Costumes Crew - Illinois Shakespeare Festival 2025

Division Name: Academic Affairs
Department: School of Theatre, Dance, and Film

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is seeking applications for highly skilled and experienced Cutter/Drapers and First Hands, as well as Costume Technicians and Costume Crafts Technicians for the 2025 summer season.

CUTTER/DRAPER and FIRST HAND
- Professional cutter/draper experience is required. Professional first hand experience is preferred in addition to being a skilled cutter/draper or first hand. The ideal candidate should work well in a fast-paced environment, be self-motivated, have excellent communication skills, and be able to teach young costume professionals and interns.
- Positions will be available for both the build period of the Festival and the full season. Cutter/drapers and First Hands hired for the build period will work from May 20 - July 11. First Hands/Wardrobe Crew Heads hired for the full season will work May 20 - August 6 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

COSTUME TECHNICIAN/WARDROBE CREW
- Costume construction experience is required, preferably in a professional environment. In addition to strong construction skills, the ideal candidate should have strong communication skills, be able to work well in a fast-paced environment, be able to produce professional quality costumes independently, and teach interns.
- Positions will be available for both the build period of the Festival and the full season. Costume technicians hired for the build period will work from May 20 - July 11. Costume technicians hired for the full season will work May 20 - August 6 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

COSTUME CRAFTS TECHNICIAN/WARDROBE CREW
- Costume crafts experience is required, preferably in a professional environment. In addition to strong construction skills, the ideal candidate should have strong communication skills, be able to work well in a fast-paced environment, be able to produce professional quality costume crafts independently, and teach interns.
- Positions will be available for both the build period of the Festival and the full season. Costume crafts technicians hired for the build period will work from May 20 - July 11. Costume crafts technicians hired for the full season will work May 20 - August 6 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

ASSISTANT CRAFT SHOP SUPERVISOR
- Experience working in a managerial position is required preferably in a professional craft shop. The ideal candidate must work well in a fast-paced environment, be self-motivated, and possess excellent communication skills. Candidates must demonstrate advanced organizational skills and an ability to work with professional costume designers. Knowledge of costume and craft construction methods is required.
- This position is available for the build period of the Festival, May 20 - July 11.

Housing is available at a reduced cost beginning on May 19.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed and positions filled as applications are received.

In addition to the required resume and cover letter, interested applicants are encouraged to submit images of their work, uploaded as a Word or PDF document. Alternatively, a link to an online portfolio can be uploaded in a Word or PDF document.

IF YOU ARE AN ISU STUDENT (enrolled in at least 6 undergraduate or 5 graduate credit hours during the Spring 2025 semester): Please do not apply to this posting. You will need to apply to the student employment posting, located here: https://jobsearch.illinoisstate.edu/en-us/job/519803/costumes-crew-illinois-shakespeare-festival-2025-isu-students.

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is a professional repertory theatre company that produces Shakespeare and contemporary plays in the spirit of Shakespeare every summer at the beautiful Ewing Cultural Center in Bloomington, Illinois. The Festival hires professional Directors, Designers, Actors, and production personnel and offers a variety of internships to students from Illinois State University and other colleges and universities. The Festival sells an average of 10,000 tickets per year, is supported by Illinois State University and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival Society.

Benefits include time away from work for eligible employees and the option to participate in the University's 403(b) Plan.

Positions range from $15.00 per hour to $20.00 per hour

1. Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment
2. Self-motivated
3. Good communication skills
4. Additional requirements included in the General Summary

Regular shop hours are typically Tuesday through Sunday 8:00am to 4:30pm with an average of 37.5 hours per week. Individual schedules will vary based on daily needs. Additional hours may be added during tech weeks. For the position who will stay through the festival, work hours will shift to mostly evening hours for performances.

May 2025

Resume
Cover Letter

Please Note: These documents are required to be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Images of work or links to online portfolio
Certification of Retirement Annuity

Please Note: These documents may be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Extra Help are only paid for hours worked and do not qualify for most benefits including health insurance and retirement, with Illinois State University. However, Extra Help employees are eligible to participate in the University's supplemental retirement savings plans (403b). Applicable retirement information is provided at the time of hire. There is no guarantee that working as Extra Help will lead to or secure permanent employment. In addition, extra help employees may only work up to 900 hours total during their employment.

Please fully complete the entire application including, but not limited to, the education and work history portions. Be specific on your work history, including employment dates (if part-time you must list the number of work hours) and duties for all positions held. Applicable part-time work experience will be considered toward qualifying for this position; however, it will be converted to a full-time equivalency to determine combined length of experience. Please do not put "see resume" in the duties and responsibilities section of the work history. This will be considered an incomplete application and incomplete applications will not be considered.

Illinois State University is authorized to do business within the State of Illinois. All work under this appointment is required to be performed from within the State of Illinois.

Allie Nicholson
alnich1@ilstu.edu
Production Manager, Illinois Shakespeare Festival

This position is subject to a criminal background investigation and if applicable, an employment history review, based on University Policy 3.1.30 and any offer of employment is contingent upon you passing a satisfactory criminal background investigation and/or an employment history review. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

Illinois State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other state or federal law you may request an accommodation by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309) 438-3383. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will hold any confidential information you provide in confidence.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please call Human Resources at (309) 438-8311.