Company Manager

Description

POSITION:   Company Manager

CLASSIFICATION:  Full-Time, Seasonal

STATUS:   Exempt

REPORTS TO:  Assistant Managing Director

SUPERVISES:  Seasonal Company Management staff

COMPENSATION: $1,300 per week

LOCATION:   Position may work remotely March - April. Position requires relocating to Williamstown, MA from May - August, during which housing is provided. 

HIRING TIMELINE: Applications to be accepted until the position is filled with priority application deadline of January 13, 2025. Application review and interviews to be conducted in January with an anticipated start date of March 3, 2025 and anticipated end date of August 22 

The Company Manager is a critical member of the seasonal Festival staff. This position acts as an ambassador of the Festival, welcoming all seasonal participants each summer and ensuring the well-being and care of the entire Festival community, while exemplifying the professional expectations that the Festival requires of them. The Company Manager reports to the Assistant Managing Director and also works closely with the Finance Director and Producer. They supervisea seasonal Company Management staff of 11 to facilitate the success of all summer productions and events.

The ideal candidate is an individual with excellent project management and collaboration skills, who is energized by building relationships and supporting the needs of a team with hospitality at the forefront, and has a passion for bringing artists together and the artistic process.

Primary Responsibilities and Expectations:

Lead Company Management Department

• Lead the hiring and on-boarding process for Company Management seasonal staff of about 11 people (including part-time Drivers)
• Lead and supervise the day-to-day operations of the Company Management office with assistance from seasonal Associate Company Managers
• Set weekly working hours for Company Management staff, coordinate time off requests, and manage weekly staff hours approval.

Manage Company Housing and Transportation

• Build, manage, and maintain relationships with local housing, travel, and hospitality vendors
• Identify, secure, and coordinate all housing needs at the Festival, including private artist housing leases with local homeowners
• Oversee the set up and preparation of accommodations for artists, ensuring living spaces comply with union rules and are fully equipped. Facilitate the weekly distribution and collection of linens for Equity members, and coordinate the cleaning of all private housing and any dorms, as needed
• Act as the liaison with various departments at Williams College regarding housing, specifically Conferences and Campus Safety Services 
• Manage and track Williams College swipe cards and housing keys
• Manage all requests for service animals housed at Williams College
• Work with the Production Resource Coordinator to secure necessary seasonal fleet vehicle rentals, arranged through Enterprise
• Ensure CORST union contract requirements are fulfilled as pertains to travel, housing, access to groceries, etc.
• Manage all arrival, check-in, and departure procedures for all company members, including the ordering and distribution of on campus parking stickers
• Manage the coordination of travel for all individuals whose travel is provided to and from the Festival

Foster Company Communication and Festival Life

• Create, compile, and distribute seasonal information and summer welcome packets to all company members before arrival, including soliciting local businesses to showcase their offerings
• Create and maintain a company-wide contact sheet and database alongside the Business Office
• Draft and disseminate any company-wide communications (not inclusive of Festival News e-blasts, which are created by one of the Associate Company Managers)
• Support the Producer as they assist the Audience Engagement Manager with fulfilling industry house seat requests, contractual artist comps, and facilitating Festival Company ticketing through the Company List sign-up
• Provide on-site artist services support for at least two of the major productions
• In conjunction with the Assistant Managing Director maintain a relationship with the WTF Guild, specifically assisting them with fulfilling company hospitality needs and artist requests
• In conjunction with the Production Resource Coordinator, act as point of contact for COVID mitigation, tracing, and notification
• Organize and plan company picnics and other events to build community, appreciate staff, and enrich and supplement summer experience for Festival company.
• In concert with the Company Management team (sans Drivers), take turns being on call with the overnight Lockout Phone

Administrative and Organizational Support

• Work with the Assistant Managing Director and Finance Director to manage department expenses
• Embrace the Festival’s commitment to EDIA and Anti-Racism by actively participating in and encouraging behaviors among staff members that exemplify respect; interrupting microaggressions and other behaviors that hinder our EDIA and Anti-Racism efforts; engaging in the diversification of the workforce; demonstrating a degree of cultural competency that encourages healthy relationships with all company members
• An essential function of this job is in-person work from May - August in Williamstown, MA.
• Complete other duties as assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• You are a creative, analytical and process-oriented thinker capable of remaining flexible and adapting to new situations, tasks, or challenges 
• You are highly-organized and self-motivated, capable of handling multiple projects and prioritizing appropriately
• You believe that company members’ experience with the Festival starts far earlier than when they arrive on campus and that welcoming and providing timely and comprehensive information to set shared expectations is critical to their experience
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills and are able to quickly craft and deliver clear, accurate, and engaging messaging in both internal and external communications 
• You have excellent interpersonal skills, want to foster a cooperative work environment, and are able to interact well with and adapt communication styles to a variety of situations and with a variety of individuals, including staff, artists, Festival Board members, and members of the Festival and Williamstown community 
• You have previous experience working in a festival or high-activity theatre environment
• During the summer season, you have the ability to work day, evening, and weekend hours, based on the needs of daily business operations and the productions and not to exceed the Festival’s weekly hour caps and mandatory day off
• You are able to maintain confidentiality and security of sensitive staff and company information
• You have the ability to lift 25 lbs

We appreciate the value of myriad life and work experiences, and we recognize that many paths might adequately prepare someone for this role. We encourage anyone who believes they would be a good fit to apply.

About Williamstown Theatre Festival

After seven decades of helping to shape the American theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival is bringing emerging and professional artists together in the Berkshires to create a thrilling summer festival that expands the expression of theater and its essential role in society. The Festival will continue to produce the world premiere plays and musicals and bold new revivals that it’s come to be known for, while expanding into other forms of theatrical expression that brings many art forms together in exciting and innovative ways.

Williamstown Theatre Festival has always been, and continues to be, a creative hothouse for established and emerging artists and their work. More than 75 productions have transferred from the Festival to other regional theaters, Off-Broadway, and Broadway, with many productions being adapted for television and film. Thousands of actors, writers, designers, directors, and aspiring theater professionals from all fields that have come through the Festival to challenge themselves and their craft have gone on to prominence and recognition on Broadway, in Hollywood and beyond. Learn more at wtfestival.org.

Working and Living in Williamstown

Williamstown Theatre Festival’s season takes place on the beautiful campus of Williams College in Williamstown, MA with backdrops of the Berkshire, Green, and Taconic mountain ranges. Williamstown, MA (estimated pop. 7,813) is located in Berkshire County (estimated pop. 128,657) in Western Massachusetts and is an hour’s drive from Albany, NY and 30 minutes from Pittsfield, MA. 

The Williams College campus and the 62’ Center for Theatre and Dance are within walking distance of Spring Street, which has several restaurants with dine-in and takeout options, a coffee shop, an ice cream shop, an independent movie theater, and several stores. The nearest grocery store is a 10-minute drive from campus and not within walking distance. Having a personal vehicle does provide more flexibility in grocery-shopping and expands dining and activities options. For those who bring vehicles, parking is free at designated locations on Williams campus with a parking pass.  For a list of all the things to do and see in Williamstown and the Northern Berkshires, visit DestinationWilliamstown.org.  

All seasonal staff are provided housing free of charge on campus at Williams College. Housing is dorm-style with private bedrooms and shared common areas, including bathroom and kitchen. Williams College housing is not air-conditioned. Weather ranges from evenings on the cooler side but can also be quite warm with temperatures in the 90s with high humidity.

We acknowledge that Williamstown Theatre Festival is a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) located in a county that is 91% white, according to the US Census Bureau. We are actively engaged in the work of becoming a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, accessible, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive institution that not only welcomes BIPOC artists and staff but nurtures an environment that allows everyone to thrive. More specific actions on these efforts can be found in our Progress Report on our website: https://wtfestival.org/work-learn/.

Williamstown Theatre Festival is committed to telling diverse stories and to fostering an inclusive environment both onstage and off. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. We believe that opportunity, access, resources, and rewards should be available to and for the benefit of all. Therefore, WTF is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants shall be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, sex/gender (including pregnancy and gender identity), disability, military status, veteran status, marital status, familial status, ancestry, genetics, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Candidates from populations underrepresented in the theater field are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary : $1,300