Field Work Term Spotlight: Lauren Hunter-Venables
Lauren Hunter-Venables '29 studies Film and Theater at Bennington College. For her summer 2026 Field Work Term, Hunter-Venables is a Vermont Film and Folklore Festival Intern at the Bennington Theater.
How does your Field Work Term relate to your studies at Bennington?
My Field Work Term is a perfect overlap of my studies at Bennington. I came to Bennington with more experience in film, especially the administration side of things which I worked in for a year before starting college. Theater was totally new for me; I had no idea how shows or the industry worked.
My Field Work Term at the Bennington Theater is focused around the administration of a film festival we are hosting in November, the “Vermont Film and Folklore Festival.” This work is familiar to me due to my previous experience, but I’ve been able to dig much deeper into the specifics of film festivals. I’ve also been able to gain Theater experience while doing my internship, as I regularly help out with the general duties of the Theater. I’ve learned so much under Executive Director (and Bennington alum) Kaiya Kirk '20!
What does a typical day at your Field Work Term site look like?
I spend most of my day in the office putting together the logistics of the festival: advertising and sponsorship, programming, ticket systems, graphic design. I actually find admin work really exciting when it’s about something I’m passionate about like this, but I do like the contrast when I get pulled in as an extra hand around the Theater!
What has surprised you most about your Field Work Term position?
Because the work with the Film Festival is so similar to my previous job as an Admin Assistant at a film charity, I get a little nervous when I then do something unfamiliar. I’ll be in a sort of “flow state” with a design on Canva, and then I’ll be learning how to operate the tech booth and get so worried I’ll mess it up somehow. But this is how I’ve felt for every first experience I’ve ever had, and how confident I feel on the work I’m familiar with proves to me the value of experience.
What do you hope to do for your next Field Work Term?
To be honest, I’m gutted that I won’t be able to register the festival as a Field Work Term again because I’ve enjoyed it so much! I hope that I will gain another experience in the Film/Theater industries, and it would be amazing if the disciplines overlap again.