Theater Guest Artist

Parkland College

14h•$500 - $2,000•Onsite

About The Position

Guest Artist appointments are located on Parkland College's Campus in Champaign, Illinois and have a salary range of $500.00 - 2,000.00 per production depending upon the role. The Theater Guest Artist is a temporary, part-time position supervised by the Theatre Director. Specific schedule will vary with the production schedule. Evenings and weekends are the primary work times. Some weekday time may occasionally be required.

Requirements

Willingness to work flexible and varied hours.
Ability to work well under pressure and work independently.
Ability to learn the Parkland information system and new computer programs as technology changes.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work well with diverse population.
Ability to manage and prioritize simultaneous projects while working independently.
Prospective new hires will successfully complete a post offer, pre-employment criminal background check with fingerprinting. The background check review includes, but is not limited to, exclusionary offenses per the Illinois School Code and Title IV of the Higher Education Act.
In an effort to comply with SURS return-to-work restrictions for employers (40 ILCS 5/15-139.5), candidates for employment at Parkland College must either not be a SURS annuitant or must be willing to suspend his/her SURS annuity upon employment. This applies to all SURS annuitants except those receiving their annuity under either the Self-Managed Plan (SMP) or by lump sum payment.

Responsibilities

Develop original choreography and staged movement for musical numbers, scenes, transitions, and other production needs.
Create choreography appropriate to the production’s style, audience, venue, cast size, available rehearsal time, and performers’ skill levels.
Teach dance steps, combinations, formations, timing, spacing, technique, and performance quality to student performers.
Provide warm-ups, basic conditioning, and safe movement practices when appropriate to reduce risk of injury.
Develop and communicate a clear artistic concept, including the production’s tone, pacing, visual style, storytelling approach, and educational goals.
Conduct cast read-throughs, orientation meetings, and production meetings as needed.
Create and implement blocking, stage pictures, transitions, pacing, and scene work that support the story and are appropriate for the performance space.
Coach student actors in characterization, vocal and physical performance, text analysis, movement, relationships, objectives, timing, and ensemble work.
Develop safe, repeatable, and dramatically effective choreography for unarmed combat, falls, restraint, swordplay, prop-weapon use, or other staged-violence sequences.
Teach performers foundational stage-combat principles, including consent, communication, spacing, eye contact, cues, reactions, timing, control, and the requirement that choreography not be improvised.
Inspect, recommend, and coordinate the safe use, storage, maintenance, and tracking of rehearsal and performance weapons, breakaway items, effects, and combat-related props.
Develop and present hair-design concepts, reference images, samples, sketches, or look boards for review and approval.
Design hairstyles and hair treatments that complement costumes, makeup, character development, lighting, movement, and audience sightlines.
Style performers’ natural hair and apply wigs, hairpieces, extensions, braids, facial hair, and accessories for dress rehearsals and performances.
Perform touch-ups, resets, repairs, and quick changes before, during, and after performances.
Read and break down the script to identify scenes involving kissing, intimate touch, simulated sexual activity, nudity or partial nudity, sexual violence, vulnerable physical exposure, or other boundary-sensitive material.
Advise the production team about whether a scene requires intimacy direction, additional safety planning, content communication, specialized staff, or a change in staging approach.
Facilitate informed, ongoing consent for all physical contact and intimate choreography; confirm that performers understand they may identify boundaries or raise concerns throughout the process.
Create and present lighting concept materials, such as reference images, renderings, mood boards, preliminary cue ideas, or other visual communication tools.
Design practical and artistic lighting for each scene, including front light, backlight, side light, area lighting, specials, color, texture, movement, and effects as appropriate.
Develop lighting cues and transition timing that coordinate with the script, music, choreography, scene changes, actor movement, sound, projections, and stage-management calls.
Develop makeup designs that support characterization, storytelling, costumes, hair, stage distance, lighting, audience sightlines, and the director’s artistic vision.
Select, purchase, rent, mix, organize, and maintain makeup products, tools, brushes, sponges, adhesives, removers, prosthetic materials, facial-hair pieces, and supplies within the approved production budget.
Apply makeup, facial hair, prosthetics, body makeup, special-effects makeup, and other approved character elements for rehearsals, dress rehearsals, publicity events, and performances as assigned.
Conduct touch-ups, repairs, removals, and resets before, during, and after performances as needed.
Collaborate with the director, choreographer, and other members of the creative team to develop a unified musical interpretation that supports the production concept and storytelling.
Prepare music materials, including vocal scores, rehearsal tracks, part assignments, vocal cuts, transpositions, annotated scores, and other approved musical resources.
Ensure that all licensed music, orchestration, arrangements, and performance materials are used in accordance with publisher, copyright, and royalty requirements.
Teach cast members melodies, rhythms, harmonies, diction, vocal parts, entrances, cutoffs, tempos, dynamics, phrasing, and musical style.
Assess available projectors, lenses, screens or scenic surfaces, playback computers, media servers, control equipment, cabling, power, and mounting locations.
Plan projector placement, image size, sightlines, masking, focus, signal paths, and access for operation and maintenance.
Configure playback systems and prepare approved image and video files in formats suitable for the production’s equipment.
Search existing theater inventory and storage areas for usable items; inspect, clean, repair, modify, label, and prepare pulled props before use.
Source props through construction, alteration, purchase, rental, borrowing, donation, or other approved methods.
Ensure that all props are safe, functional, durable, appropriately weighted, and suitable for the performers and performance environment.
Develop scenic concepts through sketches, collages, research packets, renderings, digital models, physical scale models, paint elevations, and other visual presentation materials.
Present scenic concepts and design materials for review; revise designs in response to approved artistic direction, production needs, budget limits, venue conditions, or safety considerations.
Design scenery that supports performer movement, blocking, choreography, fight choreography, intimacy choreography, scene changes, accessibility, actor safety, and audience sightlines.
Develop materials, finishes, textures, paint treatments, and construction approaches that achieve the desired visual effect while remaining durable, safe, fire-conscious, and practical for production use.
Work with the director and production team to develop and distribute rehearsal schedules, call times, location information, and daily updates.
Prepare and maintain the prompt book, including the script, blocking notation, entrances and exits, scene shifts, props, preset information, lighting, sound, projections, deck cues, special effects, and standby/call language.
Supervise backstage operations during performances, including scene shifts, props, quick changes, entrances, exits, safety procedures, and response to unexpected events.