Inside an Alliance Theatre Internship: An Emory Student’s Journey in Producing, Dramaturgy, and administration.
My time working as the Literary and Engagement Intern at the Alliance Theatre through the Ethics and Servant Leadership Program has been nothing short of a transformative experience as a student of theater and lover of the arts.
Going into the summer, I knew that the Alliance was the premier regional theater in the Southeast, a Tony-honored institution that emphasizes impactful storytelling, engagement with the Atlanta community, and, as per their mission statement, “expanding hearts and minds, onstage and off.” What I did not anticipate, however, was how this philosophy permeates every aspect of the organization — not just the shows on stage, but the way every department, from literary to engagement to even financial, treats storytelling as a shared, collaborative act of service to Atlanta itself.
On my first day on campus, I was struck by the sheer immensity and grandeur of the Woodruff Arts Center. I grew up in a small town in West Georgia where the arts were never treated as a priority, where the theater (or “thee-ayter”, as I heard colloquially back home) meant a few cramped rooms in the local community center. Going on that tour of the Woodruff that first day, seeing huge rehearsal halls, a state-of-the-art costume shop, an entire production wing, was completely magical in the best way.
It was the first time the scale of what a career in this industry could actually look like became real to me.
My job duties as Literary and Engagement Intern oftentimes varied from week to week, but mostly consisted of two ongoing projects: reading new scripts and creating dramaturgical research packets for the Alliance’s upcoming fall shows. Before I had this internship, script-reading almost felt like a chore; I always preferred to see a show live rather than read it on the page. But through this experience, I soon realized that there is an art to script reading that is so much richer than I’d ever imagined.
Reading scripts on the page allowed me to sharpen my analytical eye and develop a much deeper, more nuanced sense of what constitutes effective storytelling for Atlanta audiences. As I began reading through the catalogue of scripts, I began to realize that the stories that are uplifted on Alliance’s stages not only have to be compelling, but a right fit for Atlanta communities and audiences.
Take Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Alanna Coby, a Kendeda playwriting finalist I got to read early in the summer. This is a sharp, time-fracturing satire in which a group of affluent Connecticut women, gathered in the comfort of their own certainty about their ideology, are undone by the arrival of a young working-class mother with nowhere left to turn, revealing across time periods how class, gender, and power hide behind civility and charity.
It’s the kind of script that made me understand why the Alliance has built its reputation the way it has: not by chasing playwrights who are already famous, but by finding writers early and shepherding their talents draft by draft until their storytelling becomes something a regional audience can actually sit inside.
My other main duty, dramaturgical research, is the piece of this internship I’m proudest of, because it asked something completely different of me depending on the show. I produced two dramaturgy packets/presentations for the Alliance this summer: Purpose and Carmela Full of Wishes. Two phrases from Abrianna, my supervisor, stuck with me throughout both projects: that as dramaturgs, we should show humanity, not comment on it, and that borders don’t define humanity. These mantras caused me to think about this work differently from other types of research — it’s all about presenting information that is helpful for the actors, not crafting an argument for them.
Outside of my roles in the literary department, I was invited to sit in on any departmental meeting or rehearsal I was interested in, and I took heavy advantage of this! I attended weekly Production and Creative Team (PACT) meetings, where I observed high-level season planning, budget management, and the cross-departmental logistics required to execute the Alliance’s productions.
As a member of the engagement team meetings, I helped set up the front lobby display for the recently premiered musical Basura, using actual instruments built out of recycled trash by the Paraguayan orchestra that inspired the musical.
My favorite experiences, however, had to be sitting in the rooms where the magic happens. This included watching auditions for A Christmas Carol, sitting in on rehearsals for the Palefsky Collision Project for Teens, and stepping up to help lead a week-long development workshop. It proved to me that the quiet administrative work of running a room — printing copies of scripts, transporting snacks, hunting for extension cords — is vital to a successful creative process.
None of these opportunities would have been possible if it weren’t for the incredibly warm, welcoming, and generous people across every floor at the Woodruff Arts Center. These are industry professionals who were so kind to welcome me into the fold — and I learned so much by talking to them. These conversations allowed me to build connections and learn firsthand the day-to-day realities of working theater professionals. I am deeply grateful to the entire Alliance Theatre staff for opening their doors, sharing their knowledge, and making me feel like a valued collaborator every step of the way.
As I look towards my final year at Emory, I am now carrying with me so many new skills, relationships, and a discovered interest in producing that will support the work I do in all of my productions. My experiences with engagement and marketing will inform how I manage social media and audience outreach for the Emory student theatre group Dooley’s Players. Developing a taste for what makes a good story through my script coverage work will make me a much sharper, more perceptive director when I stage a student production of Crimes of the Heart this December. As a performer, studying these professional Alliance actors as they remain completely grounded and present in audition and rehearsal rooms will shape how I approach my own role in Theater Emory’s fall production, This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing.
The Alliance Theatre is a truly special institution that shines a light on every human experience, and I am extremely thankful that the Ethics and Servant Leadership Program provided a space where I could cultivate real-world leadership skills that I can take on every step of my journey as an artist.
Come Curious. Leave Changed.
Join us for transformative theater that speaks to the heart of Atlanta.
Announcing Casting For The World Premiere Musical
Like Father
Created by Jacob Ryan Smith
BY Jacob Ryan Smith & Caroline Pernick
Directed By Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Featuring Charity Angél Dawson, Hannah Elless, Benjamin H. Moore, Sophie Pollono, Frankie Rodriguez, And Billy Harrigan Tighe
October 8 – NovEMBER 15, 2026
ON THE Hertz STAGE
The Alliance Theatre today announced the cast of the upcoming world premiere musical, LIKE FATHER. Described as a coming-of-age story set against America’s true-crime obsession, LIKE FATHER will run on the Hertz Stage at Alliance Theatre, October 8 – November 15, 2026. Opening night is Friday, October 16, 2026.
“From the moment we began assembling this company, I knew LIKE FATHER needed actors who could hold seemingly impossible things at once—ferocious musicality and emotional vulnerability, razor-sharp humor and real danger,” said Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. “This extraordinary company brings all of that and more. They are fearless storytellers who illuminate a world where the past is constantly pressing against the present, and where we are asked how much of who we become is inherited—and how much we get to choose for ourselves. I cannot wait for Atlanta audiences to experience the surprising, funny, haunting, and ultimately hopeful world we are building together.”
The cast of LIKE FATHER features Charity Angél Dawson (Broadway: & Juliet, Waitress) as Lillian Clark; Hannah Elless (Broadway: Bright Star) as Michelle; Benjamin H. Moore (Broadway: Hell’s Kitchen) as Ben, Sophie Pollono (Off Broadway: A Walk on the Moon) as Chris, Frankie Rodriguez (TV: Chad Powers, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) as Trevor, and Billy Harrigan Tighe (Broadway: The Heart of Rock and Roll; Alliance Theatre: Millions, Fires, Ohio) as John Grady. Understudies for the production include Mila Bolash, Aavyn Lee, and Nevaeh Riddle.
LIKE FATHER is created by Jacob Ryan Smith with Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick. As previously announced, the creative team of LIKE FATHER is led by Alliance Theatre Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (The Preacher’s Wife, Furlough’s Paradise), with Choreography by Dell Howlett, Music Supervision by Alejandro Senior, Adam Beskind as Music Director and Player/Conductor, and Dramaturgy by Amanda Watkins. Designers include Luciana Stecconi as Set Designer, Lex Liang as Costume Designer, Thom Weaver as Lighting Designer, Melanie Chen Cole and Hidenori Nakajo as Sound Co-Designers, Caite Hevner as Projections Designer, and Tony Award-nominee August Eriksmoen (Broadway: Bright Star) as Orchestrator. J&J Music Preparation, Josephine Bearden and Jacob Fjeldheim, will serve as Music Copyist. Casting is by Kevin Metzger-Timson, CSA, Frankie Ramirez, CSA from Tara Rubin Casting and Jody Feldman from Alliance Theatre.
Additional production support includes Associate Director Rachel Sabo-Hedges, Script Assistant Vijay Vikram Patnaik, Assistant Scenic Designer Jack Golden, Assistant Costume Designer April Andrew Carswell, Costume Studio Assistant Sydney Dufka, Associate Lighting Designer Rachael N. Blackwell, Associate Sound Designer Tamir Eplan-Frankel, Keyboard Programmer Taylor J. Williams, Stage Manager Jayson T. Waddell, Assistant Stage Manager Xiaonan Chloe Liu, Production Management Lead Courtney O’Neill, and Stage Management Production Assistant Samantha Honeycutt.
Additional musicians include Greg Matteson as Assistant Music Director, Holt McCarley as Music Assistant, Amanda Wansa Morgan as Music Production Assistant, Patrick Arthur playing Acoustic Guitar/Electric Guitar, Geoff Gill playing Drums, Yinzi Kong playing Viola, Kenneth Lambert playing Violin/Fiddle, and Marc Miller playing Bass.
LIKE FATHER is a coming-of-age musical set against America’s true-crime obsession. After her father’s arrest, seventeen-year-old Chris moves in with her estranged mother, Michelle, and stepfather, Ben. When a hit true-crime podcast exposes their family’s disturbing past to the world,
they are forced to face the truth of what brought them together, or risk being undone by its consequences.
Driven by a bold, innovative folk-pop score, LIKE FATHER explores legacy, identity, and the cost of obsession, inspired by the loved ones left in the wake of infamous serial killers—and by the true-crime podcast industry’s meteoric rise to over 250 million listeners worldwide.
Like Father: The Bloody Good EP, featuring songs from the musical performed by Broadway alums, was released on August 3. It’s available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify.
LIKE FATHER is commercially produced by Westway Studios, Howard Alter and Zachary Hausman, and Madison Thompson, and is co-produced by Jonathan & Rae Corr, Steven N. Lerner, Happy Recap Productions, Caryl & Kendrick Smith, City Cowboy Productions, Kerri Mandelbaum, Fahs Productions, Bonnie & Michael Hausman, Leachman Feigelson Productions, Ella Lao & Amy Lao, Amanda Larney, Tracey & Chip Thompson. Jennifer O’Grady serves as Associate Producer. Alex Lobel serves as Assistant Producer. Ella Lao serves as Content Associate.
Performances of LIKE FATHER run on the Hertz Stage October 8 through November 15, 2026 – learn more.
Come Curious. Leave Changed.
Join us for transformative theater that speaks to the heart of Atlanta.
In the opening scene of Purpose, Nazareth, the youngest of Solomon and Claudine Jasper, is alone. He launches into a monologue that begins with the words, “That morning…” You don’t quite know why he’s starting here, but eventually it will make sense.
This scene, in many respects, is a clue; it’s a sign that Naz (as he is called throughout the production) is setting the stage for…something. And, to some extent, this opening scene is a good example of the way Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the playwright of Purpose, tells stories.
He invites the audience in, says Director Keith Arthur Bolden.
“He invites you into a home to explore these different dynamics of mostly familiar structures. We all like to pretend as though our families are perfect, and we’re perfect,” he says. “But Branden shows cracks, which I applaud.”
For Bolden, who is directing the Alliance Theatre’s production, Jacobs-Jenkins accomplishes something that many of his contemporaries struggle to achieve.
“He’s provocative without shock value. Some people don’t know how to be provocative without polarizing your audience. He has questions about humanity,” he says. “He doesn’t necessarily need to answer those questions, right? But he asks the questions he has about humanity in his work. He asks questions about the humanity of his characters in a grander sense that allows everyone to find themselves in each of the characters.”
In Purpose we meet the Jasper family. They are gathering for a reunion that is long overdue. For decades the Jaspers have embodied what it means to be a virtuous and powerful Black political family. As ministers, activists, and change-makers, their legacy has shaped generations. Over the course of this one evening, this closely-knit family finds their familial bond and reputation in danger of being upended.
When he was approached with the opportunity of being a part of this production, Bolden said he was presented with two options. He could either be a member of the cast. Or he could direct. He chose to direct.
He’d been introduced to the playwright in 2010 when he was cast in the West Coast premiere of Jacobs-Jenkins’ play, Neighbors at The Matrix Theatre in Hollywood as Sambo, a member of the controversial Crow family who move in next door. When Purpose opened on Broadway 15 years later, Bolden didn’t hesitate to see it.
After, he thought to himself, “I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to play Junior anytime soon, but when it comes up, I’ll definitely audition for it.” But when given a choice, something he said has never really been an option before in his career, directing was the obvious choice.
“This play is my jam,” he said. “I just, I felt like I would enjoy helping people find the story more than being a part of the story. I can show up and move the chess pieces around. That’s where it really becomes fun. You know? I love being in a room and collaborating from every aspect. From the cast to stage management to the music. I want them to bring me their best ideas, and we figure out how it fits in the story.”
In total, Jacobs-Jenkins has written nine major professional plays. Of those nine, he’s received three Pulitzer Prize nominations in Drama (Gloria, Everybody, and Purpose) and won one for Purpose. In 2023, his play, Appropriate, received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play and in 2025, Purpose was awarded the Tony Award for Best Play.
What he loves most about Purpose is that the play challenges us to ask who gets to define that purpose: our parents, our faith, our family’s legacy, or the quiet truth within ourselves.
“I was raised in Los Angeles by Southern parents who gave me the church, gave me faith, and taught me that God would always be by my side. They also taught me that every life has purpose,” Bolden adds. “Our purpose in life is our driving force. Once you discover it, you can move forward with a certain freedom and clarity—as though you are finally on cruise control—because your steps are ordered and rooted in your truth.”
But, Bolden adds, the play isn’t just about purpose. It’s also about time. He hopes that after audiences see the production, they will walk away with a strong sense of intent. And not in a general sense.
“I’m hoping that people become more aware,” he says. “I hope they will walk away being intentional about life, the choices they make, and the people they share life and time with. I hope they walk away taking stock of who they are and where they are in life, and where they want to go.”
Come Curious. Leave Changed.
Join us for transformative theater that speaks to the heart of Atlanta.