Saint Michael's College student Molly Ziegler of Hartland interns with professional Saint Michael's Playhouse

Related Media

Saint Michael's College student Molly Ziegler of Hartland, working as an intern at the professional Saint Michael's Playhouse.

COLCHESTER, VT (06/21/2011)(readMedia)-- Molly Ziegler, a senior theater major at Saint Michael's College, landed a summer internship with Saint Michael's Playhouse, an Equity professional theater. The internship also brought her a role in the upcoming musical The Drowsy Chaperone.

Ms. Ziegler, the daughter of Elizabeth and John Ziegler of Hartland, graduated from Hartland High School before coming to Saint Michael's College, located in Burlington, one of the top 10 college towns in America.

Ziegler, who acted last summer in the Playhouse's production of the Noel Coward farce Blithe Spirit, will be a member of the ensemble in The Drowsy Chaperone. Her roles in  Saint Michael's College theater recently included Juliet, from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

"It's a great experience to work with different forms of theater and different directors," Ms. Ziegler said. Off stage, her duties include operating the box office and working in the set shop.

"Learning happens in the shop. This is my first time doing this, and things need to get done," said Ms. Ziegler, expressing her gratitude for these opportunities and saying that they've opened up a whole new world for her.

When asked about the pace of the Playhouse, she described it as having a completely different lifestyle.

"When you're in school, you go to classes, do your homework, and then there's theater. Here, it's your job. You learn what it means to be a part of Equity and make lasting connections with professionals in the field," Ms. Ziegler  said. Playhouse internships are highly competitive and very valuable

Playhouse background

Founded in 1947, Saint Michael's Playhouse features talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters nationwide and attracts approximately 16,000 theatergoers each season. An auxiliary enterprise of Saint Michael's College, the Playhouse is Greater Burlington's only actors' Equity resident theater company and operates under contract with Actors' Equity Association in New York City. At the same time, Saint Michael's College students have the opportunity to learn from the pros through internships in technical theater, costuming, lighting, set construction, publicity, and occasionally, on-stage roles.

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top 10 college towns. Saint Michael's is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nations Best 373 Colleges, and is included in the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

-30-