Properties Master - Chautauqua Theater Company

The Props Master will report to the Production Manager during the Summer Assembly season. He/She/They will be responsible for:

The Prop Master oversees the Prop Shop and is the sole member of it. They are responsible for the prop builds for each production. IATSE crew will be responsible for the backstage running of any props during the show. The Prop Master makes sure the shop functions efficiently, maintains the prop budget, effectively communicates with the Production Manager, directors, designers and other departments, meets rehearsal and show prop needs, attends all production meetings and some technical rehearsals.



About Us

The Chautauqua Theater Company 2021 season will be a new endeavor on many levels. The company will be performing in an outdoor venue and will be rehearsing in a new venue. The size of the company and the breadth of our programming will be different as well. We are looking for team members who are ready to take up the challenge of making discoveries and setting up new systems in our changing world. Team members will work collaboratively to navigate the changes in partnership with the Institution. The health and safety of our team, our audience and our community is the top priority. We are building our season around the Actor’s Equity Safety Guidelines in addition to following the guidelines of the CDC, IATSE, USA and SDC.



The CTC Summer season will consist of 3 productions and a New Play Workshop Two Week Residency program.



Blood at the Root by Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Stori Ayers

On a hot day in October, a black high school senior breaks one too many rules when she decides to seek shade under an oak tree. The tree is located in the school's courtyard and is traditionally a gathering place for white students. The next day, racial tensions mount when a school yard fight leaves black students charged with attempted murder. In this story about opposition and unity, the students of Cedar High desperately contemplate the nature of racial bias and whether justice is truly blind while the lives of six black students hang in the balance. Inspired by true events.



Commedia dell’arte

Directed by Andrew Borba

“They loved it after the last plague, you’ll love it during this one!”

Half scripted, half improvisation and playing like a Shakespeare improv with modern day language, Commedia dell’arte was created in the Middle Ages as theater troops traveled from town to town, performing outdoors and entertaining people of all ages. These stock characters of young lovers, old misers, and clowns who’ll do anything for a bite to eat are the basis for nearly every comedy we see today.  You’ll be gleefully surprised at the familiar yet ridiculous storylines and the references ripped from today’s headlines.



Thurgood by George Stevens Jr.

Directed by: TBA

In this tour-de-force compelling portrait of the first African-American to serve as a justice on the United States Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall masterfully guides us from his childhood in Baltimore to his role in the civil rights movement, to his historic victory in Brown vs. Board of Education, and his ultimate appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Introducing us to the people that influenced him along the way, Thurgood is a one-man show about how it takes a village to change the world. 



New Play Workshops

Over the last eleven years, Chautauqua Theatre Company (CTC) with the generous support of the Roe Green Foundation, has been committed to using our resources to launch new work onto the stage and into the industry. We are delighted to be able to continue doing that this summer season. However, due to COVID, we are adhering to social distance guidelines and needing to pivot from our usually fully staged and technically supported readings to more informal presentations. This grants us an unexpected opportunity to open up the field to some writers whose plays may be in earlier stages of development, give more attention to the writing and re-writing of the material, and possibly increase the number of writers we are able to invite to the lake. The 2021 CTC New Play Workshops will take place in Weeks 7 and 8, and the specific times and locations of the sharings will be announced later in the year, as the NY State COVID protocols determine. 



About You

Budget management/tracking skills

Professional experience in the properties industry,

Strong organizational skills

Problem-solving abilities and is detail-oriented.

Demonstrated experience in prop creation and management

Must be able to work efficiently and maintain focus in a fast-paced, creative, and unpredictable environment



No formal education required. Experience in the arts/performing arts and entertainment industries is helpful. Candidates with various combinations of work and education experience will be considered.



Schedule and Compensation

The Props Master will average 40 - 50 hours per week once on grounds. Pre-season, part time work would begin in May and will be done remotely and paid at an hourly rate.

In season full time residency starts on June 7, 2021 and ends on August 15, 2021.

Off Season hourly rate: $17 per hour

In season weekly salary: $725 per week

This position is exempt from overtime

Gate pass, shared housing (private bedroom shared living space with COVID restrictions and safety precautions in place) and travel stipend included with contract.



Qualified candidates should apply online with a cover letter, resume, and optional portfolio documents. You are encouraged to learn more about Chautauqua Institution at CHQ.org and the 150 Forward Strategic Plan at 150fwd.CHQ.org.



Chautauqua Institution

Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit global convener of dialogue on the most significant issues of the day through engagement across four pillars of the arts, education, religion, and recreation. The Chautauqua community is located on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State and comes alive each summer with a unique mix of visual and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship/programs, and recreational activities. Chautauqua Institution is committed to creating conditions in which everyone feels that they can engage as full and valued participants in the Chautauqua experience.



The Institution has passed a strategic plan (150 Forward) that endeavors to expand its reach to year-round programming and to harness its brand for continuous impact. A new Washington, DC, office has opened to allow the Institution to play an ongoing role in the cultural conversations of the nation.
Salary: $725 per week