Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is hiring a Technical Director who is a core part of CPT’s leadership team and makes a meaningful contribution to life at CPT and its success. CPT is accepting applications for this position until the role is filled. 

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR JOB DESCRIPTION  

CPT is hiring a Technical Director (TD) who reports to the Executive Artistic Director (EAD). In addition to possessing strong leadership and initiative skills, this role supports the EAD in strategy and decision-making, especially regarding production. 

The TD manages and implements all technical aspects of productions, except costumes, for CPT’s season, consisting of 6-9 full productions, 2-4 new work development series, 2 multi-stage special events, and other artistic projects. CPT programs in two theatres, various onsite studios, and occasionally produces work offsite in nontraditional spaces. The TD leads the evolution of this department and will work with the EAD and the artistic department to grow capacity. For the 2024/2025 Season, the TD oversees and works with CPT’s Associate Technical Director and over-hire technicians to implement all sets, lighting, video, and sound installations. The TD manages CPT’s scene shop and technical equipment. The TD is also offered opportunities to work as a designer; and may receive additional compensation for major projects. 

Candidates must have four years full-time technical theatre work experience (or equivalent as a freelancer) with excellent technical skills in the following areas: sound technician, master electrician, and set construction. Expertise in some of the following skills is also a plus: sound design, lighting design/video design/implementation, and scenic design. The successful candidate will be collaborative, eager to learn new ways of working, service-oriented, and highly self-motivated. CPT promotes a positive work environment and works to maintain a sustainable workload for technical staff and their teams. 

Salary range is $65k to $80k, commensurate with experience and skillset. Using the MIT Living Wage Calculator, this salary range is equivalent to $81k-$100k in major job markets like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta.  

CPT OFFERS A BENEFITS PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES 

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance. 
• Investment opportunities in a 401K plan.  
• Short-term and long-term disability. 
• 29 days of Paid Time Off (including holidays). 
• Free tickets to Pandemonium, CPT’s annual fundraiser. 
• Free tickets and reimbursement for tickets to other local theatres 
• An awe-inspiring view of Lake Erie from our rooftop deck! 

ABOUT CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE  

CPT’s mission is to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking performances and life-changing education programs. We are serious about “groundbreaking” and “life-changing” and espouse innovative and unique views about programming compared to the field.   

CPT Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan has been in the role for 18 years and with Director of Finance Denis Griesmer (formerly also General Manager) has tripled the size of the organization. During that time, Bobgan reinvented existing programs and innovated new community-based programs. Bobgan’s leadership has been recognized both within and outside the field at local, state, and national levels.   

CPT’s annual theatrical season features between 6-10 adventurous professional productions (mostly world premieres) a robust series of new play development programs that support writers and devisers at multiple points in the creative process. CPT is home to three internal companies: Teatro Público de Cleveland, Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi, and the Cleveland CORE Ensemble (a BIPOC majority ensemble led by Bobgan). CPT produces two large community events a year, Día de Muertos and Station Hope. The theatre also hosts Pandemonium, our annual fundraiser that features hundreds of artists across a dozen and half stages, grossing over $400k annually.  

CPT’s acclaimed education programs engage communities in devising new works that speak to contemporary issues and empower participants to work for positive change in our community. These programs serve hundreds of youths and their families who live in public housing, offer free programs for Cleveland youth, engage teenagers in a robust job training summer program, and engage formerly homeless adults in treatment for addiction through theatre creation.   

CPT is recognized as one of the Midwest’s most progressive and innovative performing arts institutions that centers social concerns as well as innovative performances and plays a leadership role in the field both through its modeling of change and community connection, and through Raymond’s leadership service for Theatre Communications Group and The National New Play Network.   

Most CPT artists, staff, and board are people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.  

Having a history of nurturing and producing work by mostly Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) theatre creators, CPT has expenses of $2.8M a year with twenty-five full-time employees (who along with the board identify primarily as BIPOC), 80+ plus part-time and seasonal employees, and hundreds of independent contractors. CPT owns and operates nearly 75,000 square feet of facilities which include three buildings built between 1910 and 1930. The facility includes two flexible-seating theatres, a chapel, a church social hall, classrooms, rehearsal spaces, a scene shop, offices and support spaces. In the last decade, the theatre has made significant progress improving accessibility and functionality of the buildings. CPT is developing a capital campaign to address its remaining accessibility concerns and continue to modernize the campus for artists and patrons.   

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES  

Implementation of Technical Aspects for Productions 

• Create working drawings for set construction. 
• Build and install sets for productions. 
• Hang, patch, and focus light plot for productions and series. 
• Install sound plot for productions and series. 
• Install and focus projectors as needed for productions and series. 

Manage Scene Shop and Technical Equipment 

• Maintain scene shop to meet CPT standards of safety, organization, and cleanliness. 
• Maintain, repair, and purchase technical equipment as needed. 

Manage Production Calendar and Budgets  

• Evaluate designs for budget─ both financial budget and time/capacity budget. 
• Create, build, and schedule for all productions. 
• Create over-hire schedule/need for all productions. 

• Work with designers to ensure final designs are submitted in a timely manner. 

Manage Technicians 

• Manage one full-time Technical Associate. 
• Recruit and retain skilled over-hire technicians for occasional, short-term work. 
• Supervise skilled and unskilled short-term technicians. 
• Train and respond to technician questions. 

QUALIFICATIONS  

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following: 

SKILLS 

• Excellent project management skills: 

• The ability to assess, prioritize, and drive multiple productions at the same time. 

• Strong communication skills. 
• Ability to recruit, train, and maintain employees for the department. 
• Ability to collaborate and be a team player. 
• Ability to manage small, short-term teams. 
• Excellent technical skills in at least three of the following areas: 

• Sound design/sound technician 
• Lighting design/master electrician 
• Scenic design/set construction 

• Video design/video implementation 

• Ability to lift and carry up to 50lbs. 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Excel. 
• Working knowledge of VectorWorks, QLab, and other industry standard programs. 

EXPERIENCE  

• Four years of full-time technical theatre work or equivalent as freelancer. 
• Experience in technical direction. 
• Tracking and managing production budgets and expenses. 
• Possess some management experience. 

QUALITIES AND PERSONALITY  

• Collaborative and eager to engage the EAD and other team members in planning and decision making.  
• Curious to learn new ways of working.  
• Highly self-motivated. 
• Attention to detail and accuracy while working on multiple projects and tasks. 
• Ability to work efficiently and calmly in a fast-paced environment. 
• Ability to re-prioritize tasks as they arise. 
• Inspired to learn from and with leadership and to support leadership’s ongoing growth and learning. 
• Highly organized and self-motivated. 
• Energetic, enthusiastic, and sees projects to completion. 

Review of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. To apply for the position, send an email to Raymond Bobgan, Executive Artistic Director, at rbobgan@cptonline.org. Subject line should read: [LAST NAME], Technical Director. The email should include two attachments: a resume, and a two-page cover letter describing your history, passion, why you are interested in this position, and what you have to offer. Candidates may be asked to provide additional materials after original application. No phone calls, please.