Assistant Professor - Theatre & Performance

Spelman College; United States; On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Spelman College invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Theatre Design and Production. The appointment begins Fall 2027, with duties spanning teaching, design and production leadership, and curriculum development within the BA program.

The successful candidate will mentor student designers and technicians, lead curriculum growth, and contribute to production lab and seasonal activities, all within a collaborative liberal arts environment.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching or potential for excellence.
• Ability to mentor student designers, technicians, and production leaders.
• Strong collaboration and communication in a liberal arts setting.

Responsibilities

• Teach undergraduate courses in theatre design and production.
• Lead development of the design and technical theatre curriculum within the BA program.
• Mentor student designers and technicians and connect classroom learning with production work.
• Support department production management and collaborate with staff and guest artists.
• Advise and mentor students and participate in department and college service.

Skills

Teaching excellence

Student mentorship

Collaboration

Education

MFA or terminal degree in Theatre Design/Production

Job description

Position Information

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and must maintain authorization throughout employment. This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

This position is contingent upon the availability of sufficient funding.

Employment Status

Faculty/Type Title: Assistant Professor - Theatre & Performance

Area of Study: Production

Begins: Fall 2027

About the College

Spelman College seeks teacher/scholars dedicated to excellence in teaching and to the continued enhancement of the academic environment for students and colleagues. Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a private four-year liberal arts college located in Atlanta, GA. The oldest historically Black college for women in the United States, Spelman is a member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education.

Position Description

The Department of Theatre & Performance at Spelman College seeks an experienced and dynamic educator, mentor, designer, and artistic leader for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Theatre Design and Production for AY 2027. We seek a collaborative artist-educator who will play a central role in building the design and technical theatre curriculum within our BA liberal arts degree program while shaping the future of design and production within the department through innovative teaching, student mentorship, creative practice, and production leadership.

Production is central to the department’s applied curriculum and artistic life. The successful candidate will lead the continued development of a design and technical theatre curriculum that provides students with a strong foundation in design thinking, technical practice, collaborative process, and theatrical storytelling while creating opportunities for deeper exploration in individual areas of interest. Within the context of a liberal arts education, the curriculum should encourage students to make connections across artistic disciplines, technologies, histories, and modes of inquiry while also preparing those who wish to pursue advanced study or professional work in design and production.

Teaching in this position encompasses both classroom instruction and applied production based learning. Rather than functioning primarily as a production designer for the departmental season, the successful candidate will mentor and guide student designers and technicians, helping students translate classroom learning into meaningful creative practice.

Through Production Lab, coaching, artistic supervision, and collaborative project development, the faculty member will support students in developing their artistic voices, technical competencies, professional portfolios, and leadership skills.

The successful candidate will also support the production management and organizational dimensions of the department’s production program, working collaboratively with the Technical Director, Shop Supervisor, faculty, staff, guest artists, and student production teams. This includes supporting effective production processes and communication across artistic and technical areas, mentoring students in production leadership, and helping connect the department’s academic curriculum with its production season.

We invite candidates interested in developing inventive courses and creative projects that respond to the changing landscape of theatrical design and production. Areas of interest and experience might include scenic, lighting, sound, projection, media, and interdisciplinary design; production management; digital and emerging technologies; immersive and interactive performance; sustainable production practices; and other evolving approaches to theatrical storytelling and production.

The Assistant Professor carries a 3/3 teaching load that integrates classroom teaching with applied design and production responsibilities. Production Lab, supervision and mentorship of student designers, and approved design and production assignments are incorporated into the teaching load rather than assigned in addition to it. The position participates actively in the academic, artistic, and production life of the department.

Primary Responsibilities

• Teach undergraduate courses in theatre design and production, including Introduction to Design and Technical Theatre, Production Lab, and courses within the candidate’s areas of expertise and departmental curricular needs.
• Lead the continued development of design and technical theatre within the department’s BA liberal arts curriculum, including opportunities in contemporary design, production, media, and emerging technologies.
• Teach and supervise Production Lab and mentor student designers, technicians, and production leaders, connecting classroom learning with realized production work and fostering increasing artistic, technical, and leadership responsibility.
• Provide artistic and educational supervision of student design and production work, including mentorship in developing professional portfolios and preparation for graduate study and professional opportunities.
• Support the production management and organizational needs of the departmental season in collaboration with the Technical Director, Shop Supervisor, faculty, staff, guest artists, stage managers, and student production teams.
• Contribute to collaborative production processes and practices that support effective communication, student learning, artistic excellence, accessibility, and safety.
• Maintain an active program of professional creative practice and/or research consistent with expectations for tenure and promotion.
• Advise and mentor undergraduate students and participate in departmental and college service, including curriculum development, assessment, and recruitment.

Qualifications

• MFA or other appropriate terminal degree in Theatre Design, Design and Production, Technical Theatre, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more areas of theatrical design and production.
• Evidence of excellence in undergraduate teaching or demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching.
• Professional experience and a record of creative practice appropriate to career stage.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor student designers, technicians, and production leaders and support the development of undergraduate creative work.
• Experience with or demonstrated capacity to develop a design and technical theatre curriculum within an undergraduate liberal arts environment.
• Experience with or demonstrated capacity to supervise students in applied production and laboratory environments.
• Experience with collaborative production processes and production management.
• Knowledge of contemporary design technologies, production practices, and relevant safety standards.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, organizational, and collaborative skills.
• Commitment to student-centered, culturally affirming, and inclusive teaching and mentorship.

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number: F749P

Open Date: 11/02/2026

Close Date: 12/04/2026

Open Until Filled: No

EEO Statement

Spelman College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are a smoke-free campus.

Deadline to Receive Letter(s) of Reference

12/04/2026