Summer Spotlight: Tracy Sokat Writes from Maine State Music Theatre

Musical theater student Tracy Sokat (B.F.A. '19) writes from Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, Maine, where she is spending the summer as a performance intern.

July 20, 2017

Brunswick, Maine

This summer, I have the amazing and unique opportunity of being a performance intern at Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) in Brunswick, Maine.

In this role, I wear several hats. In addition to performing in each of the main stage productions, I, along with seven other performance interns, perform in two additional intern shows. We also sing at fundraising events, promote MSMT at local restaurants by singing our jingle and a variety of a cappella music, help with strike and changeover, and work in the shops when they are short staffed. Through these added duties in other areas of the theater company, I have learned so much about what goes into a show and have gained much more appreciation for every department involved, which in turn has helped to make me a better performer.

Because we are working on so many productions at a time, we are rehearsing multiple shows while one is performing. For example, we have been rehearsing Grease and The Who's Tommy while performing in Guys & Dolls. It's a lot of information to store in your brain at once and it certainly keeps us on our toes! I believe that our demanding schedules at Boston Conservatory at Berklee have helped me immensely in being able to handle these long and crazy days at MSMT.

During my summer at MSMT, I have had the opportunity to work with quite a few Conservatory students and alumni. Recent graduate Zach Eisenberg (B.F.A. '17, musical theater) joined our company for Guys & Dolls, and it was great to see a familiar face right at the start of our season. Sam Bagala (B.M. '14, piano), our music director for Grease, is also a Conservatory alumnus and has been a pleasure to work with. Current student Marty Lauter (B.F.A. '18, musical theater) will be joining us for Newsies after completing the run of the show at Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We are so excited for his arrival, as he is an alumnus of the performance internship here and has much knowledge to share. Finally, my Conservatory classmate Mickey White (B.F.A. '19, musical theater) is also a performance intern, and it’s been amazing to work with a friend by my side for the entire summer. We share some really special onstage moments in Tommy as young lovers and it is so nice to already feel comfortable with someone when you step into that situation. Mickey could not be a better Tommy for our production and I am so lucky to perform alongside him.

My training at Boston Conservatory has definitely helped prepare me for this internship. In main stage shows at the Conservatory, we are treated as professionals rather than students. I believe this made me that much more ready to be in a real professional environment with experienced actors.

I am excited to bring back to school all the new knowledge I have gained from my fellow interns, the professional actors in our company, and the entire crew and creative team behind MSMT. I think this experience will truly benefit me in the remainder of my training. Although I am having a blast here, I cannot wait to return to my Boston Conservatory family!