Technical Director

Job Title: Technical Director

Reports to: Artistic Director, Production Manager

Classification: Exempt

Status: Full-Time

Start Date: July 2025

Job Summary:
Civic Theatre of Allentown seeks a full-time Technical Director. The Technical Director will manage and maintain the scene shop, main stage and blackbox stage spaces and will assist with facilities duties and maintenance. The Technical Director will supervise the technical operations and resources of the performance venues and all Civic Theatre of Allentown productions, which includes set design and construction, and may also include lighting, sound and projection support for events. 

The ideal candidate will have a strong technical theatre background with a degree in theatre or commensurate professional experience in the industry. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Construct scenic elements in collaboration with director/ other designers
• Supervise theatrical activity within the Mainstage and its ancillary spaces and facilities
• Generate working drawings for scenic elements and room configurations
• Design and execute safe configuration and rigging for all moving and rigged set pieces
• Evaluate and communicate costs and feasibility of designs to producers, including technical and engineering information.
• Manage load-ins, work calls, and strikes
• Maintain scenic and rigging load-in schedule
• Create necessary scenic plan documentation for production team
• Manage construction materials
  • Order as needed
  • Reclaim usable materials from deconstruction
  • Organize lumber / materials
• Create production build calendar
• Maintain / Organize shop
• Maintain policies to ensure and enforce safe work practices in all backstage and on-stage
• Train freelance crew as necessary
• Point of contact for maintenance / other contracted workers
• Minor repairs / construction around grounds as needed
• Waste management 
• Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and respectful working environment.
• Duties as assigned

Required qualifications:

• Ability to design and build sets and props for productions
• Ability to operate power tools and regularly lift heavy loads
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed
• Background in technical theatre
• Ability to be flexible, resilient, and creative while working within a fast-paced environment
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, commitment to collaboration and teamwork, and maintaining a positive work environment
• Ability to lead multiple long and short-term projects simultaneously, meeting all related deadlines
• Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects and work with minimal direction and supervision

Preferred qualifications:

• Ability to design and run lights and sound for staged productions, concerts, and events
• A bachelor’s degree in Technical Theatre
• Proficiency/experience in sound, A/V, and other related fields

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• The candidate must be able to manipulate objects and tools and repair pieces of equipment
• This job is performed in two building spaces with stairways and ladders
• Able to carry, move, and push or lift heavy objects and equipment

Salary:

$43,000 - $48,000, commensurate with experience. Base salary does not include additional stipends for lighting and scenic design. Paid holidays + PTO. Fully paid benefits.

Interested applicants should send cover letter, resume, and references to wm@civictheatre.com and rae@civictheatre.com.

Civic Theatre of Allentown is dedicated to building an equitable environment that is mixed across lines of difference and strongly encourages applications from Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, and LGBTQIA+ candidates.

Civic Theatre of Allentown is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with over 90 years of history in the Lehigh Valley. Started by two Morning Call reporters in 1927 as “Civic Little Theatre,” the current day Civic Theatre of Allentown relies on the creativity, passion, and inspiration of the staff members, the board, and the thousands of volunteers that are mutually invested in Civic’s growth and success.

Civic Theatre became an immediate success and in 1957 moved into its current home at the Nineteenth Street Theatre, a 1928 Art Deco movie palace in Allentown’s West End. Significant milestones in the organization’s history over the years include the establishment of its Civic Theatre School in 1953, the addition of art film screenings in 1989, and the distinction of being the first community theatre to produce Tony Kushner’s award-winning epic Angels in America in 1997.

Civic is dedicated to producing live theatre of high standards of artistic excellence, capitalizing on the physicality, presence, and immediacy of theatre as an art form and providing a creative outlet and training ground for local artists dedicated to the theatre as an avocation.

Civic is devoted to developing the artists and audiences of the future. Established more than 60 years ago, Civic Theatre School programs provide training in the theatre arts to over 300 children each year, developing self-expression, discipline, and teamwork as well as an appreciation for the art of theatre.

Finally, Civic is committed to being the premiere non-commercial film venue in the Lehigh Valley, showing the latest releases and best selection of award-winning art films, including documentaries, American independent, and international films that are an alternative to commercial film cinema, keeping in mind its diverse audience.