Be an Esplanade Youth Artist Liaison Officer Intern

Wong Pei Yee | pywong@nus.edu.sg
the ridge transmedia
A NUSSU Publication

Ever wanted to be in the thick of things in the arts? Esplanade offers you the opportunity to do so with an internship as an Esplanade Youth Artist Liaison Officer (EY ALO intern).

To find out more, we speak to Sharon Chan Ci’En, 21, who has worked with Esplanade under this internship programme.

Picture Credit: Sharon Chan

Chan, who signed up to be an EY ALO intern with Esplanade Youths online did so out of “pure interest.”

“I enjoyed watching the productions at Esplanade and was surfing their website when I saw the EY application and thought, “Why not?”. I really enjoy being surround by the
arts… performing arts mostly, but visual arts too!!” explained Chan.

Picture Credit: Esplanade Youths

As an EY ALO intern, one would be attached to an Artist Liaison Officer who worked full-time with Esplanade. Full-time ALOs would provide guidance while the intern experiences hands-on how to do the job.

As an Artist Liaison Officer, the job scope includes taking care of and handling artists who perform at Esplanade, ensuring that their needs are taken care of during their stay in Singapore.

Chan, who is currently pursuing her degree in Arts Management at Lasalle College of the Arts was so good at her job that she was hired by Esplanade to be a full-fledged ALO and receive a salary. EY ALO interns are not paid under the internship programme.

Says Chan, “I was fortunate to be attached to a group for Huayi Festival. … After Huayi was over, Esplanade hired me to be a full-fledged ALO for Mosaic 2007. And as they say, the rest is history.”

Having worked with a long list of artists from Post Ego Dance Co. (Korea) to the Peach Blossom Troupe (Taiwan), and choreographer Jochen Roller (Germany), Chan concludes that most artists are rather independent and do not require that much attention. “What is most important is that they know their way around and can contact you should they need to,” she offers.

The closest she has come to any difficulties was at a concert with chanteuse Rickie Lee Jones. Relating the story, Chan describes getting “a bit frazzled” when they bought Jones a brand she wasn’t familiar with. Finding out only minutes before Jones had to go on stage, Chan had to rush to replace it and thankfully managed it on time.

Definitely sounds like a challenging yet fulfilling job that keeps one on their toes.

the ridge: Describe the normal day of an ALO at work.

A normal DAY at work is rather quiet compared to the night. As you know, most performances are held in the evening, so more often than not, an ALO starts work in the afternoon. This includes meeting the artists at their hotel lobby and bringing them over to Esplanade. Here, they’ll set-up and rehearse for the show. As this is happening, the ALO would either replenish the water and snacks table or watch them rehearse, in anticipation of what the artists might need. Sometimes they would require the ALO to run across to Marina Square or another mall to get an electrical converter, items to support their show or anything to add to their costumes. After the rehearsals are finished, depending on the artists’ schedule, the ALO may then accompany them to dinner or take them back to the hotel to freshen up. A couple of hours later, the ALO then picks them up from the hotel to warm-up and prepare for their performance.

More often than not, an ALO ends his or her after 11pm, sometimes even 2am!

the ridge: Being an ALO sounds like a fun as well as challenging job – it’s a bit like being a professional babysitter. What’s the best and worst part of being an ALO? What do you like best about the job?

Haha. Yes, I do sometimes feel like a professional babysitter… but it is enjoyable and you learn a lot on the job! The best part about being an ALO? EVERYTHING!!! I really enjoy what I do and it is rather hard to pinpoint which aspect is better than others. It’s like a package… You need to appreciate it all. However, if you really must know, I’d say the best part is the lessons you learn from observing the artists and crew at work. They provide you with a different world full of insights that you would never have thought about. On the other hand, the “worst” (it really isn’t so bad!) part about being an ALO is the erratic and uncertain working hours. Because every artist has a different schedule, the hours vary. The only downside about this is that it doesn’t allow you to meet up with family and friends during those few days of work. Other than that, the job’s really great!

the ridge: What do you think are the qualities an ALO or an EY ALO should possess?

Honestly, being an ALO is not that easy as it seems. And it certainly isn’t a glamorous job. In fact, there is a lot hard work that goes on behind the scenes. I’d say that a good ALO should have the following qualities in some amount (and in no particular order): -

Punctuality (this is very crucial), patience, have the ability to anticipate what the artists might need / want as well as the ability to think on your feet, and to be friendly and able to communicate with people of all ages, race and gender. You also need to have humility, be flexible (when it comes to artists requests and schedules), be non-judgmental and be objective (you cannot be a groupie), well-mannered, responsible, and trustworthy.

You should know Singapore well. There was once a group that asked me what the names of the trees on the ECP on the way to the airport were (Raintree and Rose of India!)

the ridge: What can an EY ALO attached to you expect to learn?

Wow, I never really thought about this but I guess some of the things the EY ALO intern can learn would be how to interact with the artistes and how to make them feel at home. This would include pointing out the things that an ALO should take note of and how to keep your distance without making them feel too estranged from you.

Also, he or she would learn what to anticipate and how to solve the more common nitty-gritty things that occur at the last minute. At the same time, how to make good use of the free time that you sometimes find that you have.

To sign up to be an Esplanade Youths member, log on to their website http://www.esplanadeyouths.com for more information.