Costumes Crew - Illinois Shakespeare Festival 2025 (ISU Students)

Title: Costumes Crew - Illinois Shakespeare Festival 2025 (ISU Students)
Employee Classification: Student Special Event
Division Name: Academic Affairs
Department: School of Theatre, Dance, and Film

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is seeking applications for highly skilled and experienced Cutter/Drapers and First Hands, as well as Costume Technicians and Costume Crafts Technicians for the 2025 summer season.

CUTTER/DRAPER and FIRST HAND
- Professional cutter/draper experience is required. Professional first hand experience is preferred in addition to being a skilled cutter/draper or first hand. The ideal candidate should work well in a fast-paced environment, be self-motivated, have excellent communication skills, and be able to teach young costume professionals and interns.
- Positions will be available for both the build period of the Festival and the full season. Cutter/drapers and First Hands hired for the build period will work from May 20 - July 11. First Hands/Wardrobe Crew Heads hired for the full season will work May 20 - August 6 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

COSTUME TECHNICIAN/WARDROBE CREW
- Costume construction experience is required, preferably in a professional environment. In addition to strong construction skills, the ideal candidate should have strong communication skills, be able to work well in a fast-paced environment, be able to produce professional quality costumes independently, and teach interns.
- Positions will be available for both the build period of the Festival and the full season. Costume technicians hired for the build period will work from May 20 - July 11. Costume technicians hired for the full season will work May 20 - August 6 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

COSTUME CRAFTS TECHNICIAN/WARDROBE CREW
- Costume crafts experience is required, preferably in a professional environment. In addition to strong construction skills, the ideal candidate should have strong communication skills, be able to work well in a fast-paced environment, be able to produce professional quality costume crafts independently, and teach interns.
- Positions will be available for both the build period of the Festival and the full season. Costume crafts technicians hired for the build period will work from May 20 - July 11. Costume crafts technicians hired for the full season will work May 20 - August 6 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

ASSISTANT CRAFT SHOP SUPERVISOR
- Experience working in a managerial position is required preferably in a professional craft shop. The ideal candidate must work well in a fast-paced environment, be self-motivated, and possess excellent communication skills. Candidates must demonstrate advanced organizational skills and an ability to work with professional costume designers. Knowledge of costume and craft construction methods is required.
- This position is available for the build period of the Festival, May 20 - July 11.

Housing is available at a reduced cost beginning on May 19.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed and positions filled as applications are received.

In addition to the required resume and cover letter, interested applicants are encouraged to submit images of their work, uploaded as a Word or PDF document. Alternatively, a link to an online portfolio can be uploaded in a Word or PDF document.

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is a professional repertory theatre company that produces Shakespeare and contemporary plays in the spirit of Shakespeare every summer at the beautiful Ewing Cultural Center in Bloomington, Illinois. The Festival hires professional Directors, Designers, Actors, and production personnel and offers a variety of internships to students from Illinois State University and other colleges and universities. The Festival sells an average of 10,000 tickets per year, is supported by Illinois State University and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival Society.

Student employees are eligible to participate in the University's 403(b) Plan. More information can be found here.

Positions range from $15.00/hour to $20.00/hour

1. Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment
2. Self-motivated
3. Strong communication skills
4. Additional requirements included in the General Summary

Regular shop hours are typically Tuesday through Sunday 8:00am to 4:30pm with an average of 37.5 hours per week. Individual schedules will vary based on daily needs. Additional hours may be added during tech weeks. For the position who will stay through the festival, work hours will shift to mostly evening hours for performances.

May 2025

Resume & Cover Letter

Please Note: These documents are required to be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Images of work or links to online portfolio

Please Note: These documents may be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Allie Nicholson
alnich1@ilstu.edu
Production Manager, Illinois Shakespeare Festival

This position is subject to a criminal background investigation and if applicable, an employment history review, based on University Policy 3.1.30 and any offer of employment is contingent upon you passing a satisfactory criminal background investigation and/or an employment history review. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

In addition, all appointments are contingent upon proof of eligibility for employment at Illinois State University to perform the required duties described above on your scheduled start date. The Immigration and Control Act of 1986, Public Law 99-603, requires all new employees to file an I-9 in person and no later than three days from the beginning of employment. This may be accomplished within the department or through Human Resources. A list of the types of documentation you will be expected to provide is available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents. Failure to comply with this law will result in cancellation of your appointment.

Illinois State University, as your employer, is required by federal law to ensure proper tax withholding from wages and to ensure that the required reporting of employee wages, withholding, and employment taxes is accurate. For this reason, every employee must have a valid Social Security Number registered with the University at the time of employment and/or as soon after as possible, but no later than 45 days from the start date. Failure to comply with this law may result in cancellation of your appointment.

Illinois State University student employees are restricted to no more than 28 hours per week of on-campus employment for all positions held.

International students are restricted by their visa status to no more than 20 hours per week of on-campus employment when the university is in session but may work more when the university is not in session. International students should contact the Office of International Studies and Programs for guidance if they have questions concerning employment restrictions.

Illinois State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other state or federal law you may request an accommodation by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309) 438-3383. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will hold any confidential information you provide in confidence.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please call Human Resources at (309) 438-8311.