Assistant Professor of Theater Design for Performance 2023-24

Assistant Professor of Theater Design for Performance 2023-24

The Department of Theater at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Design for Performance at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 2023.

The Theater department conceives this position as a design generalist, who will bring expertise in designing scenery, props, lighting, and sound, with skill in multimedia performance, and a demonstrated commitment to integrating contemporary media technologies in design and production. Successful candidates will bring perspectives on design as a category larger than theater and performance, including designing for film, television and video, dance, music, architecture, and graphics, among other applications. A tenure-track faculty member with contemporary media expertise and who conceptualizes design in broad and interdisciplinary ways will reflect the department’s goal to use traditional training in live theater as foundational for myriad creative careers in a mediated society.

Qualifications:

Completed M.F.A. in Theater Design with demonstrated excellence in teaching and designing for performance at the undergraduate or graduate college level, with design experience in professional or regional theater desired.

About the Department:

Theater at St. Olaf benefits from its proximity to the Twin Cities, which only 45 minutes away have more theaters per capita than nearly any city in the nation. Each year, our classes see a variety shows in the Cities, at theaters such as the Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theater and Mixed Blood, and are visited by prominent guest artists from the local scene. On campus, we think of the St. Olaf Theater as our laboratory, and produce a diverse and ambitious season of new and existing works in two well-equipped theaters. Our departmental curriculum and major challenges students to become well-rounded artists and scholars by requiring courses in acting, directing, writing and design, as well as history, theory and literature of theater and performance. As a department, we are rigorously interdisciplinary and collaborate regularly with colleagues in the fine arts as well as others across campus. We welcome new voices and visions that expand the notion of what theater is and what is possible with it. For more information about the department, visit wp.stolaf.edu/theater/.

Diversity:

At St. Olaf, we are committed to equity and inclusion. We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity—gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age—to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply:

A complete application includes:
1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Diversity statement (200-500 word limit): Describe how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. Include examples of your contributions when possible.
4. Statement of Teaching Philosophy: Describe your pedagogical goals in teaching undergraduate Theater students in both classroom and scene shop/backstage environments.
5. Portfolio: Provide a link to your professional design portfolio, showcasing a selection of your design work for live performance.
6. The contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship (St. Olaf solicits letters directly after an initial round of screening.)

To apply, please click here or visit: https://careers.stolaf.edu/jobs/search

Review of applications will begin on October 24, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will receive fullest consideration. Finalist interviews are expected in February, 2023. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to Bill Sonnega, Search Committee Chair, at tt2023theater@stolaf.edu.

Who We Are:

Founded in 1874, St. Olaf College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff employees. The college is located on a picturesque 300-acre campus in Northfield, Minnesota, a vibrant, restored, historic river town of 20,000 located 45 minutes south of culturally rich and diverse Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The college offers an academically rigorous, nationally ranked liberal arts education that fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and emphasizes learning in an inclusive and globally engaged community. We encourage applications from candidates committed to multicultural understanding and the enrichment of our diverse community.

The college offers a comprehensive benefits package including a 9% company retirement match, company monthly contributions to a retirement healthcare account, company contributions to eligible employee’s health savings account, significant tuition discount (up to 80% off) at ACM and ELCA colleges and universities for employee’s children, and generous paid time off. For a full review of benefit offerings, see the summary of the benefits program here: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/benefits/

To provide a safe and secure educational environment, St. Olaf College verifies the accuracy of all credentials presented by applicants and conducts a criminal background check on every new hire. 

St. Olaf College requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (medical and religious exemptions may apply). To be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, you need to have received the COVID-19 vaccination dose(s), plus a COVID-19 booster shot before your start date, or within two weeks of eligibility for a booster.

A link to our DEI page: https://wp.stolaf.edu/equity-inclusion/

A virtual campus tour: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?p=483

An overview of Northfield: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/northfield/

An overview of the Twin Cities: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/twincities/

 

For Staff Application Assistance:
employment@stolaf.edu
507-786-3068

For Faculty Application Assistance:
facultysearch@stolaf.edu
507-786-3356

Title IX Contact Information:
Kari Hohn, Director of Title IX and Equal Opportunity
1520 St. Olaf Avenue, Tomson Hall 144
Northfield, MN 55057
507-786-3465
khohn@stolaf.edu