Division of Academic Affairs

Performing Arts Technician III

*** Temporary Position.  Appointment anticipated through June 30, 2026 with possible extension.  ***

RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

Priority responsibility will be coordinating productions/events including working with students and faculty to understand production goals; and attending meetings, rehearsals, and performances to assist students in technical aspects of production and backstage organization. Uses knowledge of performance, production, rehearsals, and practices related to the disciplines of Dance, Music, and Theatre to support courses, events, and performances within the Dance, Music, & Theatre department.

• Production Support
  • Plan layouts and use of work areas. Ensures performance areas, including on or off campus site specific spaces and dance floors, for Dance, Music, and Theatre are clean, operational, and ready on time for use.
  • Maintains storage, inventory, upkeep of props, costumes, audio, video, and lighting equipment.
  • Ensures sound, lighting, and other equipment in performance, rehearsal, and instructional spaces are operational.
  • Schedule tuning of instruments.
• Production Planning & Event Scheduling
  • Participate in production planning meetings, designing components of stage productions
  • Determine need for and coordinating the acquisition of stage supplies
  • Serve as the production technical and operational director for productions and events.
  • Coordinate the scheduling of productions and events with campus entities and coordinate with classroom instruction.
  • Ensure resources needed for productions and events are coordinated with campus events staff.
  • Create a Production/Events Season.
  • Responsible for coordinating expedited studio/performance/events set ups and/or break downs within constrained time frames.
• Production & Budget
  • Provides creative and technical consultation and leadership on a variety of production issues and often provides lead work direction, including casual workers and student assistants hired to support productions, e.g. lighting designers, costume designers, and set designers.
  • Provide training and supervision to students involved in productions.
  • Manage staging needs for productions requiring numerous costume and set changes and the ability to manage and coordinate the use of multiple facilities.
  • Coordinate with vendors (production set-up, use, strike, deliveries etc), campus parking, box office staff, and events staff.
  • Assist in the preparation of budgets for productions and conduct cost analyses.
  • Monitors expenditures and ensures that costs are within the production budget.
  • Makes procard purchases and reconciles purchases monthly.
  • Evening and weekend support during “tech” and production weeks for productions, events, and shows.
  • Oversees safety of instructional and performance spaces.
  • Assists with problem resolution and facility management activities as assigned or as needed.
• Instructional Support
  • Support classroom instruction by performing classroom demonstrations related to production specialty.

• General
  • Provides customer service support and responds to requests in a timely and efficient manner.
  • Communicates with students, faculty, and staff.
  • Conducts business with a high degree of professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.
  • Participates in department meetings, events, shows, and student recruitment events.
  • Appreciable ingenuity is required in almost all aspects of the work

Performs other related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

One to two years of experience working for a theater, repertory or stock company engaged in the applicable production specialty such as costume construction, stage and set construction, lighting production, and/or sound/audio production. This background would normally be achieved through professional training or applicable college coursework and practical experience.

Experience:

Experience coordinating productions/events including working with students and faculty. Experience in technical aspects of production and backstage organization.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Comprehensive knowledge of the methods and problems in multiple production specialties.
• Comprehensive knowledge of design theory and principles and how they are executed in various production specialties.
• Working knowledge of directing and stage management.
• Thorough and in-depth knowledge of the technical aspects of construction, implementation, and operation of staging materials and effects in the various production specialties, including the ability to work with drawings and plots to assist in their execution.
• Comprehensive knowledge of safety measures and hazards related to theatre productions.
• Ability to learn and follow all studio and theatre safety practices.
• Ability to use email, excel, and other production management communication tools and software.
• Ability to work with hazardous chemicals.
• After training, must be able to work independently under general supervision.
• Knowledge of the studio courses offered in undergraduate university-level Dance, Music, and Theatre degrees and their associated equipment and supplies.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with individuals at all levels within the organization resulting in positive interactions with students, faculty, administrators, non-technical staff, and vendor representatives.
• Ability to communicate effectively with an ethnically and culturally diverse campus community.
• Position requires ability to work flexible hours including early morning, late evening, and weekends when needed with advanced notice when possible.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in Dance, Music, and Theatre with work experience stage managing, production, and/or performance preferred. Equivalent to two years of college with 16 semester units in courses involving extensive participation in performances, production, and events  and in Dance, Music, or Theatre;  may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

Experience coordinating productions/events including working with students and faculty.  Experience in technical aspects of production and backstage organization.  Knowledge, experience and/or expertise in stage management, costumes design/construction, lighting, sound, set design, video, are not required, but welcome. Additional experience in one or more of the following areas is desired: Costuming, Scenery, Lighting, or Music/Audio Production.

Physical Demands: Frequent/Continuous reaching within arm's distance, frequent sitting in office chair or standing for up to 5-7 hours at a time. Occasional lifting/carrying of up to 75 pounds at waist level within office and laboratory areas, continuous use of hands to operate telephone, computer systems, laboratory equipment and preparation of labs, occasional reaching at or above waist level and shoulder level, occasional bending and/or stooping at the waist, continuous use of hands for grasping, fine manipulation, and ability to stand/walk up to 20 minutes at a time, over uneven terrain, and up slopes.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 Revised July 21, 2017 as a condition of employment.

Hiring Salary: $4,453 - $5,134 per month