Summer Intern Spotlight: Jaden Nesmith

Project title: Black Theatre Initiative

Internship Summary

I will be focusing on developing a comprehensive Black Theatre Initiative (BTI), an educational and artistic program designed to center Black voices while creating opportunities for historically underrepresented communities in theatre. Responsibilities include researching representation in American theatre, developing curriculum and program materials, writing a participant handbook, establishing mission and core values, creating guidelines for devised and scripted theatrical productions, and designing an inclusive framework that supports artistic development, collaboration, and community engagement. The internship also involves exploring best practices in theatre education, dramaturgy, and creative storytelling to build a sustainable program that encourages participants to create meaningful and socially relevant work.

Reflection

This internship has allowed me to combine my passion for theatre with my commitment to creating more equitable opportunities in the performing arts. Rather than simply observing an existing program, I have had the opportunity to build something from the ground up, which has challenged me to think like both an artist and an educator.

One of the most meaningful aspects of this experience has been researching representation within American theatre. While Black actors have made significant gains in visibility on stage they still represent less than 50% of all roles and Black playwrights remain heavily underrepresented among produced works. Understanding these disparities reinforced the importance of creating intentional spaces where Black stories can be developed, shared, and celebrated.

The largest project of my internship has been creating the Black Theatre Initiative handbook. This handbook serves as both a creative guide and a teaching resource, outlining the Initiative’s mission, values, creative pathways, rehearsal process, and expectations for participants. It encourages artists to develop original work through devised theatre—a collaborative process where performances are created from personal experiences, research, movement, writing, and improvisation—or to thoughtfully produce existing plays that reflect the Initiative’s mission. My goal was to create a resource that empowers participants to tell authentic stories while providing a structure that supports artistic growth.

Throughout this process, I have also gained experience in curriculum development, research, writing, and program design. Every section required me to consider how artists learn, collaborate, and create meaningful work together. I learned that building an artistic program involves much more than producing performances; it requires establishing values, creating inclusive practices, and developing resources that help participants feel supported throughout the creative process.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson I have learned is that theatre extends far beyond entertainment. It can preserve history, strengthen communities, encourage dialogue, and create opportunities for people to see themselves represented on stage. Designing the Black Theatre Initiative has reinforced my belief that storytelling can be a powerful tool for education, healing, and social change.

This internship has strengthened both my leadership and creative thinking while preparing me for future work in theatre education, arts administration, directing, and community-based performance. Seeing an idea evolve into a fully developed initiative has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic career, and I am excited to continue expanding the program beyond this internship.