Technical Director, Theatre Conservatory - Chicago College of Performing Arts
Position Title: Technical Director, Theatre Conservatory - Chicago College of Performing Arts
Category: Administrative
Location: Chicago
Open Date: 04/23/2024
Close Date: Open Until Filled
Job Type: Full-Time
Position Summary: Under the direction of the Director of Production, the Technical Director serves as a key member of CCPA’s Production Team. The position is expected to function independently in an environment conducive to the development of new work with changing priorities and detail-critical deadlines. The Technical Director is responsible for managing projects from conception through completion with the design and creative teams for each production including preparing bids and bringing shows in on budget. In conjunction with the Director of Production, the Technical Director will take an active role in facilitating communication with the Designers and CCPA leadership. The Technical Director would also be in charge of student crews to assist in building the sets and crewing the shows. CCPA is dedicated to building an equitable environment that centers excellence and strongly encourages applications from Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, transgender, and non-binary candidates.
The Theatre Conservatory of the Chicago College of Performing Arts consists of over 200 students, divided between our Acting, Musical Theatre, and Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration programs. Students are guaranteed onstage performance credit every semester that they are at CCPA, as more time on stage means more training for your future career in the theatre.
MISSION – We graduate theatre artists who are passionate, professionally ready, and aware of their artistic agency and social responsibility.
VISION – We will be a leader in redefining the 21st-century Theatre Conservatory; providing innovative professional training informed by social justice as well as an equitable and inclusive approach to recruitment, teaching, and production.
VALUES – Roosevelt University’s Theatre Conservatory’s core values (which are fully described below) are:
- Inclusion
- Artistic Agency
- Social Justice
- Respect
- Responsibility
Title IX Contact Information: Federal Title IX policy requires that all colleges and universities make known the contact information for the person responsible for coordinating its efforts to comply with Title IX regulations. At Roosevelt University, the Title IX Coordinator is Shana Anderson. Her office is in the Auditorium Building of the Chicago campus, 430 S. Michigan Avenue, 204A. She can be reached at (312) 341-3761 or Do not contact this email address for inquiries about your job application; if you have questions, you may email
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:
- Demonstrated leadership experience in an educational environment; or a combination of equivalent experience and training.
- Commitment to creating and maintaining an equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist environment that values diversity and centers excellence.
- Strong project management skills that demonstrate the ability to deliver complex, multilateral productions.
- Experience in preparing budgets, labor estimates, build calendars, and staffing schedules.
- Strong communication skills (verbal and written), mastery of Word, Excel, AutoCad, VectorWorks, and online collaboration tools.
- Advanced knowledge in theatrical automation and rigging practices.
- Successful candidates will be adept at managing competing priorities, navigating emergent challenges, and proactively identifying and mitigating risk.
Years of Experience Required: 5 years of experience preferred
Required Education: Bachelor's Degree
Certification/Licensure Required: Normal climate-controlled office environment is provided. Job is largely sedentary, but there is a need to move about the office and buildings frequently. Occasional bending, stooping, lifting, pushing and/or pulling is required (typically less than 10 pounds of weight or pressure). Regular use of desktop computer is required, calling for frequent hand/wrist movement and repetition. Moderate level of stress. Occasional travel within the local or regional setting may be required.
Minimum Qualifications: See knowledge, skills, and abilities above
Preferred Qualifications: Equipment Operated, Working Conditions, Standard office environment and workshop
Priority Application Instructions, Departmental Contact Information, Essential Job Functions
Duty and Responsibility: PRODUCTION AND DESIGNER COMMUNICATION
- Collaborate with the design team and other production teams to establish methods for executing the design and construction of scenery, and its integration of other technical elements of the productions.
- Maintain clear communication with designers and within the production team to ensure successful integration of a show’s technical elements.
- Attend all design presentations, meetings, rehearsals and run-throughs as designated by the Director of Production.
- Provide supervision for all load-in and work calls during the production process coordinating activity with other staff.
Duty and Responsibility: BUILD & LOAD IN OVERSIGHT
- Review and revise budget estimates for each production by tracking all relevant information and ensuring these requests match the allocated budget and labor.
- Prepare a shop build, load-in, and strike schedule for five to four O’Malley (mainstage) productions and support minor set needs on ten to five Miller (blackbox) productions based on the available staff labor and the calendar.
- Monitor and oversee the progress of technical drawings for all scenic elements based on the designer’s renderings.
- Prepare, organize, and communicate relevant technical information to shop employees and other departments ensuring the productions are built, installed, and struck in a timely, safe, and resource-efficient manner.
Duty and Responsibility: SUPERVISION AND MANAGEMENT
- Supervise, manage and support Scene Shop Carpenters and Scenic Artists to promote a safe, healthy, and productive working environment.
- Maintain all scene shop tools, equipment, and supplies in a safe and organized manner.
- Actively participate in team building, fostering a work environment incorporating the values of CCPA and Roosevelt University.
- Coach and develop students by monitoring the quality of students’ work and providing constructive feedback.
- Coordinate ongoing maintenance of all scenic elements including automation and effects equipment throughout the season.
- Maintain timesheets and track labor.
Duty and Responsibility: ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS
- Project and track expenses for each production.
- Ensure all relevant show files are up to date and maintained throughout the season.
- Organize and prepare information for daily Scene Shop operations.
- Collaborate with Director of Production to ensure materials are purchased in a timely and resource-efficient manner.
Posting Specific Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
- * Do you have an earned Bachelor degree?
- yes
- no
- * Do you have advanced knowledge in theatrical automation and rigging practices?
- yes
- no