Theater Planning Intern | Summer 2027
DLR Group
$20 - $26 / hour
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Description
DLR Group is an integrated design firm with a promise to elevate the human experience through design. This fuels the work we do around the world and inspires our mission to improve the lives of our clients, our communities, and our planet. If this sparks your interest, you’re in the right place.
DLR Group's Theater Planning team has an opening for a Theater and Systems Design Summer Intern in our Los Angeles studio.
We have multiple positions and locations available; please refer to all openings posted and apply to the locations that are most suitable for your living situation during the course of your internship. This is not a remote position.
About EPX at DLR Group
As an intern at DLR Group, you’ll be part of our Emerging Professional Experience (EPX) Program, designed to give you a meaningful introduction to life within an integrated design firm and a strong foundation for your career in the AEC industry.
Each person at DLR Group has a design voice, and EPX gives you opportunities to develop and share yours. Through hands-on project work, mentorship, and learning experiences, you’ll gain exposure to the people, disciplines, and ideas that shape the built environment. You may participate in design discussions, project meetings, site visits, business development efforts, office activities, and other experiences that broaden your understanding of the design profession.
The program combines three core components: mentorship, project work, and weekly learning sessions. Topics may include design culture, sustainability, design technology, communication, marketing and business development, project and resource management, research, equity, career development, and more. Along the way, you’ll hear from leaders and integrated designers across DLR Group and build connections with fellow emerging professionals.
Position Summary
As a Theater Planning Intern at DLR Group, you will be an important part of our integrated design team, contributing to the design of theatrical lighting, drapery, and rigging systems for performance venues of various types, sizes, and complexities. Working alongside professionals across architecture, engineering, interiors, AV, acoustics and other disciplines, you will gain hands-on experience with the design process from early concepts and system development through documentation and construction administration.
Our Summer Internship Program is a paid, full-time opportunity running May 18 through August 6, 2027, and interns are expected to participate for the duration of the program. This is an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in the classroom, build your technical and professional skills, and contribute your perspective to design solutions that support our brand promise of Elevating the Human Experience through design.
What you will do
- Collaborate with architects and engineers as part of our integrated design process
- Support needs-assessment and early project planning efforts
- Assist in providing architects, engineers, and other project planners with theatrical design guidance on mechanical, structural, and electrical requirements for performance spaces and performance equipment systems
- Support senior staff with project design reviews, documentation, existing conditions/equipment assessment, and other theatrical design work
- Learn the tools, technology, and workflow involved with BIM and how today’s designers deliver successful projects
- Assist in developing concepts, calculations, modeling, drawing review, and project execution
- 2D drafting and 3D modeling using Autodesk Revit software
Required Qualifications:
- At least a third-year student in an accredited Architecture, Design, Theater, or similar program
- Excellent communication, technology, and organizational skills
- Good multitasking skills to easily switch between projects while keeping track of tasks
- Ability to work in a team environment
- Experience with drafting programs such as Revit or AutoCAD
- A desire to learn about the architecture/engineering design process
- Basic knowledge of typical theatrical production practice
- Basic knowledge of performance-related equipment systems such as theatrical lighting, rigging, audience seating, etc.; strong knowledge of at least one system preferred
- Goal-oriented with strong skills in problem-solving, creativity, and attention to detail
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a school/employment or any other visa, regardless of expiration date, now or in the future.
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Our comprehensive Benefits at DLR Group include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401(k) plan, employee stock ownership, and bonus opportunities. Compensation considerations are based on location, experience, and skills. The suggested hourly rate for this position is:
DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new builds, renovations, and adaptive reuse projects.
We are 100% employee-owned: every employee is literally invested in our clients’ success. At the core of our firm are interdisciplinary teams engaged in every step of project lifecycles. Our teams champion true collaboration, open information sharing, shared risk and reward, value-based decision making, and proficient use of technology to deliver exceptional design. We are pursuing the goals of the 2030 Challenge, the ME2040, and the SE2050, and are an initial signatory of the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.
Through our values – commitment, creativity, environmental stewardship, fun, integrity, ownership, sharing, teamwork – we elevate the human experience through design, together.
DLR Group follows a four-day in-office work model, with employees having the flexibility to work somewhere other than the office on Fridays.
We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled employer.
Benefits
- health insurance
- 401(k)
- paid time off
- stock options
About this role
DLR Group's Theater Planning team is seeking an intern to contribute to the design of theatrical systems—lighting, drapery, and rigging—for performance venues across different scales and complexities. You'll work within an integrated design environment alongside architects, engineers, and specialists in acoustics and AV, gaining exposure to how theatrical requirements shape structural, mechanical, and electrical decisions. The role involves hands-on project work from early planning through construction administration, with opportunities to develop skills in BIM workflows, 2D and 3D modeling in Revit, and the practical realities of theater design.
This is a full-time paid position running May 18 through August 6, 2027, structured around DLR Group's Emerging Professional Experience program. Beyond project work, you'll participate in weekly learning sessions covering design culture, sustainability, technology, and career development, with mentorship from experienced professionals and exposure to leaders across the firm. The program is designed to give you a foundation in how integrated design firms operate and to help you develop your own design voice.
You should be at least a third-year student in architecture, design, theater, or a related program, with experience in Revit or AutoCAD and basic knowledge of theatrical production and equipment systems. Strong organizational skills, the ability to multitask across projects, and comfort working collaboratively are essential. The position is based in Los Angeles and requires in-office presence, though the firm operates a four-day in-office model. Compensation ranges from $20 to $26 per hour, and interns receive access to DLR Group's benefits including health coverage, 401(k), and paid time off.
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DLR Group Acquires Science and Technology Design Firm McFarlane Architects, Morningstar
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Pay for this role
$20 to $26 per hour
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