Assistant Lighting Designer

Opera Stl; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) seeks an organized Assistant Lighting Designer to support lighting designs for the 2027 Festival Season. You will work with the Lighting Designer, Master Electrician, Lighting Supervisor, and Video Designer to ensure artistic integrity across four operas in rotating repertory.

The role involves season prep, technical rehearsals, and production changeovers, creating lighting paperwork, and assisting with the festival lighting plot.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of theatrical lighting principles and practices.
• Ability to read and draft lighting plots and related paperwork.
• Experience with theatrical lighting equipment and programming on ETC consoles.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Collaborative communication and people-management skills.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as required.

Responsibilities

• Assist Lighting Designer with season preparation and maintain lighting paperwork.
• Update season inventories and co-production documentation.
• Generate drawings, plots, and related materials as assigned.
• Help install festival lighting plot and support changeovers between productions.
• Participate in and help lead lighting focus sessions before performances.
• Work with Lighting Designer during rehearsals to build cues and cue sheets.
• Coordinate with Master Electrician during rehearsals as needed.
• Maintain a quiet, efficient tech table environment.
• Run focus checks before performances and maintain lighting integrity after opening.
• Support ongoing lighting adjustments and troubleshooting.
• Coordinate lighting rentals and purchases with Lighting Supervisor.
• Assist with training and mentorship of electrics crew and assistants.

Skills

Theatrical lighting knowledge

Read/draft lighting plots

ETC console programming

Organizational skills

Collaborative communication

Evening/weekend flexibility

Tools

ETC consoles

Job description

Work With Us

2027 Festival Season - Assistant Lighting Designer

Position Summary

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is seeking an organized and collaborative Assistant Lighting Designer to support the planning, installation, and execution of lighting designs for our 2027 Festival Season. Working closely with the Lighting Designer, Master Electrician, Lighting Supervisor, and Video Designer, the Assistant Lighting Designer helps maintain the artistic integrity and smooth operation of four operas performed in rotating repertory.

This position supports season preparation, technical rehearsals, performances, focus sessions, and production changeovers. The Assistant Lighting Designer creates and maintains lighting paperwork, assists with the festival lighting plot, tracks cueing and design changes, and provides ongoing production support throughout the season. Evening rehearsals and periodic weekend work are required.

Duties & Responsibilities

Job Duties / Technical Competencies

• Assisting the Lighting Designer with season preparation and the creation, organization, and maintenance of required lighting paperwork.
• Updating and managing seasonal paperwork, including production inventories and co-production documentation.
• Generating drawings, plots, and related materials as assigned by the Lighting Designer.
• Helping install the festival lighting plot and supporting changeovers between productions in repertory.
• Participating in and helping lead lighting focus sessions before performances.
• Working directly with the Lighting Designer during technical rehearsals to build cues, track changes, maintain cue notes, and create spotlight operator cue sheets.
• Serving as a communication liaison between the Lighting Designer and Master Electrician during technical rehearsals as needed.
• Maintaining a quiet and efficient tech table environment.
• Running focus checks before performances and helping maintain the artistic integrity of each lighting design after opening.
• Supporting ongoing lighting adjustments and troubleshooting throughout the season.
• Coordinating lighting rentals and purchases with the Lighting Supervisor.
• Assisting with the training and mentorship of electrics crew members and other assistants as assigned.

Professional Qualities / Soft Skills

• Knowledge of theatrical lighting principles and practices
• Ability to read and draft lighting plots and related paperwork
• Experience with theatrical lighting equipment and programming on ETC consoles
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Collaborative communication and people-management skills
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as required

Compensation

Compensation: $1,000 - $1,200 BOE

Reports To: Lighting Designer / Technical Director / Lighting Supervisor

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization known for innovative productions featuring outstanding young artists. The company offers a festival opera season each spring which attracts ticket buyers from zip codes throughout the metropolitan area, as well as visitors from nearly 50 states and multiple countries. As of 2026, OTSL has presented 45 world premieres, which may be the highest percentage of new work in the repertory of any American company. In addition to the spring Festival Season, OTSL operates year-round education and community programs serving nearly 17,000 local children and adults. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has a year-round artistic and administrative staff of approximately 45, which grows to nearly 500 during the Festival Season. Several hundred volunteer members of the Opera Theatre Guild provide support for all aspects of Opera Theatre's work and advocate for the company throughout the greater St. Louis community. The company’s annual budget size is approximately $13 million; contributed revenue represents more than 50% of budget.

At Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, we value equity, diversity, and mutual respect. We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, people with disabilities, and others who have been historically excluded to apply. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our community. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. OTSL will not discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, religion or belief; national, social, or ethnic origin; age; sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression; physical, mental, or sensory disability; family or parental status; genetic information or characteristics; protected veteran status; or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law. OTSL will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

If you need assistance or accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact [phone] or [e-mail].