Olney Theatre Center
Scenic Charge Artist | Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor | Assistant Technical Director
*Olney Theatre Center is committed to raising its FT employee salaries to match and exceed the living
wage (based on the model for one adult with no children as provided by the MIT Living Wage Calculator)
for Montgomery County, MD. The Theatre anticipates reaching that salary for entry-level positions by
the conclusion of its current long range plan in FY28.
SCENIC ARTIST
DEPARTMENT: Production
REPORTS TO: Technical Director and Director of Production
JOB TYPE: Full Time, Exempt
START DATE: ASAP
SALARY RANGE: $46,000-47,000
BENEFITS:
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Comprehensive health, dental and retirement package
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Time off benefits including personal days, sick days, and 2 weeks vacation (which expand with years of employment)
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Generous comp ticket package
Position Summary
Olney Theatre Center is seeking a Scenic Artist to join the Production team. Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performances for the diverse audiences in our community and educates, learns from, supports, and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. The successful candidate will join a growing regional theatre that emphasizes artistic rigor, prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion, and places collaboration at the center of our work.
The Scenic Artist ensures that Olney Theatre Center’s scenery and large-scale set pieces are rendered to the Set Designers’ specifications within the Technical Director’s production schedule. They also play a major role in assessing the cost and viability of scenic designs within the allotted budget and Production calendar.
Essential Duties
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Perform as lead scenic painter on all Olney Theatre Center produced productions
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Serve as an artistic contact with all Scenic Designers throughout the season
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Identify, hire, and supervise all hourly paint staff
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Assess and advise the Technical Director on paint and other scenic considerations (ie. wallpaper, textures, or other unforeseen techniques) within the production/build schedule
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Assess and advise the Technical Director on materials and other considerations for individual show projects
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Maintain and organize all scenic paint equipment and inventory, as well as maintain paint workspaces
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Attend Production meetings as required
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Execute all notes received up and through the preview process
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Provide touch-up kit and maintenance instructions for Stage Management and Stage Operations Manager
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Maintain the painted design of all shows as necessary, if beyond the skill of the show’s run crew
Skills and Qualifications
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Education: Bachelor’s Degree; Master’s Degree preferred. However, an equivalent level of skill combined with professional experience can be substituted for the degree requirement.
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Experience: 5 to 7 years of scenic painting experience, with at least 3 years as lead painter in a professional or educational theatre setting
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Physical Requirements: This position requires some lifting, climbing stairs and ladders, and operating light equipment
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Time Requirements: Full-Time position, with evening and weekend work requirements. For the upcoming season, the position will primarily be a nighttime position.
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Investment in OTC's Mission, Vision, Values, and Statement on Social Justice and Becoming Anti-Racist.
ASST COSTUME SHOP SUPERVISOR
DEPARTMENT: Costume Shop
REPORTS TO: Costume Supervisor
JOB TYPE: Full Time, Exempt
START DATE: ASAP
SALARY RANGE: $45,000-46,500
BENEFITS:
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Comprehensive health, dental and retirement package
-
Time off benefits including personal days, sick days, and 2 weeks vacation (which expand with years of employment)
-
Generous comp ticket package
Position Summary
Olney Theatre Center seeks an Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor to join the Production team. Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performances for the diverse audiences in our community and educates, learns from, supports, and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. The successful candidate will join a growing regional theatre that emphasizes artistic rigor, prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion, and places collaboration at the center of our work.
Essential Duties
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Building custom garments from start to finish, using sketches and research provided by Costume Designer
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All patterning and cutting for costume builds throughout the theatrical season
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Determining yardage for fabrics and trims for costumes
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Creating mock-ups on appropriate substitute fabrics
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Cuts and stitches custom garments with the aid of wardrobe/costume apprentices, Wardrobe Supervisor, and Costume Shop Supervisor
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Aiding in the completion of all alterations
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Attends most costume fittings to ensure consistency and construction standards
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Attends rehearsals, technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, design/production meetings, and read-throughs as deemed necessary by the Costume Shop Supervisor (evenings/weekends possible)
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Helps to maintain costume shop machinery and monitor costume supply inventory in conjunction with Costume Shop Supervisor
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Conducts or supervises the dying of fabric and basic costume craft needs
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Helps to maintain a clean and organized work environment
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Maintains proper safety protocols
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Serve as a mentor to the costume/wardrobe apprentices, aiding in their training of alteration and construction skills
Skills and Qualifications
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Investment in OTC’s Mission, Vision, and Values, and its Statement on Social Justice and Becoming Anti-Racist.
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Experience - Prior experience in an educational or professional shop; Prior experience teaching costume construction or sewing to any age group
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Physical requirements - standing for long periods of time; lifting up to 50 lbs; some ladder use to access stock
ASST TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT: Production
REPORTS TO: Technical Director
JOB TYPE: Full Time, Exempt
START DATE: ASAP
SALARY RANGE: $47,000-51,500
BENEFITS:
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Comprehensive health, dental and retirement package
-
Time off benefits including personal days, sick days, and 2 weeks vacation (which expand with years of employment)
-
Generous comp ticket package
Position Summary
The Assistant Technical Director (ATD) assists the Technical Director (TD) and Director of Production with all duties associated with production and installation of scenic elements for all shows and special events. The ATD also will assume lead TD responsibilities for the National Players and for all shows programmed into the Mulitz-Gudelsky Lab Theatre.
Essential Duties
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Work with the TD and Director of Production to achieve production goals of each build and installation
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Assist the TD in serving as an additional point of contact & institutional support to the Scenic Designer for each production
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Assist the TD in maintaining up-to-date inventory and ground plans to be shared with Scenic Designers
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Assist the TD in reviewing all plots and plans from Scenic Designers to insure successful execution
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Oversee shop tools, equipment, stock, and supplies
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Assist the TD in supervising all scene shop staff, including over-hire labor and carpentry apprentices as contracted by the theatre
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Work cooperatively with the shop foreman to supervise load-ins
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Attend all production meetings, technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and preview performances as requested
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Assist the TD in purchasing and/or renting equipment and materials necessary to execute scenic plans
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Assist the TD in maintaining all aspects of ongoing productions for the length of each show’s run
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Work with the TD and Director of Production on long-term projects and capital improvements
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Create and modify technical drawings for Olney Theatre Center and productions as needed.
In addition, Olney Theatre Center’s Assistant Technical Director will:
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Assist the TD in developing budget and build schedules
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Assist the TD in serving as liaison for the Director of Production with outside suppliers and contractors for maintenance agreements, service contracts, and the purchase of supplies for each production
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Assist the TD in tracking and reporting to the Director of Production on all set budget categories for all productions
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Adhere to all safety guidelines as defined by the TD and/or Director of Production
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Take part in maintaining a clean, healthy and safe work environment
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Coordinate with Props Master and Scenic Designer on production of all scenic elements
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In recognition of OTC as a teaching campus, the ATD will assist in the education and mentoring of all apprentices with a specific focus on Carpentry apprentices.
Skills and Qualifications
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Mastery of wood and metal scenic construction and fabrication techniques and scenic engineering
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Proficiency in CAD and/or Vectorworks required.
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Preferred 1 - 2 years professional experience in Assistant Technical Direction or equivalent
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Excellent personal, organizational, time management and communication skills
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Ability to motivate, manage and coordinate staff members of varying skill levels
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Be able to climb a ladder, and lift/carry 75lbs
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Well-established skills in handling budgets and scheduling
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Must have driver’s license and clean driving record
About Olney Theatre Center for the Arts
Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performances for the diverse audiences in our community and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. The successful candidate will join a growing regional theatre that emphasizes artistic rigor, prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion, and places collaboration at the center of our work.
Values
WE BELIEVE IMPACTFUL AND AUTHENTIC ARTISTRY SIMULTANEOUSLY PURSUES AESTHETIC INNOVATION, ENTERTAINMENT, TRANSCENDENCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.
We believe inclusion is necessary to a full understanding of our shared humanity.
We see artistic value at every step along a continuum that includes entertainment, education, and social change.
We believe there can be artistic value at every step along a continuum that includes community creators and trained professionals.
We believe challenging ourselves is essential to provide our artists and audiences with the most impactful experience.
We believe artistic risk leads to personal growth for our staff, for our artists, our students and for our patrons.
We demand artistic rigor in every work we produce and curate.
Anti-Racism Statement and Action Steps
The leadership, staff and board of Olney Theatre Center for the Arts (OTC) are challenged, inspired and creatively charged by demands for justice being made in our sector, in particular those demands made by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists and their allies. American theaters have rightly been called to account for a long history of racism, and their historic exclusion of BIPOC artists and administrators from equity in the field. We recognize that OTC has contributed to this exclusion through our past support of inherently racist structures and the insufficiency of our efforts to change. We hear you, and commit to repairing lost trust and to healing those in our community who have been harmed.
With shared spirit and as collaborators in pursuit of a more equitable industry, we today publish a list of substantial changes we are making or plan to make in six areas: programming, personnel, audience, education, cultural competency, and workplace protections. These priorities are not an exhaustive list, but they represent the most urgent commitments we’ve made, from the sharing of authority in program selection to salary equity. Taken together, they’ll transform OTC into a better anti-racist institution that serves every member of its community in an inclusive and equitable manner.
These steps require we address OTC’s over-reliance on earned income. Not-for-profit American theaters, unlike their counterparts in other countries, are hamstrung by a culture that primarily equates success with rising ticket sales. Despite strong increases in contributed income, increases in earned income have driven the theater’s growth over the past seven years. (In OTC’s most recent full season, earned income accounted for nearly 60% of the budget.) This, along with old outstanding debt of nearly $5M, puts tremendous pressure on our productions to deliver dollars on a rapid schedule. Historically, that pressure has translated into a punishing season calendar, fewer dollars for community-based efforts, over-reliance on those paid least, and near-exclusive outreach to audiences we already know. Addressing our over-reliance on ticket sales must be a priority if we’re to become a truly anti-racist institution.
But no matter the speed with which we make that change, OTC recognizes the budgetary implications of these priorities. We follow through on our commitments - the way we’re striving now to follow through on the commitments we’ve made to artists and stories that have been postponed due to the pandemic. Those shows, and these steps, won’t all happen overnight. But we’ll follow through on these commitments, because we recognize that the more successful we are in transforming our institution, the more successful we’ll be - by every metric - in the long run.
Covid Safety Policy
The Olney Theatre Center requires a valid Covid vaccination card to be presented upon hiring.