Portfolio Material as a Production Assistant

[GHSStageManager]

Good day!

I will be heading off to a portfolio review at BU soon, and am looking to include material from a show I just closed - but am a little conflicted.

For the show I served as the Production Assistant, and since it took place as an internship at a large theatre in the area, I am proud to have it on my resume. However, I want something to show for it in my portfolio, however, the paperwork (runsheet, prop preset, running order, etc.) were not my own, although I did have input in their creation. My question is: how would I represent this show in my portfolio? I feel it would add to the discussion with my interviewer, but I want it to be more than a line on my resume.

I do have photos of the production, but am curious if more can be included.

Thanks!

 

[Footer]

What did you touch or do? It does not have to be something you created, just something you were involved in. Don't take credit for others work, but you can discuss your involvement in that work. When presenting your portfolio, it should be more about what is coming out of your mouth vs. what is actually in the portfolio. What you put in is simply a jumping off point, not the entire presentation.

 

[GHSStageManager]

I was involved in the ordering of the content in the runsheet, specifically. I had worked on the show the year prior, so the ASM asked for my help in recalling how the show was run the previous year, so I suppose that document is the one I've had the most impact on.

Footer, I'm thinking that it'd be okay to include those documents in the portfolio, and use them, as you said, as a conversation piece, and not claim ownership of them.

 

[Footer]

I was involved in the ordering of the content in the runsheet, specifically. I had worked on the show the year prior, so the ASM asked for my help in recalling how the show was run the previous year, so I suppose that document is the one I've had the most impact on.

Footer, I'm thinking that it'd be okay to include those documents in the portfolio, and use them, as you said, as a conversation piece, and not claim ownership of them.

When interviewing for colleges, they don't expect you to have everything or be the top dog at everything. You are going to college for a reason: You don't know everything. They want to see someone who is quick thinking, orginized, has a drive.... etc. If your portfolio shows that, you should be fine. Don't get caught up in little stuff. If you have professional expereince talk about it. Tell them what you learned, what you did, and how you did it. 1 hour of experience in an internship at a professional venue/company even if you are getting coffee is worth 10x as much as 1 hour spent at your high school as top dog.

 

[GHSStageManager]

Thanks for the advice, Footer. I feel a lot better knowing that this is what the interviewers are looking for.

 

[Dillon]

skip it. You'll make much better use of your limited interview time by bringing up what you learned from the experience rather saying anything about how you helped re-order the runsheet.

 

[LXPlot]

Especially when interviewing for a college, you should give examples of your best work but also give examples of things you've learned or talk about how it was an interesting experience. I've even had people tell me that when interviewing for internships or classes it is sometimes beneficial to mention how you might have done something differently in retrospect. On the other hand, each interviewer might have different expectations and it is probably best to talk to people who've interviewed at the program before and see what they recommend.

 

[Footer]

I've even had people tell me that when interviewing for internships or classes it is sometimes beneficial to mention how you might have done something differently in retrospect.

Don't do the "what would you do differently" thing unless they ask you to. If they see something that does not look totally right in your portfolio, that question might come up. Its a good way to gauge what kind of person you are dealing with. College interviewers know what they are dealing with. They are going to ask a few hard questions to see how you deal with it. However, they are also there to determine if you are right for their program. They have to be able to cut through the clutter of what a students HS was like. They have to be able to compare a student from a highly developed HS program vs. a student with a very small program. They do that by asking questions and looking at your potential in the work you have done, not by looking at the work you have done at face value. So, they might ask you the "If you could do it over again" question but it is there to see how you think on your feet, not to asses you as a designer or technician. Once again, if you knew everything you would not be there.