Assistant Professor of Movement & Acting

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

8d•$68,000 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

The School of Theatre + Dance seeks an Assistant Professor of Movement & Acting with a specialization in movement and physical approaches to actor training. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate students, with primary responsibility for movement training that develops the actor’s physical, expressive, and embodied skills. The candidate will also teach undergraduate and graduate stage combat courses in a variety of theatrical weapon styles and may teach acting courses and professional development labs. Additional teaching responsibilities may include non-majors courses such as Oral Interpretation of Literature, and courses in the University of Florida Quest program. The successful candidate will also provide mentoring to BFA and MFA students to prepare them for successful careers in the industry. The School is especially interested in candidates who bring a progressive perspective to actor training and who integrate movement, embodiment, and physical approaches into contemporary performance training. We seek an individual who will contribute to a student-centered community committed to professional development and scholarship, innovation and flexibility, and teamwork and collaboration. The successful candidate will contribute to the recruitment and retention of BFA and MFA acting students within a vibrant professional theatre training program at one of the nation’s leading public research universities. Additional creative responsibilities include movement coaching for School productions, as well as fight direction and theatrical violence and/or intimacy direction for approximately four productions each academic year. There is also an opportunity to direct School productions. The position also includes participation in school, college, and/or university service and other related duties as assigned. Typical teaching loads for tenure-line faculty in Theatre Studies & Performance are 5–9 credits per semester, generally distributed as 5–6 credits in one semester and 7–9 credits in the other. Most courses in the School are 2 or 3 credits. The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. As artists and scholars, we embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our students and faculty to shape that experience fearlessly through critical study, creative practice, and provocation. We seek a colleague who identifies as a change-maker. We seek a colleague who will position emerging artists and researchers as catalysts for justice on local and global levels. The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution. This position is covered by the United Faculty of Florida Contract. You can view this employment union contract here https://admin.hr.ufl.edu/compliance/employee-relations-and-ethics/union-negotiations/united-faculty-of-florida-contract/

Requirements

Terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or PhD ABD) in Theatre or closely related field, or equivalent qualifications based on professional experience.
Potential for record of achievement in the field at a national or international level, in alignment with the unit’s tenure and promotion criteria.
Evidence of successful collaboration and collegiality with faculty, students, and staff.
Evidence of skill in designing and facilitating academic work that advances curiosity, respect, open intellectual discourse, and the welcome incorporation and well-being of all in an environment of complex differences.

Nice To Haves

Teaching experience of 3 years minimum beyond graduate assistantship at the university level, or equivalent.
Demonstrated experience integrating movement, physicality, and embodied practices into actor training.
Specialization, experience, and/or certification in one or more established movement-based approaches to actor training, such as Michael Chekhov Technique, Margolis Method, Laban Movement Analysis, Black Acting Methods, Grotowski-based training, Theatrical Biomechanics, or other recognized physical approaches. Candidates who demonstrate an eclectic or interdisciplinary approach to physical actor training are also encouraged to apply, with evidence of effectiveness in practice.
Credentials and demonstrated experience teaching stage combat and/or conducting skills proficiency tests through recognized stage combat organizations.
Evidence of leadership potential and/or a national or international professional reputation in movement, physical actor training, stage combat, or related area.
Evidence of a commitment to innovative and cross-disciplinary curricula.
Demonstrated commitment to teaching practices that reflect current and evolving professional practices and prepare students to navigate a changing field.
Experience navigating a multi-disciplinary higher education setting.
Evidence of success in collaboration toward creative and curricular goals.

Responsibilities

Develop, revise, and deliver undergraduate and graduate curricula, with primary responsibility for movement and physical approaches to actor training.
Teach undergraduate and graduate stage combat courses in a variety of theatrical weapon styles.
Advise graduate and undergraduate capstone projects.
Contribute to curricular efforts in performance-related areas.
Contribute to the recruitment and retention of graduate and undergraduate theatre students.
Participate in School productions through movement coaching, fight direction, and/or theatrical intimacy direction.
Responsibilities may also include teaching acting courses, professional development labs, non-majors courses such as Oral Interpretation of Literature, and/or courses in the University of Florida Quest program, as appropriate to the candidate’s expertise and the School’s curricular needs.
Maintain an active national and/or international creative research profile in movement, physical approaches to acting, stage combat, or related areas of specialization, consistent with expectations for tenure and promotion.
Contribute to the School’s vibrant professional theatre training environment through creative practice, collaboration, and professional engagement.
Engage in innovative approaches that connect theatre and the performing arts to critical discourse and research across disciplines.
Actively participate in the School’s learning community and contribute to a student-centered environment committed to teaching excellence, professional development and scholarship, innovation and flexibility, and teamwork and collaboration.
Participate in the organizational and administrative activities of the Theatre Studies & Performance Area
Participate in shared governance through service to the School, College, and University.
Contribute to recruitment, outreach, and other activities that support the School’s academic and artistic programs.
Perform other related duties as assigned.