2025 Musical Lighting Designer

2025 Musical Lighting Designer

Prescott Park Arts Festival, a well-established and dynamic non-profit performing arts organization, is seeking to hire a Musical Lighting Designer. This position will join the experienced, award-winning, fun, and fast-paced team responsible for organizing this popular summer Seacoast tradition that features over 70 diverse performances from June to October each year. Events include concerts, food and music festivals, movie nights, a signature musical theatre production, a youth theatre camp, and more.

Prescott Park Arts Festival is a cultural leader in the Seacoast, and reaches nearly 150,000 people through its events, all offered by suggested donation in Portsmouth’s beautiful downtown Prescott Park. The Festival’s contribution to the local economy in show- and visitor-related spending has swelled to $7.5 million annually.

Job Description Details

This position calls for an energetic, dynamic, and dedicated individual who works well with a great deal of independence and exercises independent judgment while performing a variety of duties.

The Lighting Designer reports directly to the Theatre Production Manager and the Executive Director at large and works with the Master Electrician to execute the Mainstage Musical lighting design. The Lighting Designer will work closely with all Festival staff to ensure that all goals and deadlines for the production season are met.

Please note that we cannot offer housing for seasonal/production staff at this time.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Design and Execution:

• Develop and submit a rough lighting plot by March 4, 2025, with the final plot due

by April 1, 2025.

• Collaborate on the execution of the lighting design, ensuring it aligns with the

artistic vision and technical needs of the production.

• Coordinate with the Production Manager and Master Electrician to finalize

equipment rental inventory.

Meetings and Rehearsals:

• Attend production meetings as needed.

• Participate in lighting hang, focus calls, and technical/dress rehearsals as required.

• Run focus calls and work with the Director to cue the production during evening

sessions, ensuring optimal fixture illumination.

Support and Maintenance:

• Address and advise technical issues related to lighting during the production run,

as needed, but the majority of tasks will be completed through June 20, 2025.

• Assist in ensuring smooth operations during lighting hang, focus calls, and

technical rehearsals.

Additional Duties:

• Provide a condensed bio (maximum 150 words) and name as to be listed in the

playbill by April 1, 2025.

Qualifications and Expectations

• Demonstrated experience in lighting design, preferably in a theatrical setting.

• Ability to work collaboratively with production staff and creative teams.

• Availability to attend evening calls and adapt to a flexible schedule as needed.

• Commitment to upholding a safe, respectful, and professional work environment in compliance with the Festival's policies on drug, alcohol use, and workplace harassment.

• Strong organizational and communication skills to facilitate smooth production processes.

Preferred skills and other requirements include but are not limited to:

• Ability to climb (with the use of a harness or A-frame ladder) heights reaching up to 22’ off the stage deck

• Enthusiasm for live event production

• Have demonstrated success in previous production work, with a focus on electrics and lighting

• Detail-oriented with the ability to work independently and as part of a team

• Willingness to perform, at times, physically demanding tasks, with the ability to lift items potentially weighing up to 50 pounds

• Must be comfortable standing and walking outside on uneven ground and other surfaces

• Must be able to endure working outside in, at times, extreme heat and/or inclement weather conditions within reason and while following all safety protocols

• Availability both during the week and on the weekends for both daytime and evening hours, especially through scheduled tech rehearsal weeks

• A sense of humor and joy for the job!

Prescott Park Arts Festival is deeply committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage those with the following identities to apply: Black, local Indigenous, people of color and people with intersecting identities including LGBTQIA , women and non-binary people, people living with disabilities and others with lived experience being part of marginalized communities.

Salary: $1900 stipend commensurate with experience from signing through opening night (on or about June 20th). Any concert lighting commitments will include a separate day rate of $150/day.

To apply, PLEASE INCLUDE A COVER LETTER AND RESUME, listing all previous work experience. We love learning about our applicants, so don’t hesitate to show off what makes you YOU! No phone calls please.

Job Types: Part-time, Temporary, Contract

Work Location: In person

Salary : $8