Assistant Professor - Theatre & Performance

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

Special Instructions to Applicants

Any correspondence regarding the position or your application will
be relayed to you by our Faculty Affairs Team. Please do not reach
out to any department faculty regarding the position or status of
your application. We appreciate your interest and
consideration.

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

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed To Apply

Required Documents

• Cover Letter of Interest
• Transcripts (unofficial)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Teaching Philosophy
• Research Statement
• Performance/Media Sample (URL)

Optional Documents