SAEM Senior Discusses Internship with Attack Theatre, Studying Abroad Thursday, March 26, 2015
Meet Töve Johnson
Internship: Administrative/production intern for Attack Theatre
Major: Sports, arts and entertainment management
Minor: English
Expected graduation: May 2015
Hometown: Indiana, Pa.
High school: Indiana Area Senior High School
College activities: Honors program, Study abroad at Regent's University London, Strong Women Strong Girls site leader and private piano lessons
Hobbies/Interests: Singing, dancing, acting, reading, ice skating and jigsaw puzzles
LinkedIn: Töve Johnson
Update
Töve is now the lead teaching artist and site leader for Attack Theatre.
Why did you choose Point Park University?
My answer to this is somewhat unconventional. Before starting college, my mom was life-flighted to Allegheny General Hospital for cardiac arrest. I decided to go to college in Pittsburgh so I could take class and visit her at the hospital. Since then, she's had eight heart surgeries but I have not missed a semester. There's a great system of professors and staff at Point Park who have been so flexible and helpful in allowing me to continue on track with my degree. It's really been fabulous.
Point Park was the school in Pittsburgh I decided on because it has such a strong business foundation and provides students with so many opportunities in different fields. The fact that I could get a good business background and still be involved in the arts as much as I wanted to was important to me. Point Park tailors to your individual needs and allows you to go down any avenue you like. All of the professors have great connections in different fields of interest in Pittsburgh.
Tell us about your internship with Attack Theatre.
Attack Theatre is in its 20th season so it's a milestone year. My current internship responsibilities involve researching how websites are built, working with html code and understanding how Attack Theatre's current website works. I'm also discussing design ideas for Attack's new website with the executive director and marketing director and working with third party vendors. In addition, I'm doing some event planning work for Attack's 10th Annual Dirty Ball in April. Although hired as an administrative intern, my work with Attack Theatre has spilled over into the production side as well. I had the opportunity to work as a crew member for Attack's original work Between at the end of February.
What types of opportunities does the SAEM major offer?
The SAEM program offers great connections and networking opportunities. In Pittsburgh, there are two degrees of separation but within the SAEM program the connections are even greater. During my sophomore year, my advisor, Teresa Gregory, helped me land an internship working with Gerri Weiss, director of development at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. I had such a wonderful experience there. Two years later, I decided I wanted to do another internship in the arts realm and discovered I had a direct link from that internship to someone who worked for Attack.
Tell us about your experience studying abroad.
I studied abroad during the spring semester of my junior year through Point Park's study abroad program with Regent's University London. It opened me up to so many opportunities and I was so inspired by everything I saw. I traveled to eight different countries, saw a dozen shows and spent a lot of time in museums. It tested my problem solving skills and was an experience of independence that I never had before. As a person, I have grown so much from studying abroad. I highly recommend it for all students. It was such a fantastic experience and the best decision I ever made.
What are your career goals?
I've applied to internships and apprenticeships with theatres in New York City. In the future, I hope to attend graduate school for theatre. Point Park has given me a great foundation. There are so many things I can do with my degree. I'm very interested in working in performance and production for theatre arts as well as administration. I hope in the future I can combine all three of those elements into owning my own company or starting a nonprofit organization.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
The following two experiences have made my time at Point Park even better!
Being involved with Strong Women, Strong Girls has been great. It's wonderful to inspire girls to go to college who thought it wasn't an option for them. It's cool to hear them say, "I want to go to Point Park." It's also been a good way to connect with other college students who are serving as mentors.
Another great experience was taking Music 106, a piano class open to all majors. It's a little hidden gem that the University offers. I am a complete piano beginner but I fell in love with that class. It was so much fun to learn how to play songs and familiarize yourself with music theory. I now take private piano lessons with Professor Rochelle Klein and really enjoy it. It's never too late to start learning piano!
More About: study abroad, internships, sports, arts and entertainment management, Conservatory of Performing Arts, Rowland School of Business, Strong Women Strong Girls, musical theatre, Downtown Pittsburgh