Theatre Programs Coordinator

Position Summary: 

This position is part of the Education and Interpretation Department and carries out the Missouri Historical Society's theatre outreach programs, leads sessions for the award winning and nationally recognized Teens Make History program, and supports museum theatre programs at the Missouri History Museum. This teaching artist will carry out existing lesson plans and scripted performances as part of ongoing outreach for the ACTivists program about St. Louis's Civil Rights history.  She or he will also lead sessions for the Teens Make History Players, creating and leading lesson plans in job skills, acting and performance skills, historical research and playwriting.  He or she will also direct the TMH Players performances. The museum will also be piloting new short performances as part of field trip programs and the Theatre Coordinator will be expected to assist with evaluation of these pilots and implementation of the new program, launching in Fall 2019, so a candidate with a willingness to learn and a growth mindset is needed.  This position also supports performances by outside theatre companies that are held at the Missouri History Museum.

Essential Functions:

• Supports the big goals of the Education and Interpretation Department and the K-12 and Teen and Theatre team and attends training in best practices in Education and Interpretation.
• Work as part of a team to ensure a welcoming environment for all visitors
• Performs museum theater plays and outreach classroom visits which include a performance. In addition:
  • has strong grasp of character and ability to flow between scripted and non-scripted interactions.
  • rehearses provided museum theater plays to professional standard
  • performs provided museum theater plays to professional standard
  • leads the provided classroom lesson plans to a professional standard
  • displays flexibility in tailoring performance to audience interest, capabilities, developmental level and needs
  • answers audience questions about historical content.
  • Develops and implements dialogue arcs for leading meaningful discussion following performances.
• Drive personal car to and perform in schools as characters from the ACTivists Project, leading a provided educational lesson plan for students from Kindergarten through 12th
• Maintain, clean, and track MHS theatrical costumes and props for actor interpreters and TMH Players. 
• Schedules self and Actor-Interpreters for outreach and on-site performances, collaborating with the K-12 Coordinator in ensuring schedules are clear and correct.
• Assist with research and development of new characters and future museum theatre projects.
• Collaborates with supervisor in developing and leading new lesson plans for Teens Make History Player Apprentices. 
• Selects primary and secondary source material for the Teen apprentices to use in playwriting.
• Directs Teens Make History plays and stage manages TMH productions.
• Helps to staff performances by external contractors.
• Assists with writing blog posts, grant reports, and plays if needed.
• All other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• High school diploma.
• Bachelor's degree, preferably in history, education, performance, museum studies, or a related field
• Minimum 2 years of experience as a teaching artist or a classroom teacher in the arts, candidates with museum performance experience will be preferred.
• Experience working with youth and audiences of varying ages is required, preferably in both formal and informal learning environments.
• Professional quality acting and performance skills or first-person museum interpretation skills are essential, including strong voice production.   
• This position will require the ability to spend extended times speaking, performing and leading discussions on your feet. Requires standing, sitting, and lifting up to 40 lbs.
• This position will require wearing period costumes including warm materials like wool, underpinnings like corsets or bustles, and historical reproduction footwear.
• This position will require reliable automobile transportation to performance locations, usually within 30 miles of the Missouri History Museum. Candidate must be a licensed driver.
• The schedule for this position is Tuesday through Saturday 9:00am-5:30pm with occasional evenings and Sundays.

Skills:

• Good written and oral communication and listening skills are essential.
• This position relies heavily on the use of email (Outlook), spreadsheet programs (Excel), word processing (Word), and familiarity with both library and web-based historical research.
• Candidates must possess an engaging, enthusiastic, and welcoming presence.
• Strong organizational skills will be needed because the schedule will vary from day to day.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment in which schedules and details are often changing is preferred.
• Knowledge of history, improvisational theatre, facilitated dialogue, childhood development, museum education and first person interpretation are beneficial.
• Patience and an ability to lead discussions with visitors of all ages and background will be needed.
• Ability to read, understand and synthesize historical and other content is needed.
• Flexibility and ability to change tack, try new strategies and adapt is essential.
• Reliability and willingness to grow and accept feedback are necessary. 

Deadline to Apply: Open until filled

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Current Openings for Theatre Programs Coordinator Jobs at Missouri History Museum