and great connections in the Portland theatre community:
OPS Fest company members are involved in a wide variety of different projects in the Portland theatre community, and are eager to share more about other opportunities and resources for early career theatre artists. We are a friendly, community-oriented bunch!
Unique mentorship for tech-focused apprentices:
Apprentices who wish to focus exclusively on technical work will have the opportunity to learn about the various tech needs of performances online or in person. Our company employs excellent stage managers, and many performing company members have technical theatre backgrounds in addition to their acting work. Your tech apprenticeship can be guided by your specialized interests, in addition to receiving a broad foundation of technical skills needed to manage outdoor performances and/or live-streamed shows.
Extensive knowledge of Elizabethan performance techniques:
You’ll learn how Elizabethan-era actors were able to create engaging performances with no direction save for their own text and cue lines. You’ll then put these skills into practice as you perform in the OPS Fest style. You’ll also gain a thorough understanding of Shakespearean language and plays; though Shakespeare's language often sounds foreign and confusing, playing in our first folio cue script technique is a surprisingly effective way to "decode" the plays. In addition, you will be exposed to a wide variety of the canon over the course of the season; our repertoire includes 27 different plays.
The opportunity to perform with professional actors:
Original Practice Shakespeare Festival is a professional company that employs a large group of talented and professional actors each summer in roughly 20-25 performances. Apprentices join our busy summer season as 50:50 crew/performer, helping to run half the shows and performing in the other half, in a variety of leading and supporting roles. These performances are great learning opportunities and your fellow actors are an important resource for your success in the program.
Large, enthusiastic audiences in beautiful outdoor settings:
We tour parks in the Portland area and enjoy spending much of our summers in the sunshine, not to mention the practical training inherent in performing in the open air. OPS Fest is grateful for the loyal support of returning audiences and for new audiences that find us each year; between old and new friends, our performances are fun and rewarding experiences.
***In 2020, we moved our season entirely online in the interest of actor and audience safety. We were surprised and delighted to discover how well the OPS style transferred to zoom. Since then, our seasons were performed fully in-person, with additional safety measures in place. OPS Fest will continue to prioritize the safety of the community in its decision-making -- made easier by the creativity and flexibility of the company.
Valuable experience working with a professional theatre company:
Working with industry professionals, you will gain important experience that is incomparable to purely educational or retreat-style programs. Real world, hands-on involvement with a self-sustaining company prepares you for further career opportunities and looks great on both performance and professional resumes.
Useful public relations and networking skills:
Apprentices represent the company in a number of different situations. Hands-on experience with company promotion and audience engagement is an important part of the self-sustaining company model. Public relations tasks may include distributing information about the company and performances through various media, staffing the concessions & information table for in-person shows, and moderating online chats during live-streamed shows. The skills you gain as an OPS Fest ambassador are both unique and applicable to several different employment arenas.
New friends and great connections in the Portland theatre community:
OPS Fest company members are involved in a wide variety of different projects in the Portland theatre community, and are eager to share more about other opportunities and resources for early career theatre artists. We are a friendly, community-oriented bunch!
Unique mentorship for tech-focused apprentices:
Apprentices who wish to focus exclusively on technical work will have the opportunity to learn about the various tech needs of performances online or in person. Our company employs excellent stage managers, and many performing company members have technical theatre backgrounds in addition to their acting work. Your tech apprenticeship can be guided by your specialized interests, in addition to receiving a broad foundation of technical skills needed to manage outdoor performances and/or live-streamed shows.
Ops Apprentices make a commitment to:
-Devote an average of 15-20 hours per week to the Apprenticeship during the months of June, July, and August, primarily during performance times. (Approximately 2-3 performances per weekend, 5 hours per performance including setup and takedown; 2hours company training per week; 2-3 hours independent prep, team meetings, text sessions, fight/song/dance rehearsals, or scheduld-as-neede production tasks). The OPS Apprenticeship begins June 1, with the first in-person orientation/training on the evening of the first Wednesday and Thursday of June.
-Attend every performance you are scheduled for. Apprentices are expected to be generally available for all shows; the program is designed to be a fully-immersed summer experience. For your scheduled shows, Apprentices are guaranteed a 50/50 split in performance time: onstage roles in half of the shows, and running tech/ "front of house" for the other half of the shows. Whether your role is onstage or offstage, all Apprentices assist with set-up and take-down of our shows. All Apprentices received scheduled "off" days, and limited scheduling conflicts can be accommodated if communicated in advance.
-Attend weekly education programs. Our Wednesday “Spring Training” begins as the season is cast and continues throughout the summer. This critical component of the program ensures that Apprentices continue to develop skills throughout the season. Spring Training is open to the full company and consists of advanced workshop training by company members and other professional theatre artists.
-Participate in production work. The Apprentice team is an integral component of our summer tour, working with staff and Stage Managers in preparing and ongoing maintenance of productions. Regular duties for in-person performances include set-up and tear-down, front-of-house roles, organizing show materials, and inventory. Other duties, such as media campaigns, audience outreach, costume laundry, and storage inventory are performed as needed and are scheduled directly with the Education AD.
-Prepare well for performances. As with all actors in the company, time must be spent on your own actor homework. This work includes creating your scroll, working your text, making choices about your parts, and selecting props and costumes for your characters. You can also expect to attend a 15-30 minute zoom session with the text director for each role you are cast in, and attend 1-2 in-person rehearsals for each fight, song, or dance your roles require.
-Attend every performance you are scheduled for. Apprentices are expected to be generally available for all shows; the program is designed to be a fully-immersed summer experience. For your scheduled shows, Apprentices are guaranteed a 50/50 split in performance time: onstage roles in half of the shows, and running tech/ "front of house" for the other half of the shows. Whether your role is onstage or offstage, all Apprentices assist with set-up and take-down of our shows. All Apprentices received scheduled "off" days, and limited scheduling conflicts can be accommodated if communicated in advance.
-Attend weekly education programs. Our Wednesday “Spring Training” begins as the season is cast and continues throughout the summer. This critical component of the program ensures that Apprentices continue to develop skills throughout the season. Spring Training is open to the full company and consists of advanced workshop training by company members and other professional theatre artists.
-Participate in production work. The Apprentice team is an integral component of our summer tour, working with staff and Stage Managers in preparing and ongoing maintenance of productions. Regular duties for in-person performances include set-up and tear-down, front-of-house roles, organizing show materials, and inventory. Other duties, such as media campaigns, audience outreach, costume laundry, and storage inventory are performed as needed and are scheduled directly with the Education AD.
-Prepare well for performances. As with all actors in the company, time must be spent on your own actor homework. This work includes creating your scroll, working your text, making choices about your parts, and selecting props and costumes for your characters. You can also expect to attend a 15-30 minute zoom session with the text director for each role you are cast in, and attend 1-2 in-person rehearsals for each fight, song, or dance your roles require.
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GET STARTED: Fill out the 2025 interest form [HERE] by March 1 to receive latest updates on info sessions and audition sign-ups.
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Additional questions?
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