Areas of research may include contemporary approaches to directing, scenography, and performance-making in the expanded field; the intersectionality of disability, interdisciplinarity, and performance technology; documentary theater; indigenous performance; hip-hop; street dance; immersive and experiential practices; community-and-convening modes of play-making; activist and hacktivist dramaturgies; computation and choreography; and/or any other vital engines of the contemporary global performance. 

Candidates from among members of groups that have historically been underrepresented in higher education and who have demonstrated significant academic achievement by overcoming barriers such as economic, social, or educational disadvantage, including factors such as generational wealth are encouraged to apply. 

This open position is for two years, in-person at MIT, beginning in Fall 2025 and running through the Spring of 2027. The recipient will teach three courses over the four semesters. In addition, the recipient is expected to maintain an independent program of research and participate in the MTA and SHASS intellectual community. 

General Information about Theater Arts (and Music) is available at https://mta.mit.edu, and a more detailed portfolio of student and faculty works may be found here. 

An MFA or a Ph.D. in a related field is required at the time of appointment. The salary for this position is $73,000 per year, plus employee benefits and an allowance of $3,500 per year for research and professional travel. 

Eligibility and Selection 

Applicants must have received their MFA or Ph.D. no earlier than August 1, 2021, and no later than August 1, 2025. If you have not earned your degree at the time you apply for the fellowship, we require a Letter of Certification from your program’s Director of Graduate Studies, or Department Head to confirm the expected date of your formal degree conferral. 

Other criteria include one or more of the following: 

(a) the candidate has the critical perspective that comes from a non-traditional educational background, including through attendance at schools in underserved, under-resourced, rural, or urban communities, or communities with low admittance rates to top-tier institutions; 

(b) the candidate has demonstrated significant academic achievement by overcoming barriers such as economic, social, or educational disadvantage, including factors such as generational wealth. 

Applications should be submitted through (ajo link) and must include the following:

1. A brief personal statement outlining research, teaching, and/or experience in the field and addressing diversity criteria described above.

2. A brief presentation of a design problem, research initiative, or performance project to be developed and completed during the term of appointment. 

3. Curriculum vitae.

4. Digital portfolio or link to an online digital portfolio 

5. Brief proposal/description of a course to be offered, or student production, Spring 2026. 

6. Contact information for two references.

7. Letter of certification from Registrar’s Office, Department of Graduate Studies, or Department Head, certifying that the applicant will be formally awarded a PhD or MFA diploma by July 1, 2025. (This requirement is only relevant for applicants who have not yet formally received a PhD or an MFA at the time the application is due.)

Evaluation 

Applicants will be evaluated based on their academic accomplishments, the significance and intellectual merit of their research interests, their course proposal, and their potential contribution to building a more diverse community at MIT.

Applications will be reviewed beginning February 1, 2025. Please email Yi Tu, Theater Program Administrator (yitu@mit.edu) with any additional questions. 

Equal Opportunity 

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. 

Starting date 

Fall 2025 

Program Overview 

Situated within the Music & Theater Arts section of the School of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences at MIT, the program in Theater offers a broad range of courses and experiences in support of the 21T Bachelor of Science Major, Minor, and Concentration —serving upwards of 1000 students per year. As part of a vibrant interdisciplinary arts community at MIT, the program in Theater annually presents publicly attended performances, workshops, readings, lectures, exhibitions and creative residencies. Opportunities to initiate, join, or amplify collaborations across the Institute are numerous. Notable synergies exist with academic units such as the Schwarzman College of Computing, Art Culture and Technology program, Comparative Media Studies, and with centers like the Center for Art Science and Technology, the Media Lab, or the MIT.Nano Immersion Lab, and many others. More about MIT Music & Theater Arts here: https://mta.mit.edu/