Faculty in Stage Management

Description:

The School of Theater at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and the Experience Design program invite applications for a full-time faculty position in Stage Management beginning in the fall of 2022. The Stage Management Specialization is one of eight métiers (majors) within the Experience Design and Production Program with a specialized curriculum and a shared ethos for rigorous practical training, theoretical inquiry, inclusivity, hands-on production experience, and aesthetic reflection. 

The Stage Management Faculty’s role includes teaching departmental courses, mentoring both BFA and MFA management students in their professional and project goals, and overseeing students’ involvement in School of Theater and CalArts Center for New Performance (CNP) productions. The faculty role will supervise projects and production that traverse a diverse range of aesthetic and producerial approaches and foster commitment to collaborative engagement across faculty, staff and students in the School of Theater, as well as Institute partners (Music, Dance, Film/Video, Art, etc.). We seek a candidate that can educate and mentor students in the full spectrum of skills and best practices relevant to the contemporary Stage Management professional, as well as someone who is motivated to evolve new approaches and models that will support the emergence of new leaders in the field of arts and entertainment.

The successful candidate should have an interest in developing an innovative and inclusive curriculum related to Stage Management. We seek a candidate with a demonstrated commitment to management practices that engage with current anti-racist, anti-colonial and inclusive pedagogy and practice. 

They will have good standing as a working professional in cultural industries, preferably with experience in the live theater / performance and live music, festivals, large scale event production, or themed entertainment fields. They will have strong relationships with working directors and producers in the field and a commitment to experimental and cutting edge work in experience design.

The Theater School XDP specializations foster experimentation, exploration, ingenuity, and discipline. We value and strive for student success whether the student is on a crew, working in the shop, or acting as a lead designer on a project. But, we also encourage productive failure and provide sustained support.  We expect the Faculty to be role models for professional best practices and welcome working in an inclusive setting with a diverse group of students who bring their unique and varied backgrounds, aesthetics, race, gender expression, social identities, age, and capabilities to the table.   Collaborative engagement and open communication with fellow faculty members is expected in order to uphold a supportive environment between faculty and students. 

CalArts seeks to employ faculty who can engage our diverse communities of learners at the highest levels of artistic endeavor and critical thinking. We welcome candidates who possess a demonstrated worldview and cultural competency to support teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students of varied backgrounds, capabilities, perspectives, social identities and gender expressions. CalArts is an equal opportunity employer.  

Responsibilities: 

The FT Faculty in Stage Management is responsible for teaching 9-12 credit units per semester, including a rotating selection of core stage management classes for BFA and MFA levels, BFA Studio Lab classes, and Special Topics classes. Mentorship of BFA and MFA stage management students is an integral part of this faculty position, as is course development and planning, involvement in making production assignments for students, attending faculty and production meetings, and recruiting duties at both BFA and MFA levels. 

This position works closely with fellow management faculty, XDP faculty and staff more broadly, Performance faculty, and students from across the School of Theater.  A successful candidate will have excellent communication skills, as well as a demonstrated interest in respectful collaboration and teamwork. 

Additional responsibilities at the discretion of the Dean and Program Director include but are not limited to:

Class preparation, classroom instruction and grading Academic mentorship of MFA and BFA students Project-based mentorship of Stage Management students throughout the School of Theater production (MFA-directed, guest-directed, and CalArts CNP productions) Development and oversight of curriculum for the Stage Management Specialization, in association with the Program Director and the Dean’s office Oversight of Stage Management Special (Adjunct) faculty, in association with the Program Director and Dean’s Office MFA and BFA student mentoring Participating in students reviews each semester and providing written evaluations, mentor reports, and reviews  Working with Experience Design and Production faculty, Program Director and the Dean’s office to promote and ensure programmatic relevance Managing actor auditions for curricular and CalArts CNP productions, in association with Performance faculty Supervising student run crews for curricular and CalArts CNP productions Attending faculty meetings as needed throughout the year CalArts Institute-wide committee service Recruitment, including application review, interviews and admission decisions Maintaining a professional practice during tenure in position Various other duties, as assigned by the Program Director and Dean’s Office

Responsibilities will also include a relationship to the projects of the CalArts Center for New Performance, the professional producing arm of the California Institute of the Arts. These responsibilities would be determined on a project-by-project basis but could include consultation or advising on CNP projects. 

Mentorship:

Mentorship of students is the cornerstone of the CalArts School of Theater. Even though each student is assigned to one specific mentor, it is the responsibility of the faculty to advise any student in the School of Theater if they have the knowledge or expertise that the student requires. Stage Management faculty will be assigned both BFA and MFA students to mentor.

Requirements:

We seek a teacher-practitioner with a record of professional and pedagogical experience. The successful candidate will evidence several of the following:

An active career engaged in the professional practice of stage management for theatrical and/or related live performance genres (music, dance, fashion, immersive and experimental practice, etc.). Taught at least two years at the college level, or equivalent experience through professional mentoring, workshops, organizational leadership, or other forms of instruction. Developed innovative approaches to teaching the theory and practice of stage management. MFA/MA in Stage Management or a related field, or commensurate professional experience.  Expertise in current theatrical production standards, reporting, policies and practices with regards to auditions, union requirements, rehearsals, intimacy, and production and performance processes.  Demonstrated worldview and cultural competency to teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students of varied backgrounds, capabilities, perspectives, social identities, and gender expressions.

How to apply:

Review of Applications will begin on January 2, 2022. For full consideration please apply by that date. Please go to this link to apply: https://apply.interfolio.com/97854

Please provide:

Cover letter that describes your interest in the position and relevant qualifications Statement addressing your approach to teaching and learning Statement addressing your work on diversity, inclusion, equity, and anti-racism in pedagogy and professional practice Current CV (Curriculum Vitae) Names and contact information for three references (references will only be requested for candidates invited to interview)

All submissions are confidential.

Reflecting its experimental mission, CalArts does not follow the hierarchy of a conventional tenure-rank system but offers renewable multi-year contracts and a faculty salary advancement plan (FSAP) and merit program. Salary will be commensurate with teaching and professional experience.

Candidates for this position must legally be able to work in the U.S.  

About CalArts School of Theater:

Dedicated to the development of new voices and new forms, the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) School of Theater is one of the preeminent theater training programs in the country. Our goal is to educate the whole person, preparing fully equipped theater artists to enter and transform the world. We particularly encourage our students to build professional experiences and relationships while in school, mining every opportunity for them to create effective careers after graduation.  We value the individuality of artists and welcome the addition of unique and inventive voices to our diverse, collaborative community.  Central to this mission, The School of Theater embraces and fosters equity, inclusion, and diversity in all aspects of its pedagogy, production activity, and recruitment of faculty and students. As storytellers, we welcome all stories, all forms of storytelling, and find joy in the process of uncovering new, untold stories, of which there are many.  We are on a collective quest to ‘wear the shoes of the other.’ The CalArts Center for New Performance, the Institute’s professional producing arm, embodies our firm commitment to open exactly such possibilities for talented, ambitious students. Our educational mission is to forge a community of citizen artists who are rigorously trained in their respective métiers and who are able to work effectively and innovatively across a broad spectrum of artistic settings, media, and technologies.