Full-Time Positions

Director of Community Connections

The Rose seeks a collaborative and civically engaged leader who will strategically utilize theater education to advance cultural equity across our community. The position develops partnerships across the arts, education, human services, and health sectors. This leader will coordinate and lead workshops, residencies, and performances that support transformational change at the individual and systemic levels. The position also leverages The Rose’s resources to reach historically excluded communities with professional productions, education classes and camps for young people ages 3-18.

Essential Job Duties:

• Establish community partnerships that generate a dynamic and living relationship between young people and The Rose:
  • Foster relationships with groups and formal organizations in the arts, education, human services, and health sectors who work with young people ages 3-18.
  • Develop an understanding of partner organization programming models and unmet needs in order to offer responsive theater-based programming.
  • Recruit and train teaching artists, and co-teach CommUNITY Voices workshops, classes, and residencies that encourage youth ages 12-18 to speak out about challenges facing our community.
  • Supervise the Associate Director to leverage on-site Rose productions, classes and camps as cultural assets available to children from historically excluded communities:
    • Develop plans to provide transportation to students when this is a barrier to participation. Hire drivers and establish priorities for service areas.
    • Promote, distribute, and manage tracking of scholarships and community complimentary tickets where cost is a barrier to participation in any Rose programming.
  • Working with the Artistic Director, produce documentary and fictional performances that generate community-dialogue on urgent social justice needs.
  • Current and recent partner organizations include:
    • Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility
    • Northstar Foundation
    • Girls, Inc.
    • Completely Kids
    • Bannister’s Leadership Academy
    • Re-Connect
    • OneWorld
    • MENTOR Nebraska
    • Big Brother/s Big Sisters of the Midlands
    • Ronald McDonald House
    • Micah House
• Identify unmet community needs and strategically establish programming to address those. Examples might include spaces where trauma-informed or somatic theater practice can be an effective tool to transform the lives of young people.
• Collaborate with Associate Director and Early Childhood Director to strategically reach early learners with Itty Bitty Connections and Li’l Rosies programming focused on creative play and musical theater.
• Identify, plan, and execute major long-term as well as reactive artistic initiatives that respond to social need in the Omaha community.
• Supervise interns, volunteers and part-time staff as necessary.
• Operate within the approved annual budget under the supervision of the Artistic Director.
• Direct Youth Theater and Teen Theater shows as assigned.
• Assist in the generation of grant proposals for education, mainstage and audience engagement programming.
• Function as a department head in establishing and supporting the strategic direction of The Rose.

Other Job Duties:

• Attend all necessary meetings including, production, department heads, and all-staff meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Artistic Director.

Potential Job Duties:

• If the candidate has interest, serve as a Director, or an Actor, or a Playwright for professional mainstage and theater for the very young productions.

Education, Training and Experience:

• Theater training or experience in acting and directing, devised theater, or applied theater.
• A history of producing community-engaged or activated theater.
• Teaching experience with a range of ages, cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds.

Skills and Abilities

• An understanding and commitment to Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression principles and practices.
• Ability to meet all deadlines under pressure situations.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to interact and communicate effectively with employees at all levels within the organization.
• Act as a representative of The Theater at all times, providing excellent customer service to members, patrons, vendors and staff.
• Maintain current certification in CPR/1st Aid.
• Time management and organizational skills to prioritize tasks and assignments.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Ability to stand or kneel for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to lift at least 25lbs.
• Ability to carry and manage large and oversize set pieces.

Salary and Application Instructions

This is a full time, exempt position. Annual salary is $52,000-$55,000. Relocation support will be provided. Benefits include Life, Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance as well as 401K plan. Children of employees may enroll in education programs free.

The Rose Theater is committed to diversity across our artistic and educational output as well as within our staff and leadership. BIPOC candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested applicants should submit any material that represents their passion and qualifications for this job. This material can include a letter, video, video letter, resume, portfolio and any combination of those that highlights experiences relevant to the position. We ask that all applicants also share a lesson plan that evidences their teaching philosophy. These materials can be sent to Artistic Director Matthew Gutschick at mattg@rosetheater.org and Managing Director Julie Walker at juliew@rosetheater.org. Please include “Director of Community Connections” in the subject line.

About The Rose and Omaha

Operating out of a beautiful historic theater, The Rose annually produces eleven professional productions. Recent world premieres include Return To Niobrara by Mary Kathryn Nagle, and Howie D: Back In The Day with Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough. The Rose is also one of America’s largest theaters for multigenerational audiences. The Rose opened a new 27,000 square foot education studio in 2020.

Omaha Theater Company (The Rose) is one of the country’s largest professional theaters for young audiences. Serving more than 150,000 people annually, The Rose’s radical dedication to accessibility is embodied in its Every Single Child Program. This program is designed to allow every elementary and middle school student in Omaha the opportunity to take part in at least one meaningful theatrical experience each year, whether it be a school field trip show, touring show, or workshop. Coupling professional mainstage shows, exciting teen productions, creative drama, and technique based instruction, The Rose is proud to enrich young people’s lives using theatre.

The Rose’s Anti-Racism Ethos Statement: Recognizing that anti-racist work is the primary work to make a better world, The Rose joyfully and boldly commits to co-creating an equitable future with young people. We promise to do this by using theater as a bridge that connects us all.

Omaha is ranked by Forbes as the 7th best city in America to raise a family and by Wallet Hub as one of the 20 best cities based on affordability, education & health, quality of life, and safety.

Part-Time Positions

There are currently no part-time positions available.

About The Rose Theater

The mission of The Rose is inspiring young people and their families to discover the magic of theater, to find their voices and enrich their communities. Operating out of a beautiful historic theater, The Rose will produce seven professional productions next season. It is also one of the largest and most storied theaters for multigenerational audiences. The Rose has opened the new, 27,000 square foot Rose Studios For Youth Artists, intensifying the company’s commitment to education. The Rose delivers robust in-school and out of school programming focused on using creative dramatics, acting, singing, dancing, playwriting, and design to help young people change the world.

The Rose cares passionately about reflecting our community and pursuing diversity at all levels of the organization. We have a demanding work environment, but we love providing live performances and education opportunities for young people. We want all staff to be committed to this theater and our community. Along with valuing hard work, kindness, generosity, passion, and grace-under-pressure, we also want people who are invested in theater for young audiences. Many of the plays produced at The Rose are by BIPOC artists. The Rose has undertaken work to accelerate and formalize its growth to becoming a fully anti-racist organization, and that work is undertaken by all staff members in a variety of ways.

Omaha is ranked by Forbes as the 7th best city in America to raise a family and by Wallet Hub as one of the 20 best cities to live based on its affordability, economy, education & health, quality of life, and safety. With a deeply engaged community as well as James Beard-nominated restaurants and bustling night life, any applicants considering relocation will find a city that meets their needs.