Posts Tagged Macalester College

A new face you might run into these days at Park Square Theatre is that of our new marketing intern, Zach Anderson! A local boy, through and through, he was born in Chanhassen and currently attends Macalester College where he is ready to graduate and throw himself into the Twin Cities theatre community. I’d say Park Square is a good place to start!

As the marketing intern, Zach’s primary duties are assisting Connie Shaver, who is the Marketing and Audience Development Director for the theatre and Rachel Wandrei, Marketing and Engagement Manager. His tasks can included anything from working on social media campaigns, to working on Park Square’s marketing archives to engaging with our audiences at local events such as the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. and Nine Nights of Music. What does he study at Macalester? Why, theatre and media, of course. With his double-majors, he is focused on performance and marketing, respectively (with some film analysis too). 

Zach and Rachel Wandrei sort through some of Park Square’s archives. Photo by Connie Shaver

In fact, Zach’s passions for the art form have been with him for as long as he can remember. Being from Chanhassen, he was naturally raised on shows at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres but was also exposed to the wide array of theatrics that makes Minnesota such a wonderfully creative place. He credits his parents for such an eclectic smattering of genres like burlesque, Shakespeare, drag, and even Mr. Tom Stoppard. Yes, growing up so close to the Twin Cites definitely has it’s advantages when it comes to culture, with museums and music performances a-plenty. Even more so when you are a kid and you can attend any number of children’s theater camps and participate in shows the way Zach did.

Such a rich background in the performing arts has certainly set him up for succuss in the field. Anyone who has even done one show, although for fun, will admit that it takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and dedication to pull off. Like any worthy pursuit, of course, it can be taxing on the mind and body but true to his nature, Zach knows how to roll with the punches. An ardent meditator, he started the practice when he was a mere eight years old! Zach’s whole philosophy is best explained in his own words:

Something I’ve realized in past years is emotions come after work, not before. When one truly works to their best abilities with full heart the emotions will line up as wanted. Too many times do I see people throwing themselves into solutions rather than processes, and God knows life is a process not a solution. I think that’s when work becomes duty, and when mere satisfaction becomes joy.

This joy, then, is found in the theater for Zach and is absolutely the reason he wants to create and share it with the world! He hopes that others can find the solace they seek within the act of telling a story.

Zach and Jamil Jude look at an audience engagement plan. Photo by Connie Shaver

While creating theater is definitely a full-time effort, Zach manages to blow off steam with other worthy endeavors such as playing guitar, reading, drinking coffee or attempting to write a book. He says there’s more to come on that front, but I think we can forgive him for not finishing the next Great American Novel when he’s got so many plays to do!