Programs
Paid Internship Program
BCT pays high school and college students to teach and make theatre.
Photo: Tori, BCT Paid Intern
A first job in the arts, with a paycheck
The Paid Internship Program pays high school and college students $18 an hour for work in teaching and theatrical production. It launched in FY26 as BCT’s first formal paid position for this age group, and it formalizes a pathway BCT has supported informally for years: alumni returning to give back, now paid for their labor.
$18
an hour, paid to every intern for work in teaching and theatrical production.
16+
paid interns a year, across two five-month seasons and a one-month summer season.
94%
of BCT’s first cohort of 16 paid interns are Black, Brown, and Global Majority.
54
children used the early and late camp care that paid interns made possible in summer 2026.
Why we pay interns
Traditional arts education pathways, from private lessons to conservatory training to unpaid internships, were designed to favor those with financial cushion, time, and social capital. Until 2026, BCT’s own internship ran on volunteers, and we saw the result in our classrooms. The teens who could volunteer came from well-resourced families, while our low-income scholarship students needed to earn money outside school, so we had no way to stay connected to them as they grew.
Paying interns changes who stays. The internship keeps BCT connected to our low-income students as they grow, gives us a part in their next stage of development, and opens a pathway into the workforce.
How it works
Interns work alongside BCT’s teaching artists in live classes and productions with students in grades 1 to 12, across three seasons a year.
Production interns
Production interns assist BCT teaching artists in class and support performances. Every BCT class is led by three teaching artists, a lead, a trainee, and a music director, plus two interns.
Development intern
One arts administration intern each season works with BCT’s Executive Director on fundraising, donor relations, and social media.
Training
Every intern trains in social-emotional learning and trauma-informed teaching. High school juniors and seniors also receive college or vocational school readiness coaching.
Positions and pay
Interns earn $18 an hour. BCT hires 16 or more interns a year, across two five-month seasons and a one-month summer season.
The first year
In spring and summer 2026, 16 young people filled 32 paid internship slots. Spring interns worked in MainStage classes reaching 116 students.
Summer showed what paid interns make possible. With interns on staff, BCT added early and late care for three weeks of camp, which opened those weeks to families whose work schedules and commutes had kept them out. Of the 107 children enrolled in those weeks, 54 used the extra hours. Interns led dance games, craft making, and karaoke, took children to the playground, and helped senior teaching artists build the plays.
“This opportunity opening up for a lot of kids had them say, hey, there IS a spot for me. So many kids were so close to dropping out of the arts until they got this internship.”
The pipeline
The internship is the second paid step in a pathway BCT built so Brooklyn students can grow into teachers. Interns who want to teach can move next into the Teaching Artist Training Program, 18 months of paid, on-the-job training to become professional teaching artists in musical theatre.
Step 1: Scholarship student
Grades 1 to 12 at BCT
Step 2: Paid intern
$18 an hour, high school and college students
Step 3: TATP trainee
18 months, $30 to $40 an hour
Step 4: Lead teaching artist
At BCT or beyond
Step 5: Full-time arts educator
In NYC and New Jersey schools
Keep interns paid
Current grant funding for the Paid Internship Program runs through December 2026. BCT’s goal is to sustain the program at full-year scale beyond that date, deepening the pipeline from BCT student to paid professional.
To support paid interns, talk with Amy White-Graves, BCT’s Founder and Executive Director, at amy@brooklynchildrenstheatre.org or (646) 675-0325.