English major Maya Beale '15 is spending her summer immersed in the arts. Beale, who is one of 16 Haverford students who have received support for summer internships and research from the John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities, is interning with FringeArts, the Philadelphia-based organization that stages the city's annual "live arts extravaganza," the Fringe Festival.

This year, the Fringe Festival, which features performers from around the world, will take place September 5 through 22. The Festival will include 16 shows curated by FringeArts and 145 independent productions that are part of the lineup for the anything goes "Neighborhood Fringe." Beale knows these figures well because she is working as the program guide intern for FringeArts, assisting the organization's information manager, Josh McIlvain, in putting together the 2013 Fringe Festival Guide.

"The guide contains everything a festival goer needs to know—dates, show times, venues, artist biographies, interviews, photos, and show descriptions," says Beale. "I help edit, write, and organize all of those elements along with the FringeArts team." Beale is also contributing to the FringeArts blog in the form of event postings, interviews, and guides.

In addition to allowing her to engage with the arts scene, this internship has given Beale the opportunity to become more familiar with Philadelphia in general.“Working at FringeArts necessitates researching Philadelphia in terms of art outlets. It's a really ingenious way to get to know a city,” she says.

If you would like to read Beale's blog contributions or learn more about the FringeArts 2013 Fringe Fest, visit http://blog.fringearts.com.

--Ben Weissman '14