Job Advertisement and Application- Resident Lighting Designer & Scenic Associate

Title: Resident Lighting Designer & Scenic Associate

Reports to:  Production Manager

Starts: July 1, 2023 (flexible)

About the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) is a resident ensemble theatre company bringing Shakespeare and the Classics to life for all. Operating out of The Otto M. Budig Theater, CSC hosts a year-round theatrical season in addition to special events, educational programming, and community engagement activities. In its theatrical portfolio, CSC executes up to ten mainstage productions and six touring productions annually. Beyond its theatrical portfolio, CSC collaborates with many local community and arts organizations.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA) are priorities of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. CSC strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, sex, religion, creed, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or any other legally protected classification. All team members are expected to advance CSC’s DEIA commitments.

Position Overview

The Resident Lighting Designer & Scenic Associate is essential to the creative core of CSC, collaborating closely with the Producing Artistic Director, resident and guest designers, artistic associates, and the production team to ensure that CSC executes all of its projects to the highest artistic standard possible. The Resident Lighting Designer & Scenic Associate is responsible for several designs annually and works on all productions as a carpenter and an electrician.

The Resident Lighting Designer & Scenic Associate has a base schedule of 9am-5:30pm, Monday through Friday. Extended hours and modified workweeks are often necessary due to technical rehearsal schedules, rental appointments, special events, and specific production needs. In a standard 5-day week, anticipated time allotment will be 2 creative/design days, 1 admin/electrics day, and 2 carpentry days. This is flexible based on the skillset of the candidate.

The Production Department at CSC operates as a team. As a collective constantly striving to achieve excellence, it is possible that the Interim Resident Lighting Designer & Scenic Associate will be asked to assist departments beyond their areas of focus or expertise. This effort is requested under exceptional circumstances.

Qualifications

The items listed below are guidelines to skills and ambitions that a successful candidate should have.

Cultural

• Passionate about cultivating a work environment and work product that supports CSC’s DEIA initiatives.
• Drive to create excellent theater that has a significant impact in the community and beyond.
• Eagerness to learn.
• Ability to remain tactful in stressful situations.
• Desire to lead a team, develop their skills, and foster their professional development.

Technical

• Previous experience in theatrical lighting design, electrics, and scenic carpentry. Experience in other departments including properties, sound, video, rigging, automations, or management a plus.
• Comfortable problem solving and making decisions with limited supervision.
• Proficiency with PC use and the Microsoft Office suite.
• Familiarity working in Vectorworks for drafting, construction drawings, creation of lighting plots, etc.
• Familiarity with standard scenic construction techniques and best practices.
• Previous experience budgeting designs and tracking expenses.
• Willingness to learn and enforce OSHA safety standards and industry safety best practices.
• Able to communicate with designers, directors, technicians, vendors, and other collaborators verbally and in writing.
• A sense of humor.
• Lead with kindness.

Responsibilities

Artistic:

• Execute up to 8 annual design assignments.
  • Read, research, and analyze the script—with consideration cuts—to execute a design plan.
  • Collaborate with creative team to ensure a cohesive and world-class design product.
  • Adhere to production benchmark schedule for design phase executions.
  • Design lighting looks as agreed upon between Designers, Directors, and Producing Artistic Director.
  • Collaborate with the Production Manager to ensure timely and accurate execution of designs while being respectful of design budgets.
  • Attend design launches, production meetings, technical rehearsals and first rehearsals.
  • Source materials, rentals, loans, etc. necessary for design executions.
  • Present designs and first rehearsal.
  • Facilitate collaborations with guest designers by providing information, drawings, inventories, etc. to facilitate their work. Engage as a liaison whenever possible.
  • Maintain all CSC lighting designs throughout run through weekly channel checks, focus notes, and work notes.

Production: Electrics Department Head & Carpenter

• Oversee electrics department, including:
  • Maintain inventory of expendables; order supplies and stock items as needed.
  • Oversee lighting department maintenance.
  • Manage overhire labor within the lighting department.
  • Make purchases required for lighting design execution and lighting department expendables.
  • Source and oversee CSC rentals (equipment is maintained, cleaned, and returned on time).
  • Serve as Master Electrician on an as needed basis.
• Carpenter
  • Assist in construction and installation of scenery for CSC Productions.
  • Execute notes from designers and other production team members.
  • Restore all production spaces to a clean and tidy fashion on a regular basis.
  • Maintain and enforce high safety standards.
• Fiscal
  • Collaborate with Production Manager to establish annual lighting department budget including:
    • Material budget per production,
    • Overhire budgets,
    • Annual shop and expendable supply budgets, and
    • Capital expense recommendations.
  • Submit expense reports and reimbursement requests weekly to Production Management.
  • Analyze financial reports to observe spending patterns, budgetary issues, identify reporting or processing errors, and avoid overspending.
• General
  • Advance the DEIA and strategic goals of CSC.
  • Adhere to company policies and regulations per the CSC Company Handbook.
  • Maintain a safe, fair, and ethical working environment.
  • Participate in stage cleaning and preparation leading into technical rehearsals.
  • Collaborate with the Production Manager to improve overall aesthetic product and production processes.
  • Maintain CPR certification provided by CSC.
  • Other duties as requested by the Production Manager.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full time, salaried, exempt position with an annual salary of $40,000, received through biweekly payroll. In addition to this salary, the Resident Lighting Designer and Scenic Associate receives:

• Access to profit-sharing bonus program after first year of employment.
• Ten days of paid vacation per season.
• Six days of paid sick leave, accrued seasonally.
• Paid holiday leave.
• Access to group health insurance with 50% of employee premiums paid by CSC.
• Access to dental insurance with 50% of employee premiums paid by CSC.
• Life and AD&D coverage for the employee paid by CSC.
• Access to group vision insurance (premiums paid by employee).
• Parental leave, short-term medical leave.
• Optional health, dental, and life insurance coverage for dependents (premiums paid by employee).
• 401k Retirement Savings Plan with employer match after first year of employment.
• Free access to CSC educational programming for dependents (Groundlings Junior, Groundlings, Summer Camp).
• Complimentary and discounted tickets to all CSC productions.