Producer - Williamstown Theatre Festival

POSITION: Producer

CLASSIFICATION: Year-Round, Full-Time

STATUS: Exempt

REPORTS TO: Interim Artistic Director

SUPERVISES: Seasonal Company Manager and Seasonal Producing Department, which may include Line Producer(s) and Producing Assistant(s)

LOCATION: Preference is for this individual to be NYC-based. Must be on-site in Williamstown, MA for summer season, as well as various moments throughout the year for specific events.

COMPENSATION RANGE: $67,000 - $72,000

HIRING TIMELINE: Applications to be accepted until position is filled with a priority application deadline of October 27, 2023. Application review and interviews to be conducted starting November 1, 2023 with an anticipated start date of December 1, 2023.





Job Summary

Producer serves as primary point person and communication conduit for planning and implementation of all artistic programming at Williamstown Theatre Festival. Collaborating with all departments, the Producer manages and facilitates artistic processes and timelines to ensure staff and artists have the resources they need and that projects are implemented on time and within the allotted budget.



Responsibilities and Expectations



Responsible for collaborating with all departments to produce the Festival’s summer seasons as well as any off-season programming, such as the annual Holiday Walk in Williamstown and the Festival’s annual Gala in NYC.

Lead day-to-day producing operations, including:

Negotiating and issuing all artist offers, working with agents and managers

Maintaining up-to-date season calendars, artist information forms, contract tracking sheets, audition calendars, etc;

Shepherding the production process, including drafting of rehearsal, tech, and performance schedules and budget-tracking

Budgeting and Expense Tracking:

Work with Artistic Director and Business Manager to draft project budgets for upcoming seasons

Manage and track project personnel, travel, housing, and other line items of organizational budget

Contracting:

Draft, negotiate, and finalize all artist contracts

Work with Business Office to make sure signed contracts are filed with appropriate the unions

Casting:

Support casting processes with Artistic team, external casting directors, and creative teams

Work with Artistic Team on the planning and implementation of auditions, including Equity Principal Auditions as required by Actors Equity Association

Working with Unions:

Ensure Festival is abiding by all its collectively-bargained agreements

Prepare and manage annual bonding process with Actors Equity Association

Submit all necessary reports and documentation required by Festival’s union agreements

Collaborate with the seasonal Company Manager and Company Management team to ensure housing and travel arrangements and needs are met within Festival’s budget and available resources.

Support Artistic Associate and seasonal Artistic Team in administrative and logistical support of developmental readings, Fridays@3, workshops, and residencies

Hiring and Supervisory Responsibilities:

Hire, on-board, supervise, and lead a seasonal Producing department

Hire, on-board, and supervise the seasonal Company Manager

Participate in hiring of seasonal Company Management team

With Director of Production, hire all Stage Managers needed for summer season

Liaise with Williams College:

Act as primary contact between Williamstown Theatre Festival and Williams College regarding housing coordination and facilities, schedules, and procedures related to on-campus living

Attend monthly planning meetings with Williams College and additional topic specific meetings as needed

Act as a liaison between artists and internal departments such as Marketing & Development, Box Office, and the Business Office

Review and edit programs, press releases, and marketing materials on behalf of the Producing Department

Attend weekly staff meetings and topic specific meetings as needed

Schedule and facilitate weekly Festival Planning/Production meetings

Embrace the Festival’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility (EDIA) and Anti-Racism by actively participating in and encouraging behaviors among staff members that exemplify respect; interrupting microaggressions and other behaviors that hinder our EDIA and Anti-Racism efforts; engaging in the diversification of the workforce; demonstrating a degree of cultural competency that encourages healthy relationships with all company members

Adhere to all Festival safety protocols



Required Qualifications

Demonstrated experience in producing theater, previous Festival experience preferred

Strong organizational skills

Strong people management skills demonstrated by experience leading and supervising a team to manage workload, communicate clearly and effectively about expectations, and needs

Experience managing, tracking, and forecasting budgets

Experience in and familiarity with drafting and negotiating contracts and riders

Familiarity with or capable of acclimating quickly to union agreements, including Actors Equity Association, Society for Directors and Choreographers, and American Federation of Musicians, and interacting with union representatives.

Clear, effective, and adaptable communication skills to interface with artists, staff, and a variety of stakeholders

Demonstrated ability to anticipate issues and collaborate with others effectively to problem-solve or course correct appropriately

Compensation & Benefits Package

Compensation range is $67,000-$72,000. Benefits package includes 10 days of vacation time; 10 days of office holidays, not including 1 week in August and the days between Christmas and New Year’s; health and dental insurance with employer contribution; option to contribute to 403(b) after 1 year of employment with employer contribution; and summer season housing provided.



To apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter outlining how your background and experience sets you up for success in this position and what you would hope to bring to this role.



We encourage anyone to apply who feels they would excel in the position, regardless of whether you feel you meet 100% of the qualifications.





About Williamstown Theatre Festival

Williamstown Theatre Festival has brought emerging and professional theater artists together for 69 years to create a thrilling summer festival of world premiere work alongside fresh, new revivals. New plays and musicals commissioned, developed, and produced at the Festival fill theaters around the world. In recent years, WTF has been represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally by The Sound Inside, The Rose Tattoo, Grand Horizons, Seared, Selling Kabul, Unknown Soldier, and Lempicka, among others. Cost of Living, which premiered at WTF, received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Learn more at wtfestival.org.



Working and Living in Williamstown

Williamstown Theatre Festival’s season takes place on the beautiful campus of Williams College in Williamstown, MA with backdrops of the Berkshire, Green, and Taconic mountain ranges. Williamstown, MA (estimated pop. 7,813) is located in Berkshire County (estimated pop. 128,657) in Western Massachusetts and is an hour’s drive from Albany, NY and 30 minutes from Pittsfield, MA.



The Williams College campus and the 62’ Center for Theatre and Dance, where the Festival produces its season, are within walking distance of Spring Street, which has several restaurants with dine-in and takeout options, a pharmacy, a coffee shop, an ice cream shop, a movie theater, and several stores. The nearest grocery store is a 10-minute drive from campus and not within walking distance. Having a personal vehicle does provide more flexibility in grocery-shopping and expands dining and activities options. For those who bring vehicles, parking is free at designated locations on Williams campus with a parking pass. For a list of all the things to do and see in Williamstown and the Northern Berkshires, visit DestinationWilliamstown.org.



All seasonal staff are provided housing free of charge on campus at Williams College. Housing is dorm-style with private bedrooms and shared common areas, including bathroom and kitchen. Williams College housing is not air-conditioned. Weather ranges from evenings on the cooler side but can also be quite warm with temperatures in the 90s with high humidity.



We acknowledge that Williamstown Theatre Festival is a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) located in a county that is 91% white, according to the US Census Bureau. We are actively engaged in the work of becoming a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, accessible, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive institution that not only welcomes BIPOC artists, technicians and staff but nurtures an environment that allows everyone to thrive. More specific actions on these efforts can be found in our Progress Report on our website: https://wtfestival.org/work-learn/.



Williamstown Theatre Festival is committed to telling diverse stories and to fostering an inclusive environment both onstage and off. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. We believe that opportunity, access, resources, and rewards should be available to and for the benefit of all. Therefore, WTF is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants shall be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, sex/gender (including pregnancy and gender identity), disability, military status, veteran status, marital status, familial status, ancestry, genetics, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Candidates from populations underrepresented in the theater field are strongly encouraged to apply.
Salary: $67,000-$72,000