Teaching Assistant Professor - School of Theatre and Dance

West Virginia University

1d • Onsite

About The Position

This is a full-time, 9-month, non-tenure-track position. The primary assignment is teaching classes in theatre history/literature/criticism, including non-Western theatre, text analysis, theatre research, criticism, as well as directing. The teaching of writing across the curriculum is integral to this position. Additional duties may include serving as production dramaturg, helping facilitate production needs, including in the Lab Theatre Program, and/or directing a School mainstage production. Faculty should maintain an active profile on and off campus and contribute to the intellectual life of students and faculty community in the School of Theatre & Dance. Active contributions to curriculum development, especially within the theatre studies and BA program; participation on committees, recruitment, and faculty governance is expected of all faculty members.
Date of Appointment: August 14, 2026 (classes begin August 18, 2026)

The successful candidate shall hold a doctorate in Theatre History/Literature/Criticism or another closely allied field of Theatre Studies. Three or more years’ teaching experience at the college/university level required in the fields of theatre history, literature, criticism, and graduate research. Preferred qualifications include experience directing theses at the graduate level and teaching in other areas of interest, such as dramaturgy, fight choreography, etc. The successful candidate will demonstrate exemplary communication skills, collegiality, and the ability to contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of the University.
Deadline: Review of applications will begin January 15, 2026. The search will remain open until the position is filled.
Application: For a complete application, interested candidates should submit the following:
Letter of application
Current resumé or curriculum vitae
Names of three (3) references who may be contacted (including names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and relationship to the applicant).
Additional materials may be requested at a later date.
Applications must be submitted online at https://careers.wvu.edu/career-opportunities
THE SCHOOL OF THEATRE & DANCE (theatre.wvu.edu): The School of Theatre & Dance is a NAST-accredited and URTA member training program with an enrollment of approximately 200 undergraduate and graduate students. The School offers MFA degrees in acting, design & technology, and technical direction; BFA degrees in acting, musical theatre, and design & technology; a BA degree in dance and a BA in theatre studies, and minors in theatre, dance, and technical production.
As part of its mission, the School educates students in the traditions and practices of the art of theatre and dance by challenging them to engage in the many processes used and valued by collaborative artists. The School employs 17 full-time and 3 part-time faculty and 3 professional staff to annually produce a vibrant season of theatre and dance productions in four theatres supported by well-equipped production facilities. The School is dedicated to providing an exceptional classroom and studio education supported by hands-on production experiences.
THE COLLEGE OF CREATIVE ARTS & MEDIA (CCAM) has over 2,000 students. It comprises four professionally accredited and nationally recognized Schools of Art & Design, Media & Communications, Music, and Theatre & Dance. Each School offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degrees addressing such fields as the creative and performing arts, advertising and communications, arts education and scholarship, design disciplines, journalism, marketing, and public relations, museum studies, the recording industry, theatre technology, and the intersection of art and health.
The College of Creative Arts & Media is housed in WVU’s Canady Creative Arts Center and Martin Hall and has more than 70 full-time faculty and 20 professional staff whose mission is to educate succeeding generations of artists, teachers, and scholars through an experiential student-centered approach to learning. The College advocates the Arts as a medium through which the diversity of human experience is understood and valued. Exemplifying excellence and innovation in performance, exhibition, scholarship, and creative research, the College offers artistic and cultural opportunities for the citizens of West Virginia and the regional community.
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY (wvu.edu) is classified as a Doctoral/Research University—extensive and is the state’s only comprehensive doctoral-granting land grant institution. The university community is committed to student-centered priorities, academic excellence, research, creative activity, and service to the state. WVU is located about 70 miles south of Pittsburgh in Morgantown, West Virginia, a college town that enjoys high-quality health care, sporting events, performing arts and outdoor activities.
The city of Morgantown has 55,000 residents and has been ranked as the “#1 Small City in America,” the “Best Small City in the East,” and the “3rd Best Small Town” in the nation. Boasting a strong economy and an unemployment rate well below the national average, the area also offers a wide variety of cultural and recreational activities.
West Virginia University has created a dual career program to help faculty partners or spouses find employment in and around the university (https://careers.wvu.edu/career-opportunities/dual-career-program).

Requirements

• doctorate in Theatre History/Literature/Criticism or another closely allied field of Theatre Studies
• Three or more years’ teaching experience at the college/university level required in the fields of theatre history, literature, criticism, and graduate research
• exemplary communication skills
• collegiality
• ability to contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of the University

Nice To Haves

• experience directing theses at the graduate level and teaching in other areas of interest, such as dramaturgy, fight choreography, etc.

Responsibilities

• teaching classes in theatre history/literature/criticism, including non-Western theatre, text analysis, theatre research, criticism, as well as directing
• teaching of writing across the curriculum
• serving as production dramaturg
• helping facilitate production needs, including in the Lab Theatre Program
• directing a School mainstage production
• maintain an active profile on and off campus
• contribute to the intellectual life of students and faculty community in the School of Theatre & Dance
• active contributions to curriculum development, especially within the theatre studies and BA program
• participation on committees, recruitment, and faculty governance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree