The National WWII Museum-Entertainment Department (Internship Report)

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The National WWII Museum-Entertainment Department (Internship Report) University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO Arts Administration Master's Reports Arts Administration Program 12-2014 The National WWII Museum-Entertainment Department (Internship Report) Sarah Hitchcock Langley University of New Orleans Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/aa_rpts Part of the Arts Management Commons Recommended Citation Langley, Sarah Hitchcock, "The National WWII Museum-Entertainment Department (Internship Report)" (2014). Arts Administration Master's Reports. 172. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/aa_rpts/172 This Master's Report is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Master's Report in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Master's Report has been accepted for inclusion in Arts Administration Master's Reports by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The National WWII Museum- Entertainment Department An Internship Report Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Arts Administration by Sarah Hitchcock Langley B.F.A. University of Louisiana- Lafayette, 2009 December 2014 Table of Contents Table of Appendices ...................................................................................................................... iv Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................ iv Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... v Chapter One: The National WWII Museum ................................................................................... 1 History ................................................................................................................................. 1 Mission ................................................................................................................................ 1 General Management Structure ........................................................................................... 2 Funding ............................................................................................................................... 3 Entertainment Programming ............................................................................................... 5 Stage Door Canteen Productions ............................................................................. 5 Victory Belles .......................................................................................................... 7 Victory Bands .......................................................................................................... 7 Events ...................................................................................................................... 8 Summer Theater Camp ............................................................................................ 8 Sunday Swing .......................................................................................................... 8 Chapter Two: The Internship .......................................................................................................... 9 Work in the Entertainment Department .............................................................................. 9 Front of House ......................................................................................................... 9 Back of House ....................................................................................................... 12 Administration ....................................................................................................... 14 Summer Theatre Camp .......................................................................................... 18 Chapter Three: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ............................................ 20 Strengths ............................................................................................................................ 20 Widespread Support of the Museum ..................................................................... 20 Quality of Productions ........................................................................................... 21 Interdepartmental Resources ................................................................................. 22 Weaknesses........................................................................................................................ 24 Public Promotion and Access ................................................................................ 24 Under-staffing ........................................................................................................ 25 Poor Communication Skills ................................................................................... 26 Lack of Theatre Knowledge Within the Organization........................................... 26 Venue Location and Layout ................................................................................... 28 Limited Material .................................................................................................... 29 Opportunities ..................................................................................................................... 30 Expand Audience to a Younger Demographic ....................................................... 30 Resources from the Local Film Industry ............................................................... 30 Collaboration with Local Arts Organizations ........................................................ 31 Growing Cultural Audience ................................................................................... 32 Threats ............................................................................................................................... 32 National Competition for the Victory Belles ......................................................... 32 Local Competition for the Stage Door Canteen .................................................... 34 Natural Disasters ................................................................................................... 35 ii Chapter Four: Best Practices ......................................................................................................... 36 International Museum Theatre Alliance: Best Practices Guidelines ................................. 36 Integration ............................................................................................................. 36 Serve Audience ...................................................................................................... 37 Content .................................................................................................................. 38 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 38 Human Resources .................................................................................................. 39 Analysis of a Similar Organization ................................................................................... 40 The National Museum of American History ......................................................... 40 Chapter Five: Recommendations .................................................................................................. 43 Adding to the Workforce ................................................................................................... 43 Sensitivity Training ........................................................................................................... 44 Clarification of Expectations ............................................................................................. 44 Integration of Entertainment into Museum Experience and Growth Plan ........................ 45 Creativity in Programming ................................................................................................ 48 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 50 Works Cited................................................................................................................................... 51 Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 53 Vita ................................................................................................................................................ 77 iii Table of Appendices Appendix A: Four Star Patriots Membership Benefits ................................................................. 53 Appendix B: Office ....................................................................................................................... 55 Appendix C: Stage Door Canteen Flier ........................................................................................ 56 Appendix D: Stage Door Canteen Opening Speech ....................................................................
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