The HFF17 Interns: Bridget Driscoll

This is the first installment of a series of blog posts written by the HFF17 interns. Our yearly group of interns are an essential part of our festival team and this year’s bunch was absolutely outstanding. We owe them our deepest gratitude. 

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Upon graduating from college, your world is turned completely upside down almost immediately. The structured class schedule and being steeped non-stop in your studies and peer group requires some serious transitioning out of. This was the place I was in when I applied and interviewed for the Fringe Events internship, and I was slightly terrified at the inevitable rebuilding, relocating and re-establishing that was about to take place. I knew that I would miss the community from college the most — I went to a small liberal arts college in Boston, and was very fortunate to find student theatre, a cappella, fitness, and a fraternity that would serve as my supportive tribe throughout college.

I was drawn to Fringe for this very reason, a convening of people driven by their passion for theatre-making, brought together for three weeks every year to celebrate their collective artistry. This is especially invaluable in the disjointed Los Angeles theatre scene, where the aftershocks of these connections will enrich the remaining eleven months of the year in tremendous, undetermined ways. It was truly a privilege to contribute my time and energy to such an event, and it was inspiring to see an organization accomplish exactly what it intended with the help of a talented, generous and hardworking staff.

It was a running comment through this year’s Fringe that it was “blowing up” in a way different from past years, there was a sense of infectious momentum throughout the entire festival. My specific area of responsibility was producing the networking & social events, such as the Opening Night, Runway, Prom, Awards and Closing Night, and this energy could not have been more apparent. The creative spirit was palpable and participants were so eager and enthusiastic be there, I knew very quickly that I found the community that I had set out to find. I look forward to supporting the Fringe and its mission in any and every way in the future, and will be riding the wave of inspiration I’ve gained from the experience in the meantime.