Category Archives: Casting Call

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR (Full-Time)

Organizational Overview:
TCT’s mission is to educate, entertain and engage audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming.  We fulfill our mission through three primary programs:

• TCT MainStage at the Taft Theatre – We welcome 107,000 children, teachers, and family members from across the Tri-State, to one of our four family-friendly and professional musical theatre productions at the historic Taft.
• TCT On Tour – We see over 66,000 children and their families at one of our touring performances or during an arts-integration workshop or residency.
• TCT Academy – Over 600 children will be provided fine arts instruction, including the group that participates in the four-week intensive summer NKU STAR Intensive where we offer professional musical theatre training to some of the region’s most talented youth.

Vision: To awaken a lifelong love of theater in children and the young at heart.

Core Beliefs:

• We believe in the power of theater to enrich lives and create deeper understandings of people, cultures, and perspectives.
• We believe that our audiences deserve high quality experiences that are rich with wonder, honesty, compassion, joy, and wisdom.
• We believe that the arts and education are not mutually exclusive.
• We believe that the art we create must respect the diversity of our community.
• We believe in the power of integrated arts education to enrich our lives and our communities.

Position Overview:

The ideal Technical Director (TD) is a skilled theater professional that is highly knowledgeable in all aspects of scenic construction, is familiar with lighting, sound, and AV, and will effectively navigate the complexities of a multifaceted work environment with an ambitious production calendar.

The Technical Director is responsible for overseeing all technical/scenic operations of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s productions, including lighting, sound, props, set design and construction.

The Technical Director maintains technical spaces and equipment and develops and enforces practices that ensure safe, efficient, and effective operation of the scenic operations of The Showtime Stage, The Scene Shop(s) and the Taft Theatre. The role directly supports the success of the scenic operations for 4 MainStage productions and 4-5 touring productions per year.  The Technical Director reports to the Managing Director & CEO, and works alongside the Producing Artistic Director and in conjunction with the Production Stage Manager. The Technical Director assists in identifying and prioritizing needs and initiatives, finding creative solutions to achieve goals while conserving resources.   

Responsibilities:

• Safeguard and schedule maintenance of all technical assets of Showtime Stage facilities, including lighting, sound and communications equipment.
• Determine technical needs for MainStage, Showtime Stage and touring productions – technical specifications, schedules, budget and assisting in determining IASTE crew sizes. Order and obtain materials and manage scenic design budgets. Coordinate the stage and equipment logistics; including the loading and unloading of trucks with crew. Work with the carpenters and designers to determine build and maintenance schedules. Hire and supervise over-hire technicians.
• Approve designs with regard to safety, compatibility, feasibility, budget, and scheduling considerations. Create technical drawings and plans, either by hand or by CAD, and oversee and build scenery. Coordinate transportation of scenery to and from the theaters, coordinate the load-ins/strike and storage all sets, props, TCT’s lighting and sound equipment after the end of the shows.
• Advise the members of the production team on technical aspects of each theatrical project.
• Supervise and assist in the technical aspects of all shows, establish technical schedules for all productions; attend technical rehearsals. Ensure safety.
• Maintain technical spaces and equipment in the shops and theater spaces; monitor the condition of equipment and perform preventive maintenance; inspect equipment on a regular basis; develop a replacement and upgrade schedule for tools and equipment and arrange for the repair and replacement within budgetary constraints. Work with the Operations Manager to orient facility users to the safety, technical elements and other areas of the facility’s operations.  Create and maintain inventories of technical supplies and equipment. Oversee the process of checking scenic elements in and out for rentals.
• Develop and enforce practices that ensure safe, efficient and effective operations of all theater facilities and the Scene Shop.
• Make recommendations regarding capital purchases of technical equipment.

Current 2018-19 Season

*Build schedule may be amended by Technical Director upon hiring.

Knowledge/Skills:                                                                          

• Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Direction with experience in a professional or educational environment. Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and career experience in the field, but without a formal degree, will also be considered. Touring experience as a Technical Director is preferred but not required.
• Working knowledge of techniques, methods and procedures of theatre, dance, and music productions and presentations including stage, set, sound and lighting design and implementation; stage management; appropriate safety precautions and procedures, and ability to analyze and evaluate the need for technical support for various events and performances.
• Working closely with an experienced, tight knit, passionate, and dedicated staff, including artists and I.A.T.S.E. union members.
• Working knowledge of PC and Mac based productivity software, as well as functional familiarity with industry standard theatrical software, such as AUTOCAD or equivalent, and able to learn other software as needed.
• Prior supervisory experience of a team in a dynamic environment and in management of direct reports.
• Excellent problem solving and communication skills, both written and oral. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with various groups.
• Ability to retain good humor and composure in stressful situations.
• Valid Driver’s License required. Experience operating box trucks preferred.
• Able to lift, push or pull objects up to 100 pounds using appropriate tools and/or a work partner. Must be able to stoop, stand, safely climb stairs and ladders, and be comfortable using Genie lifts to assist with reaching heights.
• Able to maintain a flexible work schedule, which may include irregular and extended working hours. 

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary range: $40,000 – $60,000
• Health, vision and dental benefits available, partially subsidized by employer contributions, after a waiting period
• 403(b) retirement plan participation available, after a waiting period, with eligibility for an employer match after one year of credited service
• Generous PTO based on years of service
• Generous paid holiday schedule 

Please send resume and references to:  submissions@tctcincinnati.com as soon as possible.