Student Artistic Programming Assistant

University of Kansas; Lawrence, Northern (KS, KY); Hybrid; USD 17,000 - 22,000; Part time

Job summary

The University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Dance seeks a small cohort of motivated students to serve as Assistants to the Artistic Director for Fall 2026, with possible continuation into future semesters.

This paid student hourly position offers hands-on experience in artistic programming, production support, script evaluation, and the broader work of artistic leadership within a university theatre department.

Qualifications

• Interest in theatre, performance, or arts administration.
• Prior experience in theatre production or stage management preferred.
• Experience proofreading, note-taking, or administrative support preferred.
• Comfort with spreadsheets, databases, and shared documents.
• Experience reading plays and providing feedback.
• Interest in season planning and new work development.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to the Artistic Director, including scheduling and document preparation.
• Coordinate meetings, events, and departmental initiatives.
• Assist with artistic programming and production logistics.

Skills

Theatre interest

Arts administration

Administrative support

Scheduling

Tools

Spreadsheets

Databases

Note-taking

Job description

The University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Dance is seeking a small cohort of motivated, organized, and thoughtful students to serve as Assistants to the Artistic Director for Fall 2026, with possible continuation into future semesters. This paid student hourly position offers hands-on experience in artistic programming, production support, script evaluation, and the broader work of artistic leadership within a university theatre department.
Students in this cohort will contribute to the work of the Artistic Director’s office while also participating in regular conversations about the contemporary theatre field, artistic process, season planning, and institutional theatre-making. This position is designed for students who are interested not only in supporting productions and programming, but also in gaining a deeper understanding of how artistic and organizational decisions are made.

Job Description

100% - Administrative Support

• Provide administrative support to the Artistic Director, including scheduling, correspondence, document preparation, and organization of materials.
• Help coordinate meetings, events, and departmental initiatives as needed.
• Assist with artistic programming and production logistics

Required Qualifications

• Interest in theatre, performance, artistic leadership, arts administration, dramaturgy, directing, or related areas, as indicated in application materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience with theatre production, stage management, dramaturgy, directing, arts administration, literary management, or event support, as indicated in application materials.
• Experience with proofreading, note-taking, or administrative support, as indicated in application materials.
• Comfort working with spreadsheets, databases, and shared documents, as indicated in application materials.
• Experience reading plays and offering thoughtful feedback, as indicated in application materials.
• Interest in season planning, new work development, and artistic programming, as indicated in application materials.

Position Requirements

• Availability for regular cohort meetings on Mondays from 2:00–3:30 p.m. and Fridays from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
• During the semester term of the appointment, the student hourly must be enrolled in no fewer than 6 credit hours. For summer periods the student hourly must: (1) have been enrolled in no less than 6 hours in the past spring semester or (2) be pre-enrolled in the upcoming fall semester in no less than 6 hours or (3) be enrolled in summer session or (4) be admitted to study in the upcoming fall semester. Student Hourlies may be undergraduate or graduate students. (Exceptions granted for GRA/GTA/GA appointments DO NOT apply to Student Hourly appointments).

Employment Conditions

(1) Student employees are not eligible for remote work arrangements unless an exception is approved by the unit leadership and HR. (2) This is an hourly/non-exempt position. A student employee cannot hold an hourly/non-exempt position and a salaried/exempt graduate or undergraduate position (GRA/GTA/GA/RUA/RGA) concurrently.

Primary Campus: University of Kansas Lawrence Campus