As the 2026 Season at Circle Theatre comes to a close, students return to class and summer trips wind down. We want to take a moment to highlight our wonderful Summer Interns, who worked behind the scenes to make this season possible. Thank you — we wish you the very best in all that’s ahead.
Feature 1
CJ Guillermo
Internship Position – Scene Shop Carpenter Intern
CJ is a Business Administration major at Aquinas College. He learned about the internship through Kelsey, Circle Theatre’s Technical Director, after working alongside her in the scene shop this past school year.
What does a typical day or shift look like for you?
“I get in at 10am, depending on where we’re at in the building. Either I immediately start whatever I left off on the day before or start working on something I know needs to get done. Otherwise, I go straight to Kelsey when she arrives and ask what’s on the docket for that day. Typically, it’s one of a couple things, building, painting, cleaning, or lumber run.”
What’s the most interesting project or task you’ve worked on so far?
“Most interesting was probably being able to somewhat draft and design the rolling partition for Forever Plaid, Kelsey gave me ideas on what it should look like and needs to have then told me to essentially do my best, so I made a hand draft and worked on putting it together with the help of Jim and Michael two amazing volunteers around Circles Scene Shop.”
Is there any advice you would give future interns in your position?
“Show up, do the work, take the time to learn from Kelsey and grow. Ask questions and learn. There are many people within the scene shop that come through with many wells of knowledge, pick their brain because it could make certain aspects of the job easier or just give you more knowledge you didn’t have before.”
Feature 2
Michaela Faith
Internship Position – Marketing Intern
Michaela is a Theatre and Business Major and Legal Studies Minor at Aquinas College. She learned about this internship through her previous work at the Aquinas Performing Arts Center and Circle Theatre.
What’s the most interesting project or task you’ve worked on so far?
“Interviewing Phoebe Dawson for a blog was so informative! Hearing what people are passionate about and connecting with it is always so moving.”
How has a staff member supported you throughout this internship?
“Shannon has been so kind and understanding- and Sevi has been great to work with! I love having a team that knows how to have fun and get things done”
Is there any advice you would give future interns in your position?
“Time management is crucial! Set reminders on your phone for everything”
Feature 3
Ryan Heldt
Internship Position – Scene Shop Carpenter Intern
Ryan is an Exercise Science Major At Grand Rapids Community College. He learned about this internship through his past experience at Circle Theatre as he is a returning Scene Shop Assistant.
What does a typical day or shift look like for you?
“A typical day for me involves building up platforms for sets drafted up by Kelsey. As well as a lot of manual labor (along with talking with my other coworkers) but it is worth it when the set all comes together.”
Is there a skill you’re hoping to build or improve by the end of this internship? and/or what skills have you learned thus far?
“I would like to get better at cutting angles and measuring out angles for various builds. So far I have learned many skills including being able to read drafts more efficiently and more creative thinking to solve problems that come up during builds.”
How has a staff member supported you throughout this internship?
“CJ has been my right hand man during this whole internship. He has made the experience very enjoyable because of how positive he is and we work pretty well together.”
Feature 4
Heidi Hempel
Internship Position – Patron Services Intern
Heidi is a Vocal Performance Major at Grand Valley State University. She learned about this internship position through a post on Circle Theatre’s Instagram page!
What does a typical day or shift look like for you?
“Come into the box office, assist patrons with ticket sales, do lots of reports on sales and concessions, helping out with shows, or projects that Mary Jo assigns me!”
What’s the most interesting project or task you’ve worked on so far?
“It was really fun working the run of Newsies, Almost every show was sold out and it could be chaotic at times but it was very fun to learn how to combat the the issues that come with a show as big as Newsies”
How has this internship changed your outlook — career-wise, education-wise, or creatively?
“As a performer it’s been really interesting and eye opening to be on the completely different side of the theatre. I’m learning a lot about theatre that I wouldn’t have learned if I was strictly performing. And I think it’s really important information I will take into my career.”
Feature 5
Sevi Cullum
Internship Position – Patron Services and Marketing Intern
Sevi is a Theater Arts Major and Theater Management Minor at Wayne State University. She is a Culture Corps Intern through the University of Michigan and learned about this internship through mutual friends.
What does a typical day or shift look like for you?
“ A typical day for me depends on which department I’m working in. Sometimes it’s just one and others it’s both! On the patron services side of things I spend most of my shifts in the box office answering calls and completing tasks like data entry, or working on volunteer newsletters. On show nights my tasks can vary from selling tickets in the box office, running concessions, or house managing. On the marketing side of things I help out with 360 events, reach out to community orgs for poster hang ups, and write blogs!”
What’s the most interesting project or task you’ve worked on so far?
“ I love working on all of the events and tagging along with Shannon to promo shoots and news interviews.”
How has this internship changed your outlook — career-wise, education-wise, or creatively?
“ This internship has given me such valuable experience in observation. Getting to learn from Mary Jo and Shannon has allowed me to gain insight into my love of all things theater. I am transferring to Wayne State this fall semester and because of this internship I am going in with a heightened interest in pursuing Theater Management.”
Internships offer real-world experience and hands-on training, along with the opportunity for continuous growth. Thank you to our 2026 Circle Theatre interns for making this such a memorable summer – and to all future interns, we’d love to have you join the Circle Team.
WRITTEN BY SEVI CULLUM, Culture Corps Intern