Position Rank and Title: Assistant or Advanced Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) - Theatre Directing

School/Department Name: Department of Film, Theatre, and Dance / College of Humanities and the Arts

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. See Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent employment benefits. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $88,000 - $90,000.

Target Start Date: August 18, 2025

Application Deadline: January 5, 2025, or until position filled 

Position Description

The Department of Film, Theatre, and Dance at San José State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant or advanced Assistant Professor of theatre with a specialization in directing. Our ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in directing for theatre and a successful record of working professionally in live performance. We anticipate the ideal candidate will also teach in our musical theatre minor, an emerging program with a robust recent history and enormous potential for growth. Additional teaching possibilities exist in collaboration with other programs at the university, specifically: performance studies, dance, music, or radio-television-film. Lastly, we encourage applicants with ancillary focus in any of the following: theatre for social change; global, diasporic, and/or indigenous theatre traditions; devised theatre; or narrative film directing.

The Department presents a full season of stage productions, two of which each year are in the Hammer Theatre (formerly home to the San José Repertory Theatre), a 550-seat performance venue in downtown San José. We also create short and feature films through the Spartan Film Studios. Our full-time radio station, KSJS 90.5, provides entertainment, sports, and community service to the Bay Area. And our dance program curates a full season of multiple productions. Our faculty are award-winning scholars and industry professionals whose work appears in venues throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as nationally, and internationally.

The Department of Film, Theatre, and Dance, and San José State University (SJSU) as a whole, have a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The department encourages a wide range of voices and perspectives in our pedagogical, scholarly, and creative work. Our Theatre Arts program is committed to amplifying traditionally disenfranchised perspectives that can impact and shape representation in innovative, exciting, and transformative ways. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service is rooted in a commitment to these values.

SJSU, which was recently named the #4 public university in the nation by The Wall Street Journal, enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation college students, and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, so our students can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through their research, teaching, and service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated. 

Required Qualifications

• An MFA or PhD with significant professional experience in Theatre or Performance Studies, or related field at the time of appointment.
• Professional experience and expertise in directing theatre as evidenced by a record of production.
• University-level teaching experience.
• A demonstrated awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a multicultural population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience. 
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• A minimum of two years teaching experience at the university level in the broad field of theatre.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in a small dynamic department. 
• Commitment to addressing equity gaps in the field of theatre.
• Commitment to the values of social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
  
  

Responsibilities

• Develop and sustain an ongoing record of creative activities and/or scholarly research.
• Direct productions for our theatre season and participate in season selection. 
• Design and teach courses in theatre directing and performance, including acting technique and directing technique, as well as classes in musical theatre.
• Advise and mentor students throughout their time in the program and help majors move toward graduation.
• Participate in student recruitment. 
• Serve on committees and perform other service at the department, college, and university levels.
• Participate in curriculum development and teach theatre courses beyond directing to meet the needs of the program and its students.
• Address the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, cultural background, ethnicity, primary language, and academic preparation – through course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.
  
  

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution. 

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Select Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents (deadline January 5, 2025, or until position is filled):

• two-page letter of interest;
• curriculum vitae;
• one-page statement of teaching experience/interests/philosophy describing the candidate’s plans to engage undergraduate students in theatre;
• one-page statement of current and future research and/or creative production plans;
• link to an online portfolio and/or inclusion of work in directing for theatre;
• diversity statement;
• names and contact information for three references.

Inquiries may be directed to: Dr. Matthew Spangler, Chair of the Department of Film, Theatre, and Dance at matthew.spangler@sjsu.edu. 

Conditional Offer

The work for this faculty position may only be performed in the State of California and requires establishing an on-campus presence. Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification 

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.