The senior arts administration major presented her findings at the 2023 Southeastern Theater Conference on March 1 and the 2023 Spring Undergraduate Research Forum at Elon University on April 25.
Laura McGuire’s research on the culture of paid and unpaid internships in theater has received recognition and industry engagement. The senior arts administration major presented her findings at the 2023 Southeastern Theater Conference on March 1 and the 2023 Spring Undergraduate Research Forum at Elon University on April 25.
McGuire’s research aimed to examine the reasons behind the rise of uncompensated theater internships by exposing the interns’ experience, in order to understand why the culture of unpaid and underpaid theater internships has become normalized.
“My research topic came to me quickly. I had completed an unpaid internship at that point and would go on to complete a paid internship before my senior year. Once the topic was chosen, Professor McGraw and I worked on how I could quantify the results, as I have a background in statistics I wanted to utilize, which led us to create a survey,” McGuire said.
“I have had such an amazing experience with this project for the past two years and have learned a lot about the theater internship industry,” she added.
The pandemic has put many internship programs on hold, making paid and unpaid theater internships more important than ever before. McGuire’s research, conducted through a nationwide survey in September 2022, recorded and analyzed responses on participants’ perceptions of their internship.
Questions such as the location of the internship, possible forms of compensation, and the involvement of the supervisor helped to show disparities between paid and unpaid internships. A final report will show the interns’ perspectives on their theater internships, what they felt were the benefits and deficits, and how feasible these internships can be.
By utilizing quotes from research participants’ responses and statistics from the data report, McGuire compared paid and unpaid internships side by side for one of the first times. Her final report will provide valuable insights into the benefits and deficits of each type of internship, as well as how feasible these internships can be.
“I found that both categories of internships have benefits and deficits, depending on what the intern is looking for. For example, unpaid interns had a lot more variation in the length of the internship, so those who may be looking to complete an internship in under a month may benefit from an unpaid position. Paid positions had the benefit of more supervisor involvement and more educational experience, so an intern looking to learn a lot in their field may look into paid internships,” McGuire noted.
Throughout her two-year research project, McGuire received guidance and support from her mentor, Professor David McGraw. As a professor of arts administration and performing arts, McGraw offered invaluable expertise and insight into the culture of internships in the theater industry. He worked closely with McGuire to help her design her survey, analyze her results and prepare her presentation for the Southeastern Theater Conference and SURF. His mentorship was instrumental in helping her develop research skills and produce a high-quality study that sheds light on an important issue in the field of theater.
“One of the biggest challenges of a College Fellows project is developing the right research question. Once Laura chose the topic of theatre internships, she conducted interviews with researchers and industry advocates to see what questions had not yet been explored. She developed a survey to compare paid and unpaid internships that both confirmed some suspicions and refuted others about the differences between the two groups. Theatre is a highly competitive field with an expectation of internships, but unpaid internships severely limit who can afford even to start a career. Laura’s work is invaluable as we explore how to address these long-standing disparities,” said Professor McGraw.
McGuire has demonstrated a deep passion for the arts and a strong commitment to developing her skills as a researcher and practitioner. Her work on the culture of internships in the theater industry is just one example of her dedication to understanding the challenges and opportunities facing arts organizations today.
As she prepares to graduate from Elon University this May, the Department of Performing Arts is excited to see what the future holds for McGuire and is confident that she will make significant contributions to the field of performing arts and beyond.