Sarah Moya - Villanova Undergraduate Theatre Minor Interns this Semester at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland

You may remember Sarah Moya as Shelley in Villanova Theatre's Batboy: The Musical:

Here, Sarah tells us her tales of interning at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin!

I am an archival intern under Mairead Delaney at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. I have now been working there for about a month and a half and work about 9 hours a week, and I must say that it is quite possibly the best time to be working at the Abbey. From the newly acquired building they plan on using to expand the theatre, to the recent digitization project for the Abbey archives and their partnership with NUIGalway, there is a lot of new and exciting things happening for the Abbey! It was incredible, I got to meet several Abbey actors and writers, including Stephen Rea, and I even got to meet the Irish President! I could not be more honored to be a part of it all. Then again, as I'm told, there is always something big and exciting happening at the Abbey, so I'm sure I have more in store.

 Most of my work for the first few weeks involved dealing with documents that were going to be put online as part of the digitization process. I was cleaning and helping restore documents that were up to 110 years old, scanning them or taking pictures of them. A lot of the time, Mairead would go through the history of a lot of these documents with me, allowing me to learn more about the rich history of the Abbey, which is certainly extensive. Along with the preparations for the digitization project, I very recently started a research project in which I'm tracking the Abbey's American tours, looking at where they were and what theatres they played at, then updating the information accordingly, hoping to help make the information that the Abbey already has more accurate and relevant to researchers who come in seeking information. 

Every day, I'm amazed by some of the things that Mairead has in her collection. And every day, she's getting something new. It is very cool being a part of the archival section of the Abbey because the best way to learn the history of a place is put yourself in it. I also get to interact with other departments, such as props, communication, and set design, since they come to the archives to ensure that what they may be presenting or performing with is historically accurate. 

I would definitely recommend this internship to another Villanova student. It has been such a welcoming environment where I have always been treated with respect and as a co-worker. I am happy to answer any questions for those who are looking into the internship.  

-- Sarah Moya, October 2012