Visiting Director - Governors State University

GOVERNORS STATE UNIVERSITY SEEKS DIRECTOR FOR 2021-2022 ACADEMIC YEAR



Governors State University’s Department of Theatre and Performance Studies invites applications for a visiting director position for the 2021-22 season.



The undergraduate program in Theatre and Performance Studies (TAPS) provides students with an innovative and engaged approach to performance. Bridging theory with practice, the verbal with the visual, the major situates performance—from theatrical presentations proper to acts of everyday life—as a transformative agent of social, cultural, political, and personal change. Committed to the art of storytelling, TAPS considers performing the stories of others, as well as of the self, imperative for initiating and sustaining a dialogue of shared human experience across identities, diversities, and desires. Through courses that target performance technique, application, design, history, analysis, theory, and criticism, the program seeks to create well-rounded students, cultivating creative, critical, collaborative, and compassionate voices that move toward fulfilling careers and meaningful lives.



For more information about our program, visit: https://www.facebook.com/TAPSGSU/



TAPS produces two large-scale productions per academic year: a fall show in October/November and a spring show in March/April. Some past productions include The Laramie Project, Almost, Maine, The Scarlet Letter, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Fat Pig, The Tempest, Fahrenheit 451, A Raisin in the Sun, and Anne Sexton’s Transformations. Current season productions include a virtual Failure: A Love Story and a live-streamed bobrauschenbergAMERICA. Productions are staged in one of two venues/configurations: in our proscenium-style 1,100 seat Center for Performing Arts (CPA) or cabaret style with audience seated on the stage of our CPA. Our productions are unique for academic theatre insofar as they include not only students, but sometimes community members, staff, and faculty as well.



Applicants should consider small cast shows (<10); a unit set or minimal scenery; a production relevant to the TAPS mission and the types of socially, culturally, and politically conscious shows already produced; and a text suitable for beginning actors.



The rehearsal timeframe is 4-6 weeks; 2-3 weeknights and a weekend afternoon have worked best in the past. Ultimately, the director, upon considering cast availability, is responsible for determining the rehearsal schedule. Directors will work with a student stage manager and professional designers. Directors are welcome and encouraged to suggest their own designers, though there is no guarantee that we can hire them.



Applicants outside of the Chicago area will be considered, but lodging will not be provided. Previous experience working with undergraduate students is desired, along with the ability to be flexible and resourceful. Applicants with an MFA/BFA in directing and interest in cultivating connections with the city of Chicago are preferred.



A stipend commensurate with experience will be provided.



To apply, please prepare the following:

(1) a cover letter (no more than 2 pages) pitching at least two shows, production concept(s), directorial process, and philosophy of working with students. Given the current situation, we also ask that applicants share if and how their pitched shows might work in a virtual setting

(2) a directing resume with the names and contact information of two professional references



Submissions should be sent electronically to Michelle Medvin, Production Manager, at mmedvin(at)govst(dot)edu. Please use “Visiting Director Position” as the subject line.



Application deadline is April 1, 2021.



Located within easy reach by road and rail to Chicago, Governors State University is the only regional, public, comprehensive university in Chicago’s south suburban area, serving approximately 5,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate level. Established in 1969, GSU welcomed its first freshman class in 2014, along with a number of new programs, including Theatre and Performance Studies. For more information about GSU and its mission, visit http://www.govst.edu/



Governors State University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. BIPOC candidates are specifically encouraged to apply.