INTRODUCTION

The University of Connecticut (UConn) is pleased to invite applications for a faculty position in the Department of Dramatic Arts at the rank of Associate or Assistant Professor in Residence of Acting, or Instructor in Residence of Acting.

The Department of Dramatic Arts seeks a renewable, nine-month faculty appointment in a non-tenure-track position beginning Fall 2022. We seek a candidate with strong skills in actor training and industry preparation, appropriate to teaching at both the BFA and MFA levels. The teaching load is 3/3 with potential course release if performing or directing in Connecticut Repertory Theatre productions. The ideal candidate will have a substantial record of creative work at the professional level, be passionate about teaching and collaboration, and demonstrate the ability to foster an inclusive and diverse teaching and learning environment. Applicants who hold a terminal degree in acting or a closely related field may be appointed at the Assistant or Associate Professor in Residence rank. Applicants who do not hold a terminal degree would be appointed at Instructor rank.

The University of Connecticut’s Department of Dramatic Arts offers BFA degrees in Design/Technical Theatre, Acting, and Puppet Arts, and a BA degree in Theatre Studies. The Department offers an MFA in Theatre with concentrations in Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, Technical Direction, Acting, Puppet Arts, and Arts Leadership and Cultural Management. There are twenty-six members of the full-time faculty.

The Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) prepares students by blending education and industry. Created as a training ground, and modeled on a stand-alone LORT/regional theatre, CRT produces four Main Stage productions per academic year (two in the 486-seat, proscenium-stage Harriet Jorgensen Theatre and two in the 241-seat, thrust-stage Nafe Katter Theatre) and two Studio productions in the 116-seat Studio Theatre. The CRT has a professional staff of ten, several of whom also teach periodically.

Also housed within the School of Fine Arts are the Department of Art & Art History, the Department of Music, the Department of Digital Media and Design, the William Benton Museum of Art, the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, and the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry.

Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond. The University serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily selective.

The UConn Storrs campus is in a beautiful area of New England, with a moderate cost of living and proximity to major cultural, recreational, and urban centers of the Northeast. The University community provides residents with a rich diversity of cultural, artistic, athletic, and historic experiences. UConn is ranked as the top public university in New England, and among the top 25 public universities nationwide.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The candidate will teach acting courses in the MFA and BFA Acting programs, as determined by the needs of the Program and the candidate’s specialties. The candidate may also teach acting for non-majors. Other duties include student advising, committee work, service to the Department, and potentially directing and/or acting for the CRT season. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to mentor talent in the early years of professional development. The position requires the ability to understand, communicate and effectively interact with people across cultures both inside and outside the classroom.

Our faculty and staff are expected to understand and embrace our commitment to respecting and representing diverse ideas, races, genders, sexualities, abilities, cultures, religions, and traditions. We seek someone who will promote our work toward anti-racism and interrupt behaviors that undermine our ongoing efforts toward a diverse and inclusive community. Members of historically marginalized groups of all held identities are encouraged to apply.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• MFA, BFA, or commensurate professional experience. Applicants who hold a terminal degree in acting or a closely related field may be appointed at the Assistant or Associate Professor in Residence rank. Applicants who do not hold a terminal degree would be appointed at Instructor rank.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching acting.
• Extensive professional experience as an actor and/or director.
• Creative experience that centers the voices of historically marginalized communities.
• Demonstrated capacity to apply diversity, equity and inclusion principles in the classroom, production, and academic community. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated capacity to mentor and prepare actors to enter the changing professional world.
• Demonstrated ability to teach classes from amongst the following: non-western actor training methods and styles, heightened contemporary realism, comedy, period styles, naturalism, acting for the camera, new media, audition technique, theater of the oppressed, and improvisation.
• Memberships in AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and/or SDC.
• Demonstrated capacity to recruit and support diverse, talented, and creative students.
• Ability to engage in consensus-based collaboration with students, staff, and faculty.
• Capacity to mentor and teach students through acting and/or directing for the Department of Dramatic Arts and Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

This is a full-time, 9-month, renewable, faculty appointment in a non-tenure-track position with an anticipated start date of August 23, 2022. The successful candidate’s academic appointment will be at the Storrs campus. Faculty may also be asked to teach at one of UConn’s regional campuses as part of their ordinary workload. In addition to a robust benefits package, the salary will be commensurate with qualifications, ranging between $60,000-66,000.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Employment at the University of Connecticut is contingent upon the successful candidate’s compliance with the University’s Mandatory Workforce COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.  This Policy states that all workforce members are required to have or obtain a Covid-19 vaccination as a term and condition of employment at UConn, unless an exemption or deferral has been approved. 

Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.

TO APPLY

Please apply online to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/21142 and submit the following application materials:

• A cover letter,
• Curriculum vitae,
• Teaching statement (this 1-2 page statement should address your approach to teaching acting, including methodologies, influences, and learning goals, and what draws you to the classroom);
• Commitment to diversity statement (this 1-2 page statement should address your knowledge, experience, and plans for integrating diverse perspectives and voices on stage and in the classroom);
• Contact information for three (3) letters of reference who can speak to your work and teaching.

Evaluation of applicants will begin immediately. Preference will be given to applications received by February 27, 2022. For more information regarding the Department of Dramatic Arts please visit the Department website at (https://drama.uconn.edu). For questions, please contact Search Chair Kristin Wold (kristin.wold@uconn.edu).

At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to excellence is complemented by our commitment to building a culturally diverse community.

This position will be filled subject the budgetary approval.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty and staff. The diversity of students, faculty and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn’s ranking as one of the nation’s top research universities. UConn’s faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural and diverse University community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.