That’s us, Anna and Kathrin, two interns from Germany working in the community and behind the scenes at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
We joined the staff for three months, before the Festival begins. The nickname “German Sensations” was given to us by a House Manager while we were helping at a Festival performance in March. Who'd have thought when we traveled to the U.S. this winter we'd experience falling snow 
inside a pub? That's what happened during an early highlight for us in our time here: the play The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart from the National Theatre of Scotland at Yale's GPSCY. We were lucky to volunteer at this pre-Festival event and take part in the action of the show.
Preparing for the June Festival
Anna: I'm working in support of the Festival Artist Services team, who keep in contact with the artists before and during their stay in New Haven. We create agreements for the visiting artists, arranging visas and booking flights and hotels for their stays during the Festival. Over 150 different shows, talks, and activities will happen in June. These artists are coming from all over the world, this year they represent Scotland, New Zealand, China, Poland, England, and more. The Festival also supports local groups and artists in performance.
It’s great working in this department! I know all the artists and speakers on paper. I’m creating the artists' info sheets and working on their agreements and riders, so we'll all know what they'll need when they arrive. It’s interesting to see what complications and challenges arise during the organization of a big event like this and to learn how to handle it. I have the opportunity to see the work behind the scenes and learn about how a festival like this comes together.
Kathrin: I'm part of the Community Engagement Department, attending area events to share information about the Festival, and working with volunteers. Interesting fact: This year we have 909 spots for volunteers to fill and last year we had about 250 volunteers.
I've also been helping to plan this year's Pop-Up Festivals. Because we plan these and other events with different partners, this work has given me the opportunity to go to a lot of meetings with my supervisor, Sarah Sherban, Louise Endel Community Engagement Manager. I've gotten to see different areas of New Haven and meet so many interesting people. Every Pop-Up Neighborhood Steering Committee has its own team of passionate, creative, and hard-working personalities. Some of them have lived in New Haven their whole lives and some just moved here, but they are all deeply involved in the community. I have learned so much about the Dixwell, Fair Haven, and Hill neighborhoods, the social intercourse between the people, and the issues of the neighborhoods. No other internship would have given me the chance to get to know the area where I am living and the people who live there so well. I feel like I really lived in New Haven for three months, not just visited.
We are happy being part of the Festival and seeing the community growing, and very excited for everyone to see it all happen in June!
- Kathrin & Anna