Associate Technical Director

Position Overview:

All OSF employees are expected to respect diverse ideas, races, genders, sexualities, abilities, cultures, and religions, contribute to working in an anti-racist social justice theater, and value Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA).

The Associate Technical Director serves as the lead scene technical designer for 3 to 4 assigned productions per season. The ATD is responsible for budgeting; creating the technical designs for; and managing the scenic elements and process for assigned productions. The Associate TD is the scenery point person for each assigned show. This position works closely with Scenic Designers and Artistic Leadership, Floor Manager, Props Leads, Head of Automation, Associate Stage Operations Managers, and other production department managers and crew to realize scenic designs.

Pay range: $74,000 – $76,000

This is an onsite position with expected start date in June. Relocation support will be provided to new hires relocating 100 miles or more.

Organizational Background

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) was founded in 1935 in Ashland, OR, and has grown from a three-day festival of two plays to a nationally renowned theatre arts organization that presents a rotating repertory season of up to 10 plays and musicals, including illuminating interpretations of Shakespeare, other enduring classics, and new works. OSF productions have been presented on Broadway, internationally, and at regional, community, and high school theatres across the country. OSF received the 1983 Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is one of the largest nonprofit theatres in the nation with three stages, including an outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre.

Statement of Purpose

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival creates world-class theatre, revealing our collective humanity through illuminating interpretations of new and classic plays, and inspiring a love of our art form for current and future generations.

Company Values

• We are committed to working toward inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, creating a space of belonging for all audiences and employees—through concrete actions and systemic improvements.
• We nurture and support our artists, attracting and retaining diverse, innovative talent across the organization.
• We believe in the transformational power of collaborative artmaking and performance.
• We recognize the importance of responsible stewardship of resources and sustainable business, financial, and environmental practices.
• We serve the public good and engage with and respect our community of artists, audiences, staff, local citizens, patrons, donors, and the greater theatre community worldwide.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions**):

1. Model and support the IDEA values of OSF by:
   1. Demonstrating inclusive behavior and creating an environment of belonging.
   2. Maintaining a safe and anti-racist work environment.
   3. Recognizing micro-aggressions and interrupting othering behaviors.
2. Serve as the primary liaison between scenic designers/creative teams of assigned productions and the scene shop by communicating design objectives; facilitating questions and solutions; and striving to realize the designer’s plans and concepts within the constraints of the production process.
3. Create technical designs that adhere to OSF’s construction and rep standards and produce all necessary build and load in drawings (in AutoCAD, VectorWorks, or SolidWorks) to communicate construction, installation, and changeover plans; determine scenery breakup, critical path, and storage for rep. Produce scenery that:
   1. aligns with best construction and rigging practices.
   2. is structurally sound during build, show, and rep conditions.
   3. supports the designer and director’s vision for each production.
   4. centers actor and crew safety during build, install, rep, and show conditions.
4. Ensure construction plans stay within budget by estimating cost of materials and labor; reviewing plans with design team; proposing feasible alternatives; and anticipating cost variations.
5. Ensure efficient communications with all stakeholders through the scenic build and performance phases of production by coordinating the build schedule with other scene shop managers, and making adjustments whenever necessary; collaborating with the prop, lighting, automation, stage operations, sound and costume departments to solve cross-departmental issues; disseminating the coordinated technical ground plan and section to other production designers, production department heads, stage management, safety department, and other stakeholders.
6. Participate in solving technical challenges, including designing and implementing rigging solutions (i.e. counter-weight line sets, chain motors, spot rigs, etc.); coordinating the repertory lighting plot and scenic elements held in common between shows; and providing and disseminating labeling systems for scenery so that stagehands can understand assembly on stage.
7. Lead and organize the load-in by designating the sequence of events for installation; ; coordinating with all production department heads, providing instructions and training to stagehands on the installation and functioning of all scenic elements in collaboration with Stage Operations Manager & Associate Stage Operations Managers and other Production Department heads.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Attend all required company meetings as well as technical and dress rehearsals.
2. During tech, create an organized set of notes and clearly communicate notes/change orders in both written and verbal formats to the crew.
3. Participate in show builds, shop maintenance, and load-ins and outs, as necessary.
4. Provide maintenance and repair of scenery during the run, in collaboration with the scene shop staff.
5. Support and assist with the work of other Associate Technical Directors as necessary.
6. Enforce OSF safety policies, including but not limited to fall arrest use, open traps/holes protection, and personal safety equipment for employees.
7. Follow all departmental procedures.
8. Other duties as assigned by Technical Director.

Supervision Received:

Technical Director

Supervision Exercised:

Collegial relationship with construction and performance run crews.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Work Experience:

• 3 years of experience in professional theatrical scenic technical direction at a professional theatre; or an MFA with a concentration in theatrical technical direction.

Physical Ability:

• Ability to work at a computer monitor for extended periods of time; up to 8 hours a day.
• Ability to perform work that requires frequent and repetitive use of wrists and hands.

Other Skills, Knowledge, And Ability:

• Proven, advanced knowledge of carpentry, welding, rigging, and technical design and theatrical fabrication practices.
• Expert level theatrical design and engineering skills.
• Expert level drafting skills with AutoCAD, including 3D modeling.
• Working knowledge of standard theatrical rigging techniques, including point source, chain motor, and theatrical line set rigging.
• Working knowledge of standard theatrical automation systems and safety protocols.
• Working knowledge of “MS Office” software, e-mail and cloud-based collaboration software.
• Highly developed organizational skills and the ability to keep multiple projects moving forward simultaneously.
• Ability to effectively communicate both orally and in writing, with a wide variety of external professionals and in-house staff with diverse backgrounds.

• Ability to estimate build times for scenic elements.
• Ability to rebound from unexpected change.
• An understanding that identity informs every individual’s human experience in a way that may differ from one’s own personal experience.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience programming computer controlled tools such as a CNC routers, CNC lathes, laser cutters, and 3D printers, and Program VCarve Pro for CNC router.
• Valid driver’s license with good driving record and ability to drive an 18’ box truck.
• Ability to drive a forklift (OSF to provide training) and personnel lifts.

Special Hours Requirements:

Standard work week is Monday – Friday; this position requires late night and weekend work; load-ins; technical and dress rehearsals; scenic changeovers; etc.