Assistant Professor in Theatre and Acting

The School of Theatre + Dance seeks an Assistant Professor in Theatre and Acting. The successful candidate will work with undergraduate and graduate actors on a variety of content areas that could include one or more of the following: acting fundamentals, scene study, performing Shakespeare and other heightened language texts and period styles, directing, and/or devised performance (solo and ensemble). The School is especially interested in applicants with a progressive perspective on acting training in the 21st Century and the ability to teach courses in heightened language and high styles for the actor through the lens of modern pedagogical practices. We welcome and include a demonstrated capacity to offer perspectives within existing curriculum and/or specialized coursework in Black, Latinx, Asian/Asian American, Indigenous American, Queer, and/or disability theatre/performance and an understanding of culturally informed pedagogy. Understanding that a life in the arts requires an entrepreneurial sense, we welcome a skills-based approach interwoven with critical discourse and intentionality about creating careers in the arts. The position entails active participation in our learning community while finding innovative ways to engage in critical discourse across the arts and other disciplines.

The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. As artists and scholars, we embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our students and faculty to shape that experience fearlessly through critical study, creative practice, and provocation. We seek a colleague who identifies as a change-maker. We seek a colleague who will prepare students to access and unsettle centers of power in a radically changing world. We seek a colleague who will position emerging artists and researchers as catalysts for equity on local and global levels.

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty, seeking faculty of all races, ethnicities, genders, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. 

Responsibilities: 

• Teach undergraduate and graduate curricula in acting and performance. Courses may include but are not limited to the following subject areas: acting fundamentals, scene study, performing Shakespeare and other heightened language texts and period styles, directing, and/or devised performance (solo and ensemble).
• Advise BA and BFA senior projects and MFA thesis projects.
• Maintain active national and international creative research profile in areas of specialization, consistent with expectation of tenure and promotion.
• Active participation in our learning community, finding innovative ways to connect the arts to critical discourse in other disciplines.
• Contribute to curricular efforts in performance-related areas including teaching and/or developing new courses for the UF Quest program: http://undergrad.aa.ufl.edu/uf-quest/.
• Participate in the organizational and administrative activities of the Performance Area.
• Participate in shared governance through service to the School, College, and University.

SCHOOL OF THEATRE + DANCE: The light-filled Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion is home to the School of Theatre + Dance (SoTD). The School’s international full-time faculty of 35 recognized artists and researchers, complemented by adjunct and guest faculty and staff, including full- and part-time professionals. The School offers MFA curricula in acting and in design, which includes scene design, lighting design and costume design; BFA programs in acting, musical theatre, and theatrical production with concentrations in costume, digital media, lighting, scenic, and sound; and a BA with concentrations in general theatre, stage management, and theatre management. The School features two degree programs in dance designed to develop the individual voice of the dance artist, a BFA and a BA. Approximately 200 students major in the artistically diverse curricula of the School of Theatre + Dance. Through its production program, outreach and innovative programming, the School of Theatre + Dance provides multiple cultural opportunities annually to thousands of members of the University and the greater community. The University of Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance and the National Association of Schools of Theatre. For more information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance.  

THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS: The mission of the College of the Arts is to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. We achieve the university’s mission by training professionals and educating students as artists and scholars, while developing their capacities for critical study, creative practice, and provocation. The College offers baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Approximately 1,700 students are pursuing majors in degrees offered by the College of the Arts under the direction of 130 faculty members in its three accredited schools— the School of Art + Art History, the School of Music, and the School of Theatre + Dance, and in the Center for Arts in Medicine, the Digital Worlds Institute, and the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship. In addition, the college comprises the University Galleries, and the University level of the New World School of the Arts in Miami. 

The University of Florida: The University of Florida is a comprehensive learning institution built on a land grant foundation, ranked one of the top five best public universities in the nation in U.S. News & World Report. We are The Gator Nation, a diverse community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation and the world. Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit. UF is a graduate research institution with more than 50,000 students and membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Gainesville, which is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s most livable cities, is located midway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Together, the University and the community comprise the educational, medical and cultural center of North Central Florida, with outstanding resources such as the University of Florida Performing Arts (Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the Squitieri Studio Theatre, the Baughman Center, University Auditorium), the Harn Museum of Art, the Florida Museum of Natural History and in the community, the Hippodrome State Theatre and Dance Alive National Ballet.

$66,500-$68,000 Negotiable based on qualifications and experience. Competitive leave and comprehensive benefits package eligible.

• Earned PhD or MFA in theatre, performance studies, or closely related field by time of appointment.

• Demonstrated success teaching acting and/or performance courses.
• Record of achievement in the field at a national or international level, in alignment with the unit’s tenure and promotion criteria.
• Evidence of success in promoting an environment that advances pluralism, curiosity, open intellectual discourse, and the well-being of all in the context of cultural and ideological difference.
• Three years teaching experience beyond graduate assistantship at the university level with evidence of commitment to collaboration and excellence in the arts and higher education.
• Engagement in the field consistent with the expectations of a research-focused institution in which creative endeavors such as performance and production work are valued as research.
• Demonstrated success teaching acting fundamentals, scene study, performing Shakespeare and other heightened language texts and period styles, directing, and/or devised performance (solo and ensemble) at the university/college level.
• Evidence of a commitment to innovative and cross-disciplinary curricula.
• Demonstrated aptitude for working toward structural and strategic change, particularly in relationship to promoting an environment that advances pluralism, curiosity, open intellectual discourse, and the well-being of all in the context of cultural and ideological difference.
• Demonstrated capacity for effective engagement in student recruitment.

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin January 8, 2024, and continue until an applicant pool is established. To ensure full consideration, all application documents must be submitted by January 8, 2024. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and/or hiring authority. 

Application Process: Applications must be submitted via the University of Florida’s online application system. Online applications must include the following: (1) a detailed letter of application that explains how you match the particular qualifications of this position and how your work and perspective will contribute to and enhance our transformative community; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) one-page artist statement; (4) one-page teaching philosophy; (5) links to work samples images (Note that the UF application system only allows for one 5 MB maximum file size PDF document); (6) names and contact information of three professional references. The UF system will give you the option to upload letters of reference. We are not requiring letters of reference with initial application materials. Please ignore that option. The Search Committee may request additional materials at a later time. 

Inquiries may be sent to:
Tony Ramirez-Mata
Chair, Theatre and Acting Ast Prof Search
Email: tmata@ufl.edu

The selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an educational institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call +1 (352) 392- 2477or the Florida Relay System at +1 (800) 955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.