As the absolutely incredibly keen person who undertook an internship in Leeds, I think I should tell you something about that extraordinary time at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

My first day and unfortunately also my last day of the mini-internship started at 11 a.m. on Monday with a cup of coffee. After a little chat in the cafeteria with Alex, the Literary Manager, about future plans and dreams, we decided to drink another cup of coffee in her office. But this time it wasn’t that easy! A multi-tasking job lay ahead. We didn’t stay in her office on our chairs. No! I had to drink my coffee, walk around the theatre and speak about my experiences at theatres – nearly all at the same time! Wow! But by a supreme effort I succeeded in completing that difficult exercise. It also provided a very interesting tour through the theatre where I also learned a great deal about the differences between English and German playhouses.

After the exploratory sightseeing we went to the rehearsal room and – I think you can guess – drank another cup of coffee! During the next four hours I was sitting in the back of the room, listening to the instructions the director gave to the actors: “Walk three steps, turn left, walk another five steps and then turn to the audience! … I said: First three steps – Then five!” … There was a very difficult debate about steps and walking speed. After that problem had been solved, the rehearsal went on in a very engaging way and showed me new aspects of performing on stage. So finally, not only was the coffee nearly as good as at Starbucks, but also the whole visit to the West Yorkshire Playhouse had been appealing and informative, and I really wouldn’t have wanted to miss that day!