Employment

Williamstown Theatre Festival’s summer season offers a variety of career opportunities for theatre professionals at all levels of experience. Ranging from supervisory to assistantship positions, WTF staff members engage with some of the top professionals in American theatre. Most summer employment opportunities run from June through August, with some pre-season preparation for certain roles. Staff compensation varies with the responsibilities of the position and is disclosed in each individual job posting, with anticipated weekly hours to be discussed through the hiring process. WTF will provide all employees with an on-campus housing option as a benefit free of charge.

Jobs will be posted for at least one month before offers are made; please take this into consideration when applying. Additional technical and production-based positions, and other training opportunities will be posted in the coming weeks.

Williamstown Theatre Festival is committed to telling diverse stories and to fostering an inclusive environment both onstage and off. We are seeking talented artists and administrators from all backgrounds, for all of our programs. WTF is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants shall be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, sex/gender (including pregnancy and gender identity), disability, military status, veteran status, marital status, familial status, ancestry, genetics, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Candidates from populations underrepresented in the theatre field are strongly encouraged to apply.
Apply for Seasonal Positions Here Apply for Year-Round Positions Here Learn More About Each Department at WTF
*Williamstown Theatre Festival encourages you to apply for at-will, seasonal employment, as we hope to be operating and producing in Williamstown, MA during the summer of 2022. These positions will be contingent upon whether or not we can proceed with a full season. We will post an update on our website and will communicate directly with active applicants as our plans for summer 2022 become clear. All postings and job offers are, therefore, subject to change.

Summer Intensive

In partnership with the Williams College Theatre Department, Williamstown Theatre Festival is proud to offer our inaugural Summer Intensive program in 2022. Designed for current undergraduate students (or learners at an equivalent stage of their training), this program will serve a combined cohort of approximately ten Williams College students and approximately 10 participants who apply via Williamstown Theatre Festival (link to the application below).

Spanning seven weeks (approximately June 27-August 14), this unique program combines:

seminar-style classroom instruction, a “makers laboratory” with weekly workshops to explore playwriting, performance techniques, design, text analysis, and more taught by professionals in the field

hands-on experiential learning within professional departments at WTF

individual mentorship with Festival artists

culminating creative projects for a Festival audience

This program is perfect for learners interested in a holistic or generalist theater training experience and who might identify as “hyphenates,” interested in generating work through multiple theatrical disciplines (e.g. performing, directing, playwriting, design).

WTF Summer Intensive participants will be provided with room (single dorm room and shared living spaces), board, round-trip transportation within the continental United States, and a stipend of $2,500. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.

WTF will remain compliant with evolving federal, state, or local guidance in light of COVID-19.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SUMMER INTENSIVE

All applications for the 2022 Summer Intensive must be submitted online.* Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. To apply, please click here!

The 2022 Summer Intensive Application will include:

A current resume
Contact information for two references who can assess your qualifications and potential as a participant
Statements about yourself and your professional interests and aims
A current photograph
A one-minute video that tells us about you (optional)

All materials shared via the application portal will be kept confidential. No videos, photos, or other content will be used for any purpose other than our internal application review process.

Applications for the 2022 program are due Friday, April 29, at 12pm ET. We encourage you to submit your application ahead of this deadline, if possible.

Apply for the Summer Intensive Here

Applications will be reviewed in late April, and decisions will be made by early May. *Please note: if you are a current Williams College student, this application process is not for you. Contact the Department of Theatre at Williams College for more information.

Fellowship Program

Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Directing Fellowship Program provides the next generation of theatrical directors with assistant directing opportunities as well as a forum for developing their own work. WTF’s Directing Fellowship Program remains one of the only director-centric developmental initiatives in the country. Annually, WTF awards the Boris Sagal and Bill Foeller Fellowships to two early-career directors, placing them in an assistant directing role on a Main Stage or Nikos Stage production, and challenging them to develop their own work in the vibrant atmosphere of the Festival.

In 2022, each Fellow will be provided with 2.5 weeks of development and/or rehearsal, culminating in a “barebones” presentation for audiences in the Directing Studio. A budget for this project will be provided and can be allocated toward paying collaborators (including actors) and/or for minimal technical and physical production elements. Producing and project management support will be provided by the Professional Training Programs Manager and by WTF’s Production Department. Any and all additional resources will need to be part of the project budget and determined in collaboration with WTF’s Artistic Director and administrative team. Please note that in 2022, there is no Non-Equity Company and no Design Assistant Program at WTF. Fellowship projects will be chosen in consultation with the Artistic Director. Please note that the emphasis for these projects should be on process, not “project.” You may want to use the “barebones” project to incubate a new collaboration, explore a design process, or explore the staging of a small-scale production. The resources allocated are meant to provide for a laboratory experience to further the Fellows’ practice.

The Directing Fellowship Program regularly fosters alumni who go on to helm lauded productions in New York and around the country. Alumni include May Adrales, Oliver Butler, Evan Cabnet, Carolyn Cantor, Mike Donahue, Davis McCallum, Patricia McGregor, Lila Neugebauer, and Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Past Fellowship projects, such as Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Amy Herzog’s After the Revolution, and Samuel D. Hunter’s Pocatello, have gone on to Off-Broadway and Broadway productions.

The Directing Fellowship Program considers candidates via an application process as well as by invitation. Applicants may apply to either or both Directing Fellowships. Given its reputation for launching directors’ careers, the Directing Fellowship Program is highly competitive. WTF is seeking directors who are post-collegiate and have already begun to establish themselves professionally. If this does not yet apply to you, please consider our Summer Intensive Program.

Directing Fellows are provided with a $2500 stipend, on-campus housing (single dorm room with shared living spaces), and round-trip transportation between NYC and Williamstown.

The Bill Foeller Fellowship is awarded to an early-career director who is a woman and/or artist of color seeking a boost to their career. Named for the late Bill Foeller, a director who worked at the Festival in 1997, the fellowship was established by his close friends Lewis Black and Gaylen Ross.

The Boris Sagal Fellowship was established in 1987 by WTF Trustee Emeritus Marge Champion in memory of her late husband and is awarded to a director with significant experience who is making the transition to a professional career.
Apply for Directing Fellowships Here
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but we strongly encourage you to apply by April 30.

J. MICHAEL FRIEDMAN FELLOWSHIP

In honor of the late American lyricist and composer J. Michael Friedman, this Fellowship identifies an early-career theatre artist who demonstrates a passion for their craft and how it could be honed at Williamstown Theatre Festival. The Fellowship invites them to create or collaborate on a project that nurtures their artistic and career development while encouraging them to venture outside of their area of expertise. The Fellowship provides an emerging theatre artist the opportunity to work and learn alongside industry professionals and contribute to the life and community of the Festival.

Recent alums of the Festival’s training programs and recent employees will be contacted with an invitation to apply.

Opportunities for Generative Artists

From the L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award to residencies and readings, WTF offers several opportunities for playwrights, composers, and directors to connect with the Festival, by invitation. WTF does not accept unsolicited submissions; only agents may submit scripts. If you are not represented, you may send information about upcoming readings, workshops, or productions to submissions@wtfestival.org.

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