Theatre Director & VPA Department Chair

Description

Teaching Position: Theatre Director & VPA Department Chair

Reports to: Head of School ---- Start Date: August 2025

The School...

Vistamar School is an independent college preparatory day school serving grades 9-12. The founders’ vision was to tap into the diversity of Los Angeles to bring together students who could learn from each other the skills and attitudes necessary for global citizenship. The Vistamar experience is guided by its core values and its mission which rests on three pillars: challenging academics that engage and inspire students; an intimate atmosphere that supports students with caring relationships; and a diverse community that encourages the authentic exchange of perspectives and leads students to be comfortable crossing cultural boundaries. Vistamar believes there’s a better way to do high school.

Vistamar School serves a highly diverse population of students in grades 9-12, supported by a generous program of Moderated Tuition. Approximately 36% of our students participate in our Moderated Tuition program. Approximately 45% of faculty, staff, and students self-identify as people of color. We seek to attract a faculty and student body who bring a diversity of thought and culture to our school community, and who will be committed to ensuring that we provide an inclusive environment for the respectful exchange of multiple perspectives. Vistamar is located in the easternmost section of El Segundo.  The school is close to major freeway interchanges and is well-serviced by public transportation, including a commuter rail station.

Vistamar attracts and enrolls one of the most diverse student bodies in the greater Los Angeles area, with students from over 60 zip codes and more than 80 schools. We will add faculty and classrooms incrementally as we approach our target enrollment of 300.  Both tuition and salaries are competitive with other Los Angeles-area independent schools. Vistamar is fully accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and holds institutional memberships in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Council of International Schools (CIS).

The Opportunity...

You will be joining us as a member and chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department for our Theater program. The VPA Department seeks to help students build a creative foundation with the tools and techniques to effectively express themselves; critical thinking and problem-solving skills; a sense of the individual, artistic impulse; skills in communication and collaboration through various artistic endeavors; an understanding and appreciation of the arts and their contribution to a vibrant cultural life at school. All students are currently required to take 2 full-year courses of visual or performing arts. Students often take a wide variety of arts courses as electives beyond the graduation requirement.

A typical week would be a balance of Chair and teaching responsibilities, teaching a variety of performing and media arts classes depending on enrollment and candidate experience. Courses include Acting, Advanced Acting, Theatre Production, as well as staging three productions that rehearse mainly after school. Additional responsibilities include creating, maintaining, and communicating production schedules with students & families, and active participation in admissions/development events, and other important community gatherings.

Vistamar Department Chairs, in partnership with the Director of Teaching and Learning and Head of School, have oversight for the curriculum and the classroom experience. Department Chairs also play an important role in planning the academic schedule and calendar, guiding and supporting department member growth, leading and modeling student-centered, culturally-responsive teaching, and helping to communicate about school operations and initiatives. Department Chairs work with the Director of Teaching and Learning and Head of School in providing a supportive and reflective professional environment for Vistamar faculty and facilitate regular, productive, and meaningful department meetings. Additionally, Department Chairs help with hiring within their department and represent the department for Admissions efforts, including Open Houses.

Qualifications

Ideal candidates are teachers who…

• Are vibrant classroom facilitators who fulfill our Four Attributes of Excellent Teaching. 
• Have a strong practice of cultural responsiveness in and out of the classroom by exercising self-awareness, affirming multiple perspectives, addressing conflict directly and with care, and recognizing the role of power and privilege .
• Will be excited to become part of our vibrant school community by attending events and engaging with students and colleagues outside the classroom.
• Exercise flexibility and direct communication to cultivate strong and collegial relationships with all community members while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
• Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the reflective, iterative nature of teaching by pursuing professional growth and integrating feedback. 
• Intentionally design meaningful learning experiences and performance-based assessments using a “backward planning” model that foster a passion for learning in students.
• Has effective coping skills to manage challenge or stress
• Meets deadlines and has effective organizational skills
• A master's degree and teaching credential and a minimum of 5 years of teaching experience at the high school level are preferred
• Must be available to engage fully with our onboarding process.

Ideal candidates are experienced Theater Directors who…

• Can collaborate with students and colleagues to sustain a thriving theatre program.
• Have background in performance in various formats and a passion for advocating for artistic diversity
• Have knowledge and expertise in a variety of technical theatre roles including set design and construction, audio engineering, lighting, props, costumes, hair/makeup, etc to serve the performing arts department and various school events.
• Train and supervise students in the positions of stage management, set design and construction, lighting production, sound engineering and production, property and costume design, and others as needed

Ideal candidates are leaders who…

• Can collaboratively attend to curricular and pedagogical vision of the department.
• Connect school mission and initiatives with department goals. 
• Can coach, support, mentor, and counsel colleagues in service to professional growth and school mission and vision.
• Engage in team curricular planning with creativity, collaboration, and organization.
• Facilitate effective conversations and meetings with colleagues, students, and families.
• Can coordinate various responsibilities to support the department (including calendar, staffing, subs, course materials, supplies, budget, course descriptions, etc).
• Communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing.

Vistamar School is a 501c3 non-profit corporation that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of our educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, employment, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Compensation Range (depending on experience): $66,950 - $118,353

Salary : $66,950 - $118,353