Where to Advertise
Mailing Lists
ensemble-directors@mit.edu
ensemble-director-search@mit.edu
Websites
New England Theater 411 (http://www.netheater411.com)
Ensemble Blurb
Short
The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble is seeking a director for its [fall/spring] production. The play to be performed will be selected by the Ensemble in conjunction with the director. A stipend is available.
Individuals interested in directing should contact [Name (email)] with a resume of their directing and other relevant experience to schedule an interview.
Auditions will be held the first week of [September/February], and performances will be [Performance Dates] on the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA.
The Ensemble is an extra-curricular student theater group that performs works by Shakespeare and other authors. The Ensemble consists of students, staff, and other members of the MIT community who work together as actors and technical theater members to explore all aspects of theater.
For more information please visit our website http://web.mit.edu/ensemble
Long
The Interview
The interview will be in two parts. To begin with, there will be a Q&A session with members of the ensemble about your experience, your preferences in shows and approaches, etc.
For the second part, we'd like you to prepare a short scene that you could work on with a few of the people who are at the interview. This will give some of the members a chance to see what it's like working with you. The scene can be from any material, although something from Shakespeare's works is preferable of course. Smaller scenes are usually best; two to five actors, say, and probably not more than five minutes of scene time. The office is quite small, so there won't be a lot of room for staging.
The interviews will take place in the Ensemble's office on the MIT campus, in room W20-421 on the fourth floor of the MIT student center, at 84 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. If you need more specific directions, let me know.
Show Selection
The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble chooses its shows each term through a collaborative process with the director. To begin with, the Ensemble members have discussions about various shows they are interested in performing, and then vote among those plays to create a "long list" of five plays.
The director then creates a "short list" of three plays, at least two of which must be from the "long list". The third play may also be from the long list, or it may be another play of the director's choosing, Shakespeare or non-Shakespeare. The Ensemble schedules readings of the three plays from the short list.
A meeting will be scheduled for the director to present his or her vision for the three shows on the short list to the Ensemble. After that meeting, members of the Ensemble will have a discussion and vote for which of the three shows they would prefer. Usually this vote happens very soon after the meeting, and the director is informed as soon as possible thereafter.
Although you need not have decided on a short list before the interview, it would be useful to have considered the shows on the long list, and have some preliminary thoughts ready to discuss.
It is also worth noting that the Ensemble generally prefers to avoid repeating the same show twice in four years. As such, we recommend against choosing a show that has been performed recently for the short list.
A complete list can be found at http://web.mit.edu/ensemble/www/shows/
Audition/Casting Policy
Auditions for the show are open to members of the MIT community. However, members of the Shakespeare Ensemble who are in good standing are given preference in casting and assured at least some part in the show if they audition. Traditionally there is a first round of auditions for Members, after which the director, producer, etc. attempt a first pass at casting. Then there is a second round of open auditions (sometimes on the same day as the first round of auditions, depending on schedules), a set of callbacks if necessary, and then a final casting meeting before the cast list is posted. An officer of the Ensemble who is not auditioning sits in on the casting meeting to keep the Ensemble's casting policy in mind (typically this person is the producer of the show).
Rehearsal Schedule
Rehearsals are typically held on weekday evenings and on the weekends. There is some flexibility on timing depending on the schedules of actors and the director.
Due to the frequently hectic nature of being an MIT student, actors by default may not be scheduled for more than 15 hours of rehearsal per week, with the exception of tech week. Directors may request additional rehearsal time of actors, but actors are not required to attend. Any such conflicts should be discussed between the director, actor(s) and stage manager.
Production Staff
Production staff positions are filled by members of the ensemble and others in the MIT community. The Ensemble asks for volunteers for these positions and are confirmed by the Officers. Frequently there is an assistant to major positions (technical director, designers, stage manager, etc.) who is mentored over the course of the production. Production staff members are frequently also actors who audition for and are cast in the show.
Staging
Shows are performed in La Sala de Puerto Rico, on the second floor of the MIT Student Center at 84 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge (the same building as the Ensemble's office). The room is a large, rectangular ballroom-style space with a light grid that is used as a theatre by the Shakespeare Ensemble, the Musical Theatre Guild, and the Gilbert & Sullivan Players. Seating is on risers and may be configured as a standard stage, 3/4 thrust, in the round, etc. Typically the Ensemble uses curtains to limit the staged and seating areas. There are two exits to the hall on the main floor, and one exit to a side room used as a combination dressing room/green room.
Technical Scope
Due to the fact that the Ensemble is a student group, budgets for shows tend to be fairly limited. Typically $300-500 is spent on sets for each show, and $200-400 on costumes. The Ensemble has some costume, set piece, and prop resources available to it, but in general the scope of technical efforts is somewhat limited.
Director Contract and Stipend
Directors are asked to sign a contract explaining some of their responsibilities. Directors are paid a stipend for their efforts. Typically this payment is in two parts, half at the first production meeting and half after opening night.
Interview Questions
First things first
- We've read your resume, but why don't you give us a brief overview of yourself, your theatre experience, your Shakespeare experience, etc.
- What are your commitments like for the Fall/Spring?
Tech/Prod staff
- What kind of technical level do you like to use?
- How frequently do you like to meet with your production staff?
- Where do you like to draw the lines of responsibility between yourself and the design team?
Resume
- Who's the favorite/best director you've worked with? Why? Who's your least favorite?
Plays
- Which Shakespeare plays particularly interest you? [Do we need this question?]
- How do you approach editing scripts, whether for length, focus, or what have you?
- Is there a particular edition of Shakespeare that you like to work with?
- How do you approach comedies vs. tragedies? How do you blend the two?
- What are your opinions/preferences on modern/classical settings?
Actor
- How do you like to break up the overall rehearsal schedule into tablework, getting the scenes on their feet, and act or full runs?
- How do you encourage actors to take risks?
- If you finished a particular rehearsal an hour early, how would you use it? [Do we need this question?]
- How amenable are you to having women play male roles? If you cast a woman in a male role, would you prefer to change the gender of the role, or have the woman play a man?
Questions for the candidate
Questions from the candidate
Scene
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