CPT is seeking temporary, full-time Teaching Artists for summer CMHA CAN and STEP programming. We are looking to build a strong core of artists who are dedicated to creating work to empower young voices, excite creativity, and further racial and economic justice. 

CMHA CLEVELAND ACT NOW 

CMHA Cleveland Act Now (CAN) takes place in partnership with the 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 multidisciplinary performing arts activities improve academic skills, instill empathy and responsibility, build character, and enhance creative thinking. The students regularly perform at CMHA community centers as well as arts festivals throughout Cleveland. CMHA CAN is offered in four CMHA communities: Lakeview Terrace, Woodhill Homes, Outhwaite Homes, and Riverside Park. 

STUDENT THEATRE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (STEP) 

Celebrating 30 years of empowering artmaking, CPT’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) is an arts-based job training program that engages Cleveland teens in a powerful, 8-week intensive (4 weeks for Tech Team students) that focuses on excellence in performance, play creation, physical theatre, writing, production, and set design/construction. Students aged 14-19, presenting a wide range of performance experience, are eligible for participation and earn money while learning and practicing valuable job skills such as timeliness, communication, commitment, and teamwork. Under the guidance of CPT artists, teens develop an original play and then tour it to public greenspaces, theatres, and community organizations throughout the city of Cleveland. 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. STEP is the longest-running arts-based, job-training program in Cleveland and has been utilized as an international model for engaging youth. STEP ensembles, comprised primarily of Black and Brown artists, see themselves as a positive and inspirational force and are able to witness their work’s invaluable impact on the larger Cleveland community. Youth are onsite approximately 6 hours a day during creation and work through an adjusted schedule while on tour. 

SKILLS REQUIRED 

• Experience in at least one theatre-related arts discipline (dance, drumming, singing, acting, creative writing, etc.) 
• Experience teaching children and/or teenagers 
• Ability to travel to multiple sites  
• Demonstrated ability to be or become a strong role model for Cleveland youth 
• Energy, responsiveness, flexibility, creativity 
• Attention to detail, ability to work independently  
• Ability to lead both small and large group activities 
• Experience in devising theatre practices/performance OR openness to learning new techniques in the creation of original performance material 

CMHA CAN SUPPORTING TEACHING ARTIST RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: 

• Completing training schedule (June 5th-June 14th, M-F, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm) 

• • Supporting the successfully implementing curriculum for 6 weeks of CMHA CAN programming from June 17th-July 26th (M-TH from 9:00 am-5:00 pm; F from 10:00 am-4:00 pm) at three CMHA Community Centers. Incorporating body and voice, youth will build storytelling and social-emotional learning skills within their ensembles. The CMHA STA may serve as Point of Contact or Lead Teaching Artist at one of the three CMHA sites.
  • CMHA CAN ensembles meet twice weekly; each CMHA CAN STA supports six sessions each week.

• CMHA CAN ensembles meet twice weekly; each CMHA CAN STA would support six sessions each week. 

• Collaborating with CMHA CAN and CPT Staff from applicable departments to successfully present performances at assigned sites. 

• Attending meetings with CAN Team and/or Director of Education to share outline highlights, session progress, questions, and challenges of program implementation 

• Maintaining attendance records and creating session progress notes for the program as indicated by CMHA CAN Teaching Artist and Site Coordinators 

• Other duties that relate to the CMHA CAN program or Education Department as determined by CMHA CAN Teaching Artist and Site Coordinator and/or Director of Education 

• This position earns between $580-600/week, depending on experience 

STEP TEACHING ARTIST RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: 

• • Complete week of training (June 3rd -7th, 9:00 am-5:00 pm) Attend work hours (June 10th-August 7th, M-F, 9:30am-5:30pm).
  • Hours will shift when on tour (July 25th-August 4th) and are tbd until the performance schedule is finalized. Performances typically take place during afternoon and evening hours.

• Following pedagogical practices as set forth by CPT Education leadership, creatively co- create a curriculum for and instruct youth in devised theatre and performing arts techniques
• Assist STEP Director in all areas of program facilitation
• Implement all notes and directions given by STEP Director 
• Support the creation and performance of a one-hour devised piece to be toured throughout Cleveland 
• Attend pre-and post-session meetings 
• Discuss class plans before implementation and make necessary adjustments 
• Document plans and implementation of programming 
• Evaluate students and the STEP program 
• Purchase materials as needed 
• Properly record expenses according to preset guidelines, as applicable 
• This position earns $600/week 

STEP TECH ASSISTANT RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: 

• Supporting the implementation of curriculum and assisting during instruction around the basics of sound and stage setup from July 5th – no later than August 9th from 10am-5:30pm, M-F.  

• • Hours will shift when on tour (July 25th-August 4th) and are tbd until the performance schedule is finalized.
  • Hours will shift when on tour (July 25th-August 4th) and are tbd until the performance schedule is finalized. Performances typically take place during afternoon and evening hours.

• Leading and/or assisting in sound and stage setup 
• Supporting the management of a 2-week local tour with teens 
• Driving tour truck (small box truck—no special license required) 
• Basic set construction 
• Collaborating with the full STEP creative team 
• Acting as a strong role model for youth 
• This position earns between $500-600/week, depending on experience 

 We are looking to fill these positions as soon as possible.  

CMHA CAN Supporting Teaching Artist candidates, please send a resume, letter of interest, and information for (3) references to Brooke Myers, Education Associate- bmyers@cptonline.org   

STEP Teaching Artist candidates, please send a resume, letter of interest, and information for (3) references to Melissa Crum, STEP Program Director– mcrum@cptonline.org  

STEP Tech Assistant candidates, please send a resume, letter of interest, and information for (3) references to Josh Smith, Tech Director- jsmith@cptonline.org  

ALL CANDIDATES: In your email, the subject line should be your last name followed by CMHA CAN TEACHING ARTIST, STEP TEACHING ARTIST, or STEP TECH ASSISTANT, as applicable. No phone calls, please. 

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 to explore as many levels of their creative potential as possible.