Lee Street theatre

SALISBURY — Lee Street theatre fosters theater artists of all experience levels through its annual internship program. The search for summer interns has expanded across state lines with the help of the annual Southeastern Theatre Conference.

In March, Lee Street Artistic Director Craig Kolkebeck went to Mobile, Alabama, in search of summer interns. At the annual Southeastern Theatre Conference, he met more than 200 applicants.

Four students were selected to come to Salisbury for technical, performance and marketing positions for upcoming productions.

This year’s marketing intern is Hannah Avery of Georgia. She is in her third year at Berry College, where she has held several arts administration positions in development, marketing, patron services, recruitment and box office. She spent last summer as a house management intern for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and has previously worked as a marketing intern for Performing Arts North.

Avery is also an actor, and she recently received a nomination for her portrayal of Chick in Berry College’s “Crimes of the Heart.” She loves working and learning about all aspects of theater and is excited to be interning with Lee Street.

Three interns — Kylie Mason, Grace Reeves and Nina Gil — will work in technical roles for Lee Street’s summer productions.

Mason is a rising junior majoring in theater with a focus in stage management and a minor in communications at the University of Southern Mississippi. She recently was assistant stage manager of productions of “You Can’t Take It With You,” “The Illusion,” and “The Crucible.” She also worked for Summer Arena Repertory Theatre as assistant stage manager for “Deathtrap.”

Reeves is an acting major at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. She has done props construction for “Little Women: The Musical,” was assistant stage manager for “Into the Woods,” and dressed for “Little Shop of Horrors.” She also enjoys being on the stage and recently played Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie” and Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Belhaven University.

Gil is a senior at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, studying scenic carpentry and props artistry. She has helped build sets for “Mary Poppins” and “Million Dollar Quartet.” She is currently receiving training with the Gainesville Theatre Alliance.

While each intern has independent assignments for each production, all of them will work together to write, direct, design and produce Lee Street’s annual children’s show as part of Rowan Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. This year’s production is set to tour July 24-26.

In creating the show, the intern team puts the skills they are learning to good use while striving for an entertaining production to immerse local kids in the magic of theater. While the school-age Summer Reading Program is designed for rising first- through fifth-graders, all ages are welcome. An adult must accompany children under 9.

Lee Street theatre and Performing Arts Center is at the Tom and Martha Smith Event Center, 329 N. Lee St. Visit www.leestreet.org or call 704-310-5507 for tickets and more information.