Shakespeare Reimagined
Ohio Wesleyan Student Completes Video Specialist Internship with Minnesota Festival
Name: Pedro Figueiredo ’26
Hometown: Salvador, Brazil
High School: Sartre Escola SEB
Majors: Film Studies and Theatre
OWU Connection Experience: Great River Shakespeare Festival internship in Winona, Minnesota
Figueiredo spent the summer working as a video specialist for the Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF), now in its 20th year.
“I chose this experience because it combined both my majors, Film Studies and Theatre. I wanted to develop myself as a filmmaker while also exploring theatre throughout my summer.”
My Favorite Moment
“My favorite moment of this experience was definitely creating and shooting ‘The Shakespeare Office,’ a parody of the iconic sitcom. ‘The Office’ is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and so I had the idea of using Shakespeare characters in an office setting. I wrote the script of the video along with my co-worker in the social media team, and we shot it with the actors in the company. I also worked on the editing. I say that this is one of the works that I'm most proud of, and it was great how GRSF was supportive and engaged in helping us make this idea come to life.”
Lessons Learned
“I learned a lot from my internship with GRSF. I was able to use a professional camera for the first time to get videos of the shows and also take pictures of events that happened in the festival. I had great mentors who taught me a lot about lighting, how to set up equipment, and how to navigate through the camera. I also got to use Premiere Pro frequently to do editing for the videos, which is essential if you are a video maker. Now I feel that I can make professional videos with advanced equipment and editing software.
“I also made connections with people in the film industry, and they got to know my work. So I believe that this experience was a great step to achieve my future goal of working in the film industry professionally. My Theatre professor, Bradford Sadler, worked at GRSF in the past as an understudy in the acting company. He was the person responsible for letting me know about the position, and I am very thankful to him.”
I was able to use a professional camera for the first time to get videos of the shows and also take pictures of events that happened in the festival.
Campus Involvement
“I am the President of the Incredible Film Club, I am always involved in Theatre productions (I was a swing in the production of ‘Xanadu’ last semester, and now I am the Stage Manager for the fall show), and I am a first-time RA (resident assistant) this year.”
Why I Chose Ohio Wesleyan
“I chose OWU because of the scholarship that was offered to me and because I love the Theatre program. Another main reason that made me choose OWU was its small campus and community, which I really enjoy.”
My Plans After Graduation
“I plan to work in the film industry as a screenwriter, director, and producer. OWU is giving me the support I need to develop myself as a filmmaker, create my own projects, and expand the film community on campus.”