JOB OPPORTUNITY
Teaching Artist 


To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to jobs@storycatcherstheatre.org with the position title in the subject line.

 


About the Changing Voices (CV) program.

CV is a year-round supported employment program offering 30 hours per week in eight-month cycles. It serves primarily emerging black and brown adults in the justice system who are 18-24 years of age and from the west and south sides of Chicago. The program uses story-writing, musical theatre performances, job/life skills training, and case management support to empower youth to meet their personal goals.


Who should apply. And what we offer.

We’re looking for experienced teaching artists who can skillfully lead activities in one or more performance areas and are committed to never giving up on youth whom society and the justice system have left behind. We place a high value on the ability to relate on a personal level to the population we serve. Maybe you have experienced growing up in underserved neighborhoods. Maybe you are dedicated to uplifting and empowering people have lived in, and through, serious trauma.

Our teaching artists help people find their voice and empower them to have… Personal goals. Better relationships. New opportunities. More joy. Futures reclaimed.

We offer a place where art makes real change.


Some things a teaching artist might do in a typical week.


Program Delivery

  • Attend a weekly program meeting to discuss a young person’s challenges in writing their story.
  • Develop a creative workshop that addresses a curricular need.
  • Discuss the lyrical emotions of an original song with a composer.
  • Help block a scene or teach a new piece of choreography.
  • Post something inspiring about a group project on the ensemble’s Band app.
  • Run the group warm-up.
  • Develop a creative expression to better understand a traumatic event in the community.
  • Accompany the ensemble on tour to a community performance.
  • Prepare youth for a post-show discussion with the community.

 

Youth Mentoring

  • Talk with a young person about why health and wellness are important.
  • Accompany the youth to a job-skills session at a corporate headquarters.
  • Check-in with a young person about progression towards a personal goal.
  • Lead a team celebration for a young person who graduates into a full-time job.
  • Provide encouragement through a stressful program session.
  • Empower youth to develop coping tactics for handling a personal situation.
  • Convince a young person to take advantage of a case management workshop.
  • Chaperone the ensemble to a polling place and help them vote for the first time.

 

What you’ll need to be a great candidate.
  • Have extensive experience working as a professional performance artist.
  • Be a competent writer and understand the format of a good story or script.
  • Be willing to work within a documented, trauma-informed writing methodology.
  • Have teaching experience in a diverse setting. Be able to command a room and gain respect.
  • Have experience working with those who have been traumatized and/or underserved.
  • Have strong interest in advocating against the societal issues and oppressions prevalent in minority communities and the justice system.
  • Skillfully lead activities in one or more performance areas (dance, writing, acting, percussion, etc.).
  • Have a strong sense of professional boundaries in relationships with youth participants.

 

Required availability.       

Average 20 hours per week. Monday through Thursday 8:30am-5pm. Flexible scheduling with a 4-hour minimum call time for program sessions.

Compensation.

Between $25 and $30/hour depending on experience. We pay for all assigned off-site prep time. That means compensation for script reading, curriculum planning and staff meetings, monthly artist trainings – anything you are required to do for each program session, performance, or professional development.

Where you’ll work.

Our Changing Voices post-release program currently resides near 51st and Ashland. A new program next year location may find us moving elsewhere within 3 miles of this location.

 

About Storycatchers Theatre. 

For 34 years, Storycatchers Theatre has been empowering court-involved youth to craft and perform musical theatre from their own personal stories of growing up in Illinois’ underserved neighborhoods. Using an award-winning and transformational writing methodology, these youths develop the skills needed to successfully re-enter society and move beyond their histories to become peer mentors, civic influencers, and agents of change in our community.