Assistant/Associate Professor of Acting and Voice Position Description

Assistant/Associate Professor of Acting and Voice

Position Title: Assistant/Associate Professor of Acting and Voice; full-time, tenure track, academic-year position.

Starting Date: Appointment begins August, 2010, contingent upon funding.

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Position Description: Teach courses in acting and voice in the new MFA in Performance program and in an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum; serve as vocal/dialect consultant on selected Department of Theatre productions; maintain appropriate professional standing in the field; participate in departmental governance. As qualifications warrant, the opportunity exists to direct departmental productions.

Program Description: The University of Maryland anticipates the creation of a new School of Theatre and Dance, of which the Department of Theatre will be an academic unit.  The development of the School of Theatre and Dance has been made possible by an extraordinary influx of new funding, allowing the expansion of faculty, staff, student support, and programs in both Dance and Theatre.  The Department of Theatre offers BA, MA, MFA, and PhD degrees, with approximately 180 undergraduate and 40 graduate students enrolled in its programs. The B.A program embraces a strong liberal arts approach to undergraduate theatre training; the MA is a generalists degree which focuses on Theatre and Performance Studies; the PhD offers concentrations in Theatre and Performance Studies. MFA concentrations include Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design; a new concentration in Performance will be inaugurated in 2010.  

The University of Maryland is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that has a strong institutional commitment to racial, cultural, and gender diversity.  Applications from multicultural and female candidates are especially encouraged.

Qualifications: Required: three years experience teaching acting and voice for the actor in a university or conservatory setting, comprehensive training in voice, speech and dialects and professional acting, coaching and/or directing experience. Training and certification in at least one of the foundational voice techniques; Patsy Rodenberg, Cecily Barry, David Smukler, Arthur Lessac, The Central School, or Linklater Designation is required. Facility with IPA and a clear methodology for teaching speech and dialects is also required. Certification or significant experience in a foundational movement technique such as FM Alexander (STAT or AmSat), Middendorf, or Feldenkrais is a plus.  Additional qualifications of interest include Western and Non-Western approaches to acting and performance. Preferred qualifications are the MFA with an emphasis in Performance, or equivalent professional experience, and union affiliation. A Bachelor’s Degree is required.

Facilities/Location: The Department of Theatre is housed in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, a state-of-the-art complex with six performance venues, rehearsal rooms, production shops, classrooms, and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. Located just minutes from the Nation’s Capitol, the University is linked by mass transit to the fastest growing theatre market in the country. The region is home to more than 80 professional theatres, including Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre and The Kennedy Center. In addition, world-class research facilities within minutes of the campus include the Library of     Congress, Folger Shakespeare Library, Smithsonian Institution, and the National Archives.    

Application Deadline: For best consideration, applications should be received by December 1, 2009.

To Apply: Submit: a one-page letter of application; curriculum vitae/resume; the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three references; a certified transcript of the highest earned degree; and a one-page statement of approach to acting and voice training in a MFA program and a BA environment to:    

Acting and Voice Search Committee
Department of Theatre
University of Maryland
2810 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
College Park, MD  20742-1610