Position: Technical Director - Othello/Desdemona
Organization: IN Series
Location: Washington, DC/Baltimore, MD
Employment Type: Contract
Compensation: Stipend
Compensation Amount: $2500, paid in installments based on Cost-out, Tech, and Final Strike
Application Deadline: Open until filled
IN Series seeks a qualified and creative Technical Director for its upcoming productions of Othello by Giuseppe Verdi and Desdemona by Toni Morrison:
Othello - Giuseppe Verdi, after Shakespeare
Directed by Timothy Nelson, IN Series Artistic Director
Performed in a new English translation by Andrew Albin, with new music composed by Matthew Evan Taylor
Scenic and Projections Design by Jonathan Dahm Robertson, featuring artwork by Keith Piper
Costume Design by Kathryn Kawecki
Performed at Source Theatre and Baltimore Theatre Project
Key dates:
Cost-out/Production Meetings begin in March, exact date TBD
Tech begins May 22
Preview, June 2
Opening, June 4
Closing, June 19
Desdemona - Toni Morrison; paired with songs of Nina Simone and works from the Baroque period
Staging created in collaboration with the artists
Music Direction by Janelle Gill
Scenic installation conceived and created by Maya Freelon
Costume Design by Kathryn Kawecki
Performed in a DC commercial space (TBD) and Baltimore Theatre Project
Key dates:
Consultation on Installation rigging system begins in March, exact date TBD
Tech begins mid-May, exact date TBD
Preview, June 3
Opening, June 5
Closing, June 18
IN Series has instituted a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all employees who will perform any onsite work at a theater location. Proof of an FDA approved vaccination is required prior to beginning work.
Primary Roles & Responsibilities:
- Build Othello set on site at Source Theatre, per the specifications of the Scenic Designer (limited overhire budget available)
- Spec and rig Desdemona installation in collaboration with the Installation Artist, at Commercial Space TBD
- Supervise and assist in the construction and painting of the set
- Manage any additional overhire crew
- Produce construction drawings as needed
- Assist in the supervision of the installation and striking of each set, including all rigging and mechanical devices, at all performance venues
- Install scenic/installation elements at second performance space (Baltimore Theatre Project)
- Ensure proper functioning and safety of all moving scenic elements
- Maintain and enforce schedules for all builds, load-ins, and strikes
- Operate, maintain, and safeguard the technical assets of the performance venues, and the use and maintenance of stage facilities
- Monitor the condition of rigging equipment; arrange for the repair and replacement within budgetary constraints; perform preventative maintenance on equipment
Required Knowledge:
- Understanding of the artistic process, and a desire to explore new modes of making
- Proficient knowledge of drafting, set construction, theatrical rigging, and theater operations
- Ability to access and interpret digital technical drawings
- Ability to effectively troubleshoot problems in complex systems
- Ability to work independently and in collaboration with others and ability to prioritize, multi-task and work quickly and accurately with high attention to detail
Desired Qualifications:
- A diverse background and work experience in multiple areas of theatrical production including, but not limited to; acting, directing, playwriting, stage/production management, scenic design and construction, lighting and electrics, sound engineering, props, costuming, and/or projections
- An additional 1-2 years of professional experience as a technical director, assistant technical director, or carpenter in an equivalent venue or shop
- An appreciation for and passionate commitment to the collaborative artistic process
- The ability to simultaneously push the boundaries of artistic and logistical potential, while effectively and realistically managing project scope and human resource capacity
- Proficient knowledge of theatrical projection equipment and software (Isadora)
- A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and the ability to center these principles in all work
This is a contract position working at various theater locations and remotely. Work hours are in alignment with production activities. Evening and weekend hours are required. All-inclusive contract compensation is $2000.
Applicants should submit a current resume, two references, and a small selection of work samples of their choosing - these samples can take the form of production photos, video, drafting, etc.
Email materials to: corinne@inseries.org
Position will be posted until filled.
IN Series is an equal opportunity employer that seeks and celebrates ever greater diversity in its staff, board, artists, and audiences.
IN Series recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, immigration status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
IN Series has a clear vision that the arts should create genuine engagement by building more fully diverse communities. Diversity is the foundation of everything we do. We are fully focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and all the other fascinating differences that make us more fully human.
IN Series envisions a thriving global community in which opera is a fully integrated and essential part of collective conversation. In picturing the journey to this end, IN Series is a change-maker – a force that, with each groundbreaking production and outreach event radically transforms perceptions of the “who”, “what”, “where”, and “why” of opera: who gets to make opera and for whom it is made; what is defined as an operatic experience; where operas take place; why we make opera; and why opera matters.
Founded by Carla Hübner in 1982 as a concert series of the former Mount Vernon College, “The In Series” became an independent non-profit arts organization in 2000 and has been a resident company at Source Theater since 2008. Timothy Nelson assumed artistic directorship in 2018, quickly establishing the newly rebranded “IN Series” as DC’s home for “Thought, debate, history, and innovation” (DC Metro Theatre Arts) in opera.
