Teaching Artist Job Description

Organization overview: Park Square Theatre (PST) has been a creative home for young people in St. Paul and the metro for decades. PST offers camp, class, and production experiences for young artists in Kindergarten-12th Grade.

Mission: To inspire and support curious, confident young people who use theatre-making to make connections to their community and world.

Values:

Generosity- Sharing ideas, space, and self by collaborating with peers and staff respectfully and responsibly

Mastery- Practicing Theatre Making with experienced and skilled instructors who encourage excellence.

Self-Advocacy- Confidence to use physical, vocal, and emotional expression of self to communicate ideas and needs.

Inspiration- Using personal discoveries, and exploring the world and community to creatively develop stories, ideas, and solutions

PST encourages applications from qualified candidates of historically marginalized people, including Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latinx persons, persons with disabilities, persons from across the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity, and those with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. We are committed to hiring on merit and working to remove barriers in employment policies.

Position Description: PST seeks qualified individuals who have experience in theatre education, and/or the classroom, who love working with youth, and have a passion for theatre, to join our Teaching Artist (TA) Staff. This position is in-person, part-time, and not eligible for benefits.

Position Summary: Be part of an organization that provides hands-on experience in theatre education. Plan and lead theatre classes, workshops, and residencies as assigned. Contribute to the support and development of classroom assistant staff. Other duties as assigned.

For Summer 2025 we are actively seeking artists and teachers who have puppetry, circus and clowning, stage combat, and other unique skill sets.

This position is ideal for: experienced instructors, teachers, and artists who thrive in arts-centric youth work by collaborating with young people, teaching artists, classroom assistants, and arts administrators. To be successful in this role, you must enjoy navigating a fast-paced work environment where you remain active & social throughout the day, successfully accomplish a variety of daily tasks, frequently problem-solve, and continuously support young people who are in kindergarten-12th grade.

Position Responsibilities:

• Plan and implement a lesson for the programming assigned. Work collaboratively and independently to create the lesson plan.

• Work all sessions for which you are scheduled for the full length of the programming time.

• Model power-sharing and develop supportive relationships with students, teachers, classroom assistants, administrators, and parents/caregivers.

• Actively create & maintain safe, inclusive, and creative learning environments where all students feel a sense of agency & belonging.

• Support Classroom Assistants, and Education Apprentices with opportunities to lead activities, and provide constructive feedback to support their growth and development.

• Arrive at the class site with enough time to prepare the classroom for the programming, and reset the classroom to neutral at the end of the day.

• Assist in navigating classroom needs including behavior concerns, illness, injury, emergency, or teacher requests.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Verifiable experience working with young people in group sizes of 10-20 students.

• Demonstrated ability to work in collaboration with others.

• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and show leadership.

• A strong understanding of student safety, privacy, & wellbeing best practices.

• Ability to memorize and track information including dates, times, locations, student information, and class information.

• Ability to exert a high-level of energy, sit, stand, bend, twist, lift, walk, and run for 8 hours each day.

• Customer service oriented.

• Strong verbal communication skills.

• Reliable transportation to and from Park Square Theatre

• A working phone and email which is checked regularly.

• A good sense of humor with the ability to take things in stride and be flexible.

Anticipated Work Dates:

We are actively seeking Teaching Artists to join our staff for the Summer 2025 season, with the opportunity to join our roster of TAs throughout the school year.

Summer Camp Dates:

Selected weeks, Monday-Friday, between June 16th-August 20th

NO Camp Friday, July 4th, and Thursday/Friday August 21/22

Location of Summer Camps: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700 Snelling Ave S, St Paul, MN 55116

Shift Days and Hours:

AM Camps 9:00am-12:00pm (arrive at 8:30am, check out at 12:30pm)

PM Camps 1:00pm-4:00pm (arrive at 12:30pm, check out at 4:30pm)

All Day Production Camps 9:00am-4:00pm (arrive at 8:30am, 30 minute lunch, check out at 4:30pm)

Wage: $30/hr Instructional Time, $20/hr Non-Instructional Time

Instructional Time is the contact hours you have with students actively teaching the lesson plan

Non-Instructional Time is the flexible time that includes, but is not limited to lesson planning, setting up/breaking down the classroom space, camper check in/out.

Application Deadline: For priority placement for Summer Camps, please apply by January 31st, 2025. We will continue to accept applications after January 31st.

How to apply: Email your Work Resume, Cover Letter, and Three (3) Professional References to Rachel McCarthy at mccarthy@parksquaretheatre.org.