Stage Manager needed for Drink the Past Dry

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking a Stage Manager for its March production of Drink the Past Dry written and directed by Ensemble Member Maria Burnham. Drink the Past Dry is a vignette-style, site-specific production set in a nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago. It looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood in the city with a few regulars sipping drinks, making small talk, doing the things people always do in bars. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time, but only once and only within the walls of the bar (so it turns out it’s not as popular a place as one might think). But there are some souls who still need to reach out to the past – or to the future – and this is where they come when they do.

Job Details:
The Stage Manager will attend all rehearsals and performances.

The Stage Manager will provide practical and organizational support to the director, actors and designers throughout the production process. They will also be the director's representative during performances, making sure that the production runs smoothly. While Ghostlight will have a company representative at each performance to manage the house, the Stage Manager will be responsible for the production elements of the performance.

Stage Manager will work side-by-side with the director during rehearsals, recording decisions about blocking and notes for the actors, keeping track of logistical and scheduling details and communicating what goes on in rehearsals to the rest of the team.

Key Dates:
Rehearsals will be 3-4 times/week on weeknight evenings and/or weekend days in April 2025. Final dates will be confirmed after review of cast conflicts.

Tech: Thursday, April 24 and rehearsals on Friday, April 25 in the evenings and Saturday, April 26 during the day.

Preview: Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m.

Performances: 

• Friday & Saturday, May 2 &3

• Friday & Sunday, May 9 & 11

• Friday & Sunday, May 16 & 18

• Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 23, 24 & 25

• Thursday & Friday, May 29 & 30

• Sunday, June 1

Thursday, May 29 is a designated understudy performance. There will be a put-in rehearsal for the understudies on May 27 or May 28, depending on availability. 

Performance take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. The performance will take place upstairs at Mrs. Murphy and Sons (3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613)

Instructions to Apply:
To be considered, please send resume to Maria Burnham maria@ghostlightensemble.com

Pay Rate/Range:
$350 stipend

Stage Manager and Costumer needed for Invaders of Mathmatica

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking a Stage Manager and a Costumer for its February production of Invaders of Mathmatica by Ensemble Member Nick Conrad. Invaders of Mathmatica is part of our Nightlight young audiences series, which produces original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them. The play tells the story of the planet of Mathmatica where math and science are revered above all else. But their culture has advanced without artistic expression and with a fear of outsiders. The planet has shut itself off from other worlds, figurative and literally. But when three outsiders crash on the surface bringing with them music, art and dance, the princess of Mathmatica begins to question the logic of their isolationist tendencies and the history she’s always been taught.

Job Details:
The Stage Manger will attend all rehearsals and performances.

The Costumer will dress 6 actors (with three actors portraying 2 characters each) and 2 understudies. For our young audience productions we aim for our costume design to be inspired by the type of costumes a child might put together for themselves were they designing a robot or princess outfit. So, costumes do not necessarily need to be complex, but must be functional. We ask that the Costumer be available for virtual production meetings, in-person designer run, tech week and wardrobe fittings in January/February. Dates confirmed according to cast and production team availability.

Key Dates:
Production Schedule: Rehearsals in January 2025. 3-4 rehearsals/week on weeknights or weekend days, to be scheduled according to cast availability.

Tech: Saturday, February 1, 2025, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with additional rehearsals during the week of Feb. 3-7 in the evenings.

Performances: Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Feb. 8-9 and Feb. 15-16, 2025, at Bughouse Theatre in the NorthCenter neighborhood of Chicago (1910 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613).

Instructions to Apply:
To be considered, please send resume to Maria Burnham maria@ghostlightensemble.com

Pay Rate/Range:
$250 stipend for each job.

Production jobs listed for this summer's The Selfish Giant

Ghostlight is seeking a Stage Manager and a Costume Designer for its production ofThe Selfish Giant, an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde short story told through physical theatre. The production is geared toward young audiences.

To apply for any of the jobs listed below, submit a resume and statement of interest to Production Manager, Chad Wise at chad@ghostlightensemble.com. Please put the job you are applying for in the subject line.

Stage Manager
In addition to the usual duties, the stage manager will be required to act as light/sound board operator for performances.

Costume Designer
Sourcing or constructing single costume for a cast of 11, with an emphasis on flexibility for movement, while keeping in mind this is a production for young audiences in which actors take on multiple roles and build the world with their bodies.

Schedule Details
Rehearsals will be held on week day nights and weekends in April and May, with a short tech.

Performances run June 8-30 at 1 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. on Sundays at Otherworld Theatre in Chicago.

Stipend
$75 per position

Update: Stage Manager needed for Picasso at the Lapin Agile for Tech & Performance only

Ghostlight Ensemble seeks a Stage Manager for the run of its production of Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile. The absurdist comedy imagines a meeting between Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter sets the art world afire with cubism.

In addition to the usual duties, the stage manager will be required to act as light/sound board operator for performances.

This position is only needed to fill tech week and performances, not rehearsals. The performance stage manager will begin attending rehearsals no later than October 12 or 13, taking over from the current stage manager, who will meet with the candidate and provide updated cues and notes at a paper tech, which will be scheduled according to availability.

Schedule Details
Tech week is October 15-18, evenings only. Load-in is scheduled for Sunday, October 14.

Performances run October 19 through November 4, 2018, on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. with one industry performance at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 22. All performances are at Otherworld Theatre in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago.

Stipend
A small stipend will be available for this position.

More information about the production is available on the project page.

To Apply: 

Please send your resume and a statement of interest to production manager Chad Wise at chad@ghostlightensemble.com.