Careers at Virginia Tech

The Theatre & Cinema program in the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech seeks a dynamic creative artist with theatre directing credentials who is committed to training the next generations of theatre makers. We seek an individual with a breadth of knowledge of contemporary theatre practices, original vision, and the desire and capacity to create and collaborate with diverse partners and communities, to join our exploration of what theatre can be in the 21st century. This is an academic year (9-month) non-tenure track faculty position with an initial contract of three years with the opportunity for renewal.

The successful candidate will direct in the mainstage and workshop seasons and teach required courses in Directing, Acting, and Script Analysis. Additional teaching duties will be assigned dependent upon the qualifications and interests of the applicant and the needs of the program. The successful candidate will maintain an active professional career and program of appropriate research and creative activity, including travel to engage in these activities. Additional responsibilities include directing one full scale and an occasional workshop production per school year; serving on committees and other appropriate school or university related duties; and recruitment.

We are committed to producing and expanding ways of traditional and experimental theatre making through new and contemporary plays, devised work, and new visions of the classics to discover how our performances may connect, build, and stimulate our communities. We affirm the value of human diversity as foundational to our academic and creative work together. We embrace the need to be intentional and thoughtfully inclusive in our work – with and about the narratives, images and lived experiences of diverse populations. We find balance in the positive value of human connection – in the interaction of mind, imagination, and spirit.

Fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, the theatre program in the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech is committed to education and practice in the collaborative processes of theatre making with a focus on developing aesthetic literacy, socially aware critical thinking, methodological skills, artistic integrity and professionalism in all areas of theatre-making.

The School of Performing Arts (SOPA) is one of four schools (along with the Schools of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design) in the newly formed College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD), which launched in July 2022. SOPA offers programs in music, theatre, and cinema at the graduate and undergraduate level. Programs are delivered in Virginia Tech’s Creativity and Innovation District, which concentrates 11 performance spaces within a three-block area on the Blacksburg campus. Performance venues range from the 1,300-seat Moss Arts Center to a 101-seat experimental theatre.

The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design at Virginia Tech affirms our collective responsibility to encourage, build, and embrace the polyculturism of our world. We do this by acknowledging and addressing our past, recognizing our current responsibility, and acting in the interests of building and sustaining communities that are truly safe, supportive, and inclusive for all. Our commitment is to engage in these processes continually and proactively for the benefit of our students, staff, and faculty across the college and the communities around the world we aim to serve.

• MFA in Theatre;
• college level teaching experience; and
• post graduate directing experience.

• professional directing credits;
• college level teaching experience in directing, acting, and script analysis, and related areas of directing/performance theatre making.

Qualified candidates should submit the following:

• Letter of application,
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae,
• Link to professional website/portfolio,
• Names and contact information of four references,
• Statement of artistic vision, and
• A one-page personal statement of teaching philosophy including the candidate's ideas for supporting an equitable and inclusive educational environment consistent with the Virginia Tech Principles of Community. Specific examples of experiences, activities, and plans will help us identify candidates who can support our college’s aim to sustain an equitable climate and extend our University's commitment to inclusive excellence.

Regular

Salary range is $55,000 - $65,000 per year

January 10, 2025

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance.  These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.