Career Center

Position/Title:  MS/US Drama teacher and Theatre Director

Appointment:  School Year 2023/2024

Reports To:   Director of the Upper School

Laurel School seeks talented faculty who will put our students first and strive to make a difference in their lives.  We seek to attract culturally and academically diverse faculty who thrive on being engaged participants in our community and are committed to anti-racist education and the development of young women as authentic learners and leaders.   The most successful candidates are solutions-driven, are willing to listen to learn, embrace iteration and practice as a necessary part of the product, see opportunities before problems, and thrive in a fast paced, forward-thinking educational environment. Laurel lives our mission: to inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.  

Position Summary: 

Laurel School seeks an experienced Drama teacher for Middle and Upper School courses, productions, and after school activities. The ideal candidate is experienced as a drama teacher with directing experience. This position involves teaching classes in acting, improvisation, and scene study as well as, ideally, Shakespeare. The position includes directing theater productions in both Middle and Upper Schools. Required skills include collaboration in the design and instruction of a sequential curriculum in drama and working collaboratively with faculty at each grade level to integrate drama into all subject areas.  The position may include serving as a Middle School or Upper School Advisor to a small group of students. A comprehensive knowledge of theater and theater styles will allow this teacher to be flexible when shifting from one age to the next. "Mastery" in one area may be good for a particular production, but a willingness to do a deep dive and learn with casts/classes will bring out the collaborative nature of theater. 

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Prepare and implement drama curriculum in Grades 6,7, 8 and Upper School elective courses in acting, scene study, improv, etc.
• Design, implement, and evaluate appropriate formative and summative assessments
• Direct two mainstage shows per year–one Middle and one Upper, some of which may be musicals
• Direct 6th grade curricular production, traditionally Shakespeare
• Provide in-school club and  afterschool workshop experiences
• Engage guest artists
• Assist with production responsibilities for other performances in the school
• Facilitate Upper School student-directed one acts/scenes in spring
• Communicate in timely ways with students, parents, advisors about student progress
• Advise of a small group of students 
• Collaborate with other members of the faculty, administration, and staff on experiential, interdisciplinary and community-based opportunities that add to the school community
• Participate in all faculty and staff meetings, arranging rehearsal commitments accordingly
• Supervise and/or participate in non-academic activities, including lunch, study halls, dances, class trips, etc
• Be sensitive to the needs of the adolescent who is in transition from child to adult AND to the teen who has the pressures of college and adulthood on the horizon

The successful candidate holds a degree in drama and/or drama education or (bachelor’s required, master’s preferred) or significant experience in the field. Other desired skills include strong rehearsal technique, creative programming ideas, knowledge of, and a commitment to an encouraging and supportive yet challenging rehearsal process. Superb written and oral communication skills are essential. The candidate must possess or acquire and maintain a State of Ohio issued teaching certificate or non-tax certificate. 

Salary

Laurel offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.

To Apply

Please see www.laurelschool.org for further information and a job application.

Work Environment 

Laurel School is a dynamic, forward-thinking, K-12 girls’ school with a co-ed pre-primary division, where every child is well known. As a Facing History and Ourselves School, Laurel is fully committed to equity and inclusion; we actively seek a culturally diverse faculty and staff.

Laurel teachers are committed to:

• The study of research on girls’ education and integration of this knowledge into classroom practice
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
• Anti-racist, multicultural education
• The academic and social development of girls
• Working with each girl to fulfill the school’s mission
• The creation of a classroom community
• The integration of community-based learning projects at the classroom level and as a part of the whole school community
• Involving parents as partners in the educational process
• Outdoor education and sustainability
• Flexibility and openness to new ideas

Laurel enjoys an outstanding local and national reputation and is home to the Laurel Center for Research on Girls. In a highly competitive school landscape, Laurel is fortunate to be a school of choice in Cleveland. Our emphasis on the whole child and our legacy of excellence in the teaching of girls set us apart. Located in Shaker Heights, OH (15 minutes from downtown Cleveland) with an additional rural campus 17 minutes away, the school has a suburban/rural advantage. The work environment is noted for being family-friendly and flexible. The feeling in the school is joyous, collaborative and innovative. Our curricular philosophy emphasizes community-based, interdisciplinary and experiential learning. Collaboration and reflective practice are key to pedagogy at Laurel. The school is fully committed to a culturally diverse faculty and student body. 

Laurel School is dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all personnel and applicants for employment without regard to race; color; religion; sex; gender identity; national origin; handicap or disability; sexual orientation; or status as a veteran, Vietnam era, or special disabled veteran.