Cleveland Public Theatre’s (CPT) mission is to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking performances and life-changing education programs. CPT seeks an Education Director interested in joining its hardworking team with ambitious goals of growing the organization and changing the community. For more information, visit www.cptonline.org.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: March 30, 2020

Description of Position

The Education Director (ED) oversees CPT’s community education programs. The ED reports directly to the Executive Artistic Director and works in collaboration with the wider staff. This position is a year-round, salaried staff position. Salary is very competitive with other TCG Theatres of $1-3 million budgets and commensurate with experience. Benefits included.

The ED position requires a highly motivated servant-leader to implement and evolve the longstanding core education programs: STEP (Student Theatre Enrichment Program), a job training summer theatre creation program for teenagers predominantly from families defined as low-income; Y-Haven Theatre Project, which creates new plays with formerly homeless men in recovery; Cleveland Act Now, a year-round theatre arts program for youth ages 5-14, including Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Cleveland Act Now (CMHA CAN), an after-school/summer program with youth and families residing in public housing, and Cleveland Act Now Academy, a free after-school/summer program for youth. The ED may also develop new programs or be called upon to undertake short-term pilot projects.

CPT youth programs primarily engage with black and brown youth. Experience in working with communities of color is critical. The ideal candidate will have experience in program management, curriculum planning, teaching, and teacher coaching. A deep background in theatre and education is a must. CPT education programs focus on ensemble, and devising techniques, so a background in these techniques and aesthetics would be a big advantage.

This position requires strong logistics and administration skills, as well as strong management ability, and big-picture leadership. ED oversees program staff which includes full-time, part-time, year-round, and short-term employees, as well as independent contractors. We are especially interested in candidates who are working artists of high caliber. Past Education Directors have served as core artists at CPT as playwrights, directors, and actors, though we anticipate such opportunities would be rare in the first year as the ED gets acclimated and up to speed.

All positions at CPT work across departmental lines, and the ED becomes involved in nearly all aspects of the theatre. The Education Department is very involved in all organization-wide activities such as Station Hope, a neighborhood festival focusing on the triumphs of the Underground Railroad and challenges of current issues of inequity and social justice. As part of the senior leadership team the ED helps shape the future of the theatre.

The successful candidate will be collaborative and eager to learn and lead, and will possess excellent organization skills and a passion to create warm, exciting, empowering community experiences for our programs’ participants and families.

CPT cares passionately about reflecting our community and pursuing diversity at all levels of the organization. CPT has a demanding working environment with long, intense hours, but we have fun and love what we do. We value hard work, kindness, generosity, passion, and grace-under-pressure. For applicants considering relocation to Cleveland: our city is an excellent community to live in with top-notch arts and culture, a vibrant theatre scene, beautiful public parks, a great lake, and VERY affordable housing.

More on CPT’s core Education principles and programs:

CPT education programs follow four guiding principles that reflect our pedagogical, political, and aesthetic approach 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.

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 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 (formerly Brick City Theatre) 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.

Deadline to Apply is March 30

Review of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. To apply for the position, send an email to rbobgan@cptonline.org. Subject line should read: [LAST NAME], Education 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.