POSITION: Director: Fall Festival of Shakespeare
POSTED: April 15, 2025
TERM: Seasonal, September 16 -– November 24, 2025
SUPERVISOR: Education Programs Administrator Meg Marchione
SCHEDULE: Full-time, evenings and weekends required
SALARY: $702/week plus local housing or $742/week
About the Organization
Shakespeare & Company is a professional live theater company in the heart of the Berkshires, presenting a vibrant summer performance season featuring the works of Shakespeare in repertory with classic and contemporary plays. The Company offers one of the most extensive actor training programs by a regional theater in the country and is home to an award-winning and nationally recognized theater-in-education program. Shakespeare & Company is committed to evolving its approach to diversity and inclusion to engender an active process and positive change toward equity in its employment and artistry. Our goal is to engage ourselves in endeavors that enrich and promote a more just society, and we seek to engage those who will embrace our vigorous commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility as well as anti-racism initiatives. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically underrepresented in theater and theater administration including People of the Global Majority, LGBTQIA+, women, people who are neurodiverse, and people with disabilities.
Position Summary
The Fall Festival Director invites and empowers students to bring the classical poetry and plays of Shakespeare alive in ways that are personally inspiring, educationally rigorous, and theatrically compelling. The Directors are responsible for the daily management of students in a 90-minute cut of a Shakespeare play at one of 10 area high schools, part of a nine-week, collaborative, non-competitive, celebratory exploration of multiple Shakespeare plays. As a Director/Producer and representative of our Company at their assigned school from auditions through a fully produced performance, the Director will work in tandem with their Directing Partner, Production Team, and the entirety of the Education Staff for the duration of this contract.
Roles & Responsibilities
- Participate in Director Training that examines the Shakespeare & Company Education Program ethic and aesthetic, and the daily functioning of The Fall Festival of Shakespeare;
- Expand on and further develop these methods using personal experience, skills, passion, and areas of expertise;
- Direct a group of students in a 90-minute Shakespeare play at one of ten high schools in Massachusetts or New York, in collaboration with a directing partner and design team;
- Attendance and participation in weekly Director Meetings and Production/Design meetings;
- Attendance and participation in teaching Common Classes, involving the greater Fall Festival Community;
- Creation of materials needed for the production of a student show (weekly rehearsal schedules, a cut script, clear rehearsal guidelines, and communication between the school, Shakespeare & Company, and the parents and guardians, etc.);
- Support the work of the Festival at large, which includes Set Builds and Common Classes, and extraordinary support during the week of the Festival (November 16-23). During this week, all Directors are expected to be available at Shakespeare & Company full-time to assist in the preparations for and production of the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, which may include some assistance at other schools’ rehearsals, loading in scenic elements, costume maintenance and put-away, theatre setup and cleanup, help with house management or concessions, and other general assistance;
- Contribute to end-of-project program evaluation;
- Successful completion of a Criminal Offense Record Information check (CORI) before employment term (at Company expense).
Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Characteristics Sought
- An undergraduate degree and/or the equivalent in prior experience directing and/or teaching young people or working in youth programs is required.
- Prior Shakespeare & Company Actor Training and/or experience working with Shakespeare & Company methodologies is preferred;
- An interest in learning how to implement the foundational principles and methods in Shakespeare & Company’s commitment to the actor/audience relationship;
- Passion for creating plays with young people that are personally inspiring and theatrically compelling;
- Strong organizational, project management, and communication skills;
- Ability to work collaboratively and clearly communicate with a Directing Partner, Production Team, Shakespeare & Company Education Administrative Staff, School Administration & Liaisons, Staff and Parents/Caregivers;
- Experience in organizing, working, and communicating effectively with groups of individuals from diverse backgrounds, identities, abilities, and experiences;
- Willingness to listen, play and show up authentically and respectfully;
- A commitment to values of anti-racism and anti-oppression and the ability to cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment that prioritizes the safety and dignity of students and colleagues of all races, abilities, ethnicities, classes, orientations and gender identities;
- The desire and ability to stay curious about your own directing and teaching artistry, and be open and adaptable to feedback;
- Willingness to bring a sense of humor and flexible mindset to ever changing, potentially stressful situations;
- Basic computer skills, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint, and Google Workspace;
- Completion of a COVID-19 vaccine regimen and booster, if eligible, before employment term, and willingness to test as per Company safety guidelines (at Company expense);
- Basic understanding/knowledge of technical theatre elements, and ability to guide/assist students through technical theatre projects preferred.
