When Village Theater in Everett, Washington offered Jamie Lilly ’04 a job, she initially turned them down. She had worked at the theater for two summers as an intern before graduating from Whitman, and Frank Stilwagner, the marketing adviser at the theater, thought that she simply did not quite know what she wanted.

Now she’s the marketing manager for Village Theater, which specializes in new musical theater. She designs and manages the advertisements for the theater in all media, including print and radio. Currently, her theater is putting on the play “Chasing Nicolette.”

“Musicals are seen as old-fashioned, but they’re a valid form of theater,” said Lilly.

The summer before her junior year at Whitman, Lilly worked as a marketing intern at Village Theater, an internship she discovered through the Whitman Career Center.

“We were so pleased and impressed with [Lilly], with the work that she did, that we invited her back,” said Stilwagner.

In her second year as an intern, Lilly focused more on developing plays and after Whitman, she eventually came on full-time in the marketing department.

“There’s more long-term responsibility when you work full-time,” said Lilly.

Lilly earned her major at Whitman in music.

“Music has always been a passion of mine. So this has been a way of combining my passion with my graphic design,” said Lilly.

She likes the fact that she can combine her love of art: in theater, music and graphic design: with the more intellectual aspects of marketing, like managing money and decided where to advertise.

Lilly said that Whitman’s focus on the liberal arts curriculum gave her a well-rounded education that she can apply to everything. She is especially grateful for the writing skills she acquired.

“She’s my go-to gal for proofreading,” said Blythe Phillips, a producer at Village Theater.

However, Lilly’s favorite part of the job is the design work, because it is where she gets to be artistic, even if not in the same way she was college. She believes that she’s lucky to have found a place where she can be both practical and involved in the arts.

Finally, Lilly offered a word of advice to current art majors.

“Stay true to your passion. Often practicality doesn’t show itself in a way you recognize immediately.”