Spotlight on...Maegan Mishico

Author: Justine Katzenbach

This past summer, Maegan Mishico '08.5 returned home to New York City to participate in an incredible internship opportunity at The Atlantic Theatre Company (ATC). Working beside Middlebury College alum and Associate Artistic Director of the ATC, Christian Parker '93, Mishico got an inside look into the Broadway theatre world. Mishico speaks fondly of her experience this summer working on such acclaimed productions as Tina Howe's Birth and After Birth and Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening. Mishico, a joint Theatre and English major, is currently directing Urinetown, which will be performed in late fall.

The Middlebury Campus: How did you first hear about the Atlantic Theatre Company?

Maegan Mishico: I actually discovered ATC when I saw them perform The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDounagh. I saw [McDounagh's] Pillowman in New York and at Middlebury last year - I am a huge fan of his writing. So, when his new play was produced and shown in the states at ATC, I went and saw it. That was my first recognition of the company. Last spring, I was scrambling for an internship and noticed a Middlebury alumni internship opportunity at the ATC. I did some research to see what the program would be like. I applied on a whim, not expecting much because it was so late in the season. Someone called me the next week and I had an hour-long phone interview. It was offered because Christian Parker '93 is the Associate Artistic Director.

TC: Describe your internship. What were you primarily working on throughout the summer?

MM: I worked with the Executive Assistant to the Director. This gave me direct access to the creative opportunities [and the chance to learn through observation at ATC]. I got to work on two shows primarily. I worked on Spring Awakening, a musical [adapted by Duncan Sheik] which is moving to Broadway, and the Tina Howe play Birth and After Birth, which was directed by Christian Parker. Spring Awakening was more exciting for me to work on because I've always been drawn to musicals. The cast was young, so it was great to work with my peers. I got to sit in on rehearsals and I was there from the previews to the closing, so it was great to see a show do its entire run. Spring Awakening was originally written in 1870 by Frank Wedekind, so it is based on a much older text, and then Duncan Sheik wrote all this contemporary pop, rock, blues and soul music to weave together this creation that is really unexpected and refreshing. Often musicals aren't written like that - they are written for a time period. This play was able to weave together two different worlds, and therefore two different value systems. It was an interesting way to show teen angst.

TC: Working at such a renowned theatre company, you must have been surrounded by some very accomplished people. Who was the most inspiring person to work with?

MM: I don't think that there was one specific person, it was just the sense that everyone who came through the doors was really creating theatre in a very interesting way. It was amazing to partake in this creation. I would never notice right away, and then someone would mention something like, "Oh, that was Woody Allen on the phone." Then it would hit me. Everyone at ATC works as peers, which is really impressive, and that is why I didn't really notice [celebrities] right away. But, throughout the summer I had witty email banter with Craig Lucas. I got a hug from Tina Howe. One of the most inspiring things about ATC and my internship was that the ATC is also a school. They have a huge library of plays and they gave me free access to them. I would take a play a week and read it and then put it back. It was this unfettered access to contemporary and historic playwrights. I got to read both Ibsen and Tom Donaghy.

TC: What was the highlight of your internship?

MM: The entire thing was such a constant high that it is hard to pinpoint one part. I'd have to say that being involved in Spring Awakening was something that made me very proud. I am happy to have contributed even a little bit. It was a young play that I could connect with and I realized that people my age and people younger would connect with it - almost in the same way as they did with Rent. Spring Awakening deals with heavy issues in an effective way - for example pregnancy, homosexuality and sexual assault. Essentially the play is about sexual awakening, but it is all in the context of 1870s Germany. I really appreciated the internship because I got to see the whole picture of theatre. This is why I love being involved in productions myself. You can watch a play transform - the set being moved in, script changes, the opening night. I even delivered paychecks. I really got to see what it was like to run an actual company. It was so interesting in terms of creating this long-term advancement to making good theatre. ATC really thought about it. So many people make up the company and come together to put on a show. You have to have members of the company, artistic directors, business directors. You have to think about sales, the ensemble. It was nice to see how much goes into a company, and it made me really appreciate it and also really excited to be involved in it.

TC: You are currently directing the musical Urinetown. How will this internship affect the work that you do at Middlebury College?

MM: I'm directing Urinetown and I am really excited about it. It was really cool because right before I left for school, I met with the artistic director of ATC, Neil Pepe. I told him that Urinetown would be my first show to direct and then he told me the best advice I've ever heard. He said, "You have to respect yourself and you have to respect what you are giving to the art. You need to have pride in what you do and you need to have respect for what you do." I think ATC made me appreciate theatre in a broader sense - not necessarily how theatre should be watched, but what it can do. How long it can last and how impacting it can be. In the manifesto of the Atlantic Theatre Ensemble, they say that they want to do relevant plays. This doesn't necessarily mean contemporary, but they must be relevant to our time and what we are going through. This has given me an idea not only about my show but also about theatre in general.

TC: Have there been any moments during Urinetown rehearsals when you have been reminded of ATC?

MM: I got to sit-in on a rehearsal for this 10-minute play series that the ATC put up. An actor was sick and I had to stand in and read their lines. I watched and followed the director and we did the scene several times. After each time the director would acknowledge what the actors had just done and appreciate their work. He would sit back, smile and say, "Good." Every time that my cast or my production staff does something, I sit back and I think how I have to appreciate this. They are doing something for all of us.