Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is hiring an Artistic and Education Associate, a new position that would serve the mission of CPT in both the Artistic and Education Departments of the theater.

Review of candidates will begin immediately. To apply for the position, send an email to Nicole Sumlin, Education Director, at

ns*****@cp*******.org











by end of day Friday, April 1, 2022. Subject line should read: YOUR LAST NAME, Artistic and Education Associate. Your email should include two attachments: a resume and a cover letter giving examples of work that illustrate the experience required in the description and explaining why you are interested in this position. No phone calls, please.

Artistic and Education Associate

The Artistic and Education Associate (AEA) reports directly to the Education Director with project-based supervision from Artistic leadership. This position is a year-round, salaried staff position. Salary range is $37k to $43k based on work experience. Benefits include health insurance and paid time off. We are looking to fill this position as soon as possible.

The Artistic and Education Associate has the following responsibilities:

• Manage CPT’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP), a job training summer theatre creation program for teenagers who may have little to no theatre experience and come from under-resourced areas.
• Line produce the resulting play, including tour booking and management for the two-week, local tour, which is implemented through a series of partnerships.
• Serve in an artistic, administrative role in the Y-Haven Theatre Project, which creates new plays with formerly homeless men and women in recovery.
• Associate line produce Station Hope, a community-wide event that celebrates hope through powerful theatre, spoken word, dance, music, and multimedia performances inspired by contemporary issues of freedom and justice.
• Assistant line produce Pandemonium, a large-scale event that occurs across the CPT campus involving 300 artists and 100 volunteers.
• Line produce all Cleveland Act Now (CMHA CAN, CAN Academy) performances, which occur at CPT and community centers throughout the city.
• Fulfill additional needs in the Education and Artistic Department dependent on schedule capacity and predilection of the AEA.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Play creation skillset
• Play producing skillset
• Excellent logistics and organizational skills
• Excellent collaborator and communicator
• Experience managing the needs of various constituencies at once
• Commitment to leading with anti-racist principles
• Team player and inclusive leader
• Creativity and vision in storytelling
• Integrity and discretion
• Project management
• Strong public speaking skills

QUALIFICATIONS

This position requires extraordinary theatre-making, adaptability, professionalism, imagination, overall strength in play production, and the ability to lead scriptwriting and blocking. Experience in devising theatre is critical, as is a depth of experience working with Black and brown youth, adults, and families who encounter daily manifestations of poverty, oppression, and recovery work. The ideal candidate for this position also possesses the skills to support projects through collaboration with artists who perform many roles across multiple departments. The AEA effectively coordinates artistic meetings and presentations with appropriate team members; facilitates the communication of and helps to secure what a project needs to present with fidelity and heart; and thoughtfully works to recruit, nurture, and support artists. We are seeking a devising/ensemble-based director and teaching artist with strong leadership skills and a passion for working with teens as well as adults in transition. CPT gives preference to candidates who have demonstrable experience advocating for anti-racism, equity, and inclusion. Successful candidates will be collaborative and eager to learn and lead. Successful candidates possess excellent organizational skills and a passion to create warm, exciting, and empowering community experiences for our program’s participants.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS

Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) is a rigorous arts-based program that provides hands-on job training, engaging Cleveland youth from families defined as low-income in a powerful learning experience that develops job skills, academic achievement, and interpersonal skills. As part of this eight-week summer program, 30 youth, ages 14-19, work together to create, produce, perform, and tour their own play. This program is the longest-running arts-based, workplace development program in Cleveland and is an international model for engaging youth. Since its beginning in 1994, STEP has received multiple awards and recognitions including those from the City of Cleveland, The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Through STEP, teens see themselves as a positive and inspirational force and watch as their work has an impact on the larger Cleveland community.

Y-Haven Theatre Project is a program for residents of Y-Haven, a transitional housing facility for formerly homeless men in recovery from substance abuse and mental health challenges. Since 1998, CPT and Y-Haven, a branch of the Greater Cleveland YMCA, have annually collaborated to create an original theatre production, performed by the men and women, based on their life stories. This life-changing, arts-based program teaches performing arts and technical aspects of theatre while addressing critical personal, interpersonal, and job-related skills through a comprehensive process. Every year, the original work is presented to enthusiastic full houses at CPT, followed by a community-wide tour. The Y-Haven Theatre Project supports newly learned skills for sober and independent living and honors the unique and important perspective men in recovery bring to the Cleveland community.

Cleveland Act Now (CAN) is a year-round theatre arts program for young artists ages 5-14. CAN multidisciplinary performing arts activities improve academic skills, instill empathy and responsibility, build character, and enhance creative thinking.

CMHA CAN takes place in partnership with Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) at community centers for children and families who live in public housing. Under the guidance of CPT Teaching Artists, young artists learn how to create and perform their own plays, dance, poetry, music, and visual art. These original performances are crafted and presented annually at CMHA and Cleveland community centers as well as arts festivals throughout Cleveland. CMHA CAN is offered at four CMHA community center sites: Lakeview Terrace CAN, Woodhill Homes CAN, Outhwaite Homes CAN, and Riverside Park CAN. CAN also partners with local community centers.

CAN Academy is a free performing arts program at Cleveland Public Theatre for younger teens and youth from Cleveland and surrounding neighborhoods. Young artists engage in rigorous (and fun!) theatre training, learning acting fundamentals, script analysis, storytelling techniques, and play creation.

Station Hope

One night a year, 250 artists from across Northeast Ohio inhabit historic St. John’s Episcopal Church—Cleveland’s first authenticated Underground Railroad site and a beacon of freedom symbolizing the city’s social justice heritage. Launched in 2014, Station Hope addresses many of the most important issues of our time and celebrates hope through powerful theatre, spoken word, dance, music, and multimedia performances inspired by contemporary issues of freedom and justice. Audiences are invited to explore the historic buildings and surrounding grounds while visual art installations, choir performances, and other interactive activities set the atmosphere around the church.

Pandemonium

Each fall, Pandemonium transforms the CPT campus into a labyrinth of theatre, dance, visual art, and performance in every corner. Tickets for this gala, dubbed “Party of the Year,” are all-inclusive, featuring fabulous local food, free valet, and complimentary drinks served all night long. A feast for the eyes, mind, appetite, and imagination—Pandemonium proceeds benefit CPT’s groundbreaking artistic work and life-changing education programs.

CPT’S CORE EDUCATION PRINCIPLES

CPT education programs follow four guiding principles that reflect our pedagogical, political, and aesthetic approaches to education, and are deeply interrelated. Empowerment: Together we create original works of theatre, and our participants contribute to the spoken words, the movement, and the production elements. This layered approach engages participants dynamically, resulting in pride and ownership of the final product. Equity: We strive to bridge the gap between the heard and the unheard by centering rarely shared stories with a wider audience. Our work brings awareness to issues such as racial and economic justice, nurturing relationships that cross the invisible boundaries of race and class. We believe representation matters, and we are committed to engaging Teaching Artists who are representative of the communities with whom we collaborate. Excellence: We encourage the development of the whole artist, nurturing an artist’s personal, interpersonal, and artistic growth. This environment of self-mastery calls participants to own their greatness with pride, be accountable to their peers, and be engaged, curious, and connected to their community. Enthusiasm: We approach the artistic process with openness, rigor, intention, and joy! Our programs cultivate an enthusiastic learning environment that supports creative expression while nurturing a high degree of discipline and focus. We encourage our participants’ creativity, and we also challenge them.