Rocky Hock Playhouse
Edenton, North Carolina
The Mid-Atlantic’s full time professional Christian theatre
with a mission which includes nurturing, encouraging, and
training young actors through internship opportunities.
OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The RHP is a professional stock company theatre. Many actors seek to become members of the actor’s union (Equity) so that they may acquire an Equity card. In order to qualify for “the card” actors must find professional theatres in which to work. The “catch 22” is that many professional theatres allow only a handful of non-equity actors to be cast in their productions and most do not accept interns. The Rocky Hock Playhouse is a theatre which welcomes professional quality, non-union actors aboard.
The RHP is owned and operated by Jeff and Gloria Emmerich. You can read their biographies by clicking here. The Emmerichs earned bachelors and masters degrees in music and theatre from San Diego State University and have been involved professionally in music and drama for 33 years.
During the 90s the Emmerichs taught at North Central University in Minneapolis, MN. Jeff was head of the drama department and Gloria was professor of both music and theatre at the university. The Rocky Hock Playhouse is an outgrowth of what started as their summer stock theatre on the Outer Banks of North Carolina 12 years ago.
The Rocky Hock Playhouse is located in a wonderful building originally called the Rocky Hock School. It ceased being used as a public school in the early 60s and has subsequently been used as a private school, community center, and meeting hall for various local service and social clubs. The Emmerich Theatre Production Company (ETPC) relocated to Edenton, North Carolina in 2000 and the Rocky Hock Playhouse was founded that summer. The RHP is not affiliated with any particular denomination and draws crowds from across a wide spectrum of the Christian community. The musical productions are designed to glorify God and encourage people’s faith. The goal, whether a show is the retelling of a specific biblical character’s life, or a gospel music “jubilee” is designed to be uplifting, inspiring, and encouraging.
In the years since its inception the Playhouse has produced
and premiered well over 30 Broadway style
Christian musicals. Now in its 9th year the Playhouse, under the
leadership and direction of Jeff and
Gloria Emmerich, has hired actors and interns from over 25 different states
all across America. From time to time ETPC tours with its productions and
has taken casts to various cities across North Carolina, Virginia, Puerto
Rico, St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, and Germany.
Opportunities exist for interns working with ETPC to minister at the World Outreach Center in Kaiserslautern, Germany. A relationship exists with the American directors of this facility whose mission is to work with US military personnel based in Germany as well as German nationals and immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa. Ministry opportunities in Germany include teaching theatre skills at the Center as well as performing in dinner theatres and producing RHP musicals.
Several of our interns have taken advantage of their college’s distance learning programs and extended their internship program over the course of an entire semester. For instance, we’ve had students participate in both our fall and Christmas productions or the Valentines and Easter productions and complete a semester’s work online at the same time. In many cases we have also employed actors between productions in our offices where they have learned important skills related to audience development, box office, and other “behind the scenes” theatre activities.
How our internship program works
All interns are extended a full contract with ETPC and are given the same casting options, opportunities, and considerations as any regular professional actor also hired by the production company.
· Actors working with ETPC are able to use this experience as a legitimate college internship if sanctioned and approved by their college or university. Other individuals who simply wish to build their professional theatre resume may also work with ETPC under the same internship program.
· Since the theatre is located in the Rocky Hock District of Chowan County about 9 miles from Edenton, rides are provided via car pooling for a nominal fee. Therefore, it is NOT necessary to have a vehicle with you while fulfilling your internship in Edenton. (As an aside, the name Rocky Hock is a derivative of the word “Rockahoc,” a Native American Indian word which means “beautiful garden.”)
· Interns
are paid at the same $100 rate per week even when performances are held away
from the resident theatre. Expenses for the intern are covered if
performances are in North Carolina or Virginia.
Travel expenses are paid by the intern if productions are taken overseas.
Not every intern is
expected/selected to travel overseas and notice is given well in advance if
an intern’s contract will call
for them to participate in an overseas trip. The next overseas opportunity
will not happen until the
spring of 2009.
· ETPC discriminates against no one and encourages men and women of any ethnic background to audition for them.
· Actors wishing to participate in multiple productions are sometimes able to continue receiving housing between productions and to work for the production company by doing office work, building sets, etc. Let the producers (Jeff and Gloria Emmerich) know if you are interested in a multiple show contract so that they can negotiate a “special conditions” contract with you and customize your situation with the needs of the production company.
· Unlike other theatre internship programs which often expect interns to work for free, or in some cases to even PAY for their experience, the Rocky Hock Playhouse pays their interns $100 per week for rehearsal and performance weeks.
· Housing is provided in homes owned by ETPC. The men’s and women’s houses are both within walking distance of Edenton’s downtown shopping district. The houses are in a nice neighborhood and are fully furnished. They include full kitchen privileges, free wireless internet (bring your laptop or computer), cable TV, free landline telephone and free long distance (regulated hours). Utilities are paid by ETPC. In exchange for housing each intern donates 8 hours of their time each week to helping in the production company office.
· Actors wishing to be considered for ETPC internships must be a minimum of 18 years old by the first day of their contract period.
·
By clicking the link below
you will be taken to the downloadable “audition form.” Please fill it out
carefully and return it to us via email. Your
audition form and complete bio are the first step toward being accepted as a
Rocky Hock Playhouse intern. A telephone interview will be next, followed
by submission of your audition video or DVD, or an in-person audition in
Edenton.
Click here to download our audition application. This file is an
editable pdf file that can be completed online (requires Adobe Reader 8 or
higher).
Once finished, please save it to your computer and send as an
e-mail attachment to etpc@mchsi.com.
Click here to download Adobe Reader 8.
· To see which upcoming shows we are auditioning for please click here to visit our “auditions” page. On this page you will also find our audition guidelines. If you are unable to audition in person we gladly (and regularly) accept auditions via video or DVD.
· Please call or email if you have any questions at all regarding our internship program, audition requirements, etc.
Auditions are open for each production until all roles are filled. Please remember that we are a musical theatre and all actors must also be able to at least sing in tune and blend well with a chorus of voices. All roles are leading or supporting and we do not use a typical musical chorus in any of our productions. All actors have lines and are given good stage time. Please provide three references with your application.
Call Jeff Emmerich at (252) 339-0518 if you have questions. Or, email him at: etpc@mchsi.com.
TESTIMONIAL FROM A RECENT ROCKY HOCK INTERN:
My name is Krysta Robinson, I am 22 years old and was an intern with the Rocky Hock Playhouse from June to December 2007. During my internship I performed in three shows: Upon this Rock, Carolina Jamboree, and O Holy Night. I also completed two online classes while there. The most wonderful thing about working at the Rocky Hock Playhouse was that I was treated as a professional and not as a student. It was a great environment to grow as an actress with a great ensemble cast. You will find that you are pushed to your limit. Jeff and Gloria Emmerich expect all of their actors to give 100% and will not accept mediocrity. Because of their determination for excellence all of their shows are top notch. I was proud to be a part of them. My time in Edenton was the longest I had ever been away from home and I was very worried about leaving friends and family behind. But, I soon discovered that my worries were for naught because Jeff and Gloria and the ensemble cast at RHP immediately welcomed me into their families and I was overjoyed to be a part of such a fun group. My first Thanksgiving away from home was spent at RHP and I was invited to the Emmerich's where we had a wonderful spread and spent the evening watching movies. The Rocky Hock Playhouse is a professional Christian Theater that helped me graduate from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater. God led me to Edenton, North Carolina, and I am so grateful that He did.
Krysta Robinson
Deltona, Florida