Reports To: Managing Director and Artistic Producing Director(s)
Job Type: REMOTE Hybrid. Hourly. Flexible Schedule.
Rate: $30 hour / 25-30 hours a week.
Start Date: July 27, 2026
Who We Are
Founded in 1973, the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is an award-winning classical theatre company nestled into the hillsides of bucolic Topanga Canyon. Our programming features a summer repertory season featuring Shakespeare classics and contemporary plays, vibrant educational programs, an acting academy and deep community roots in a mature botanical garden under graceful California Live Oaks. Our mission is to engage, educate and entertain audiences of all ages by presenting thought-provoking classics, socially relevant plays, and education programs in a beautiful, natural outdoor sanctuary for the arts. By passing on a sense of history to young people and adults alike, great works of art inform their present and inspire their future. A true renaissance theatre, Theatricum offers a diversity of programming from Shakespeare to poetry to folk music to the development of future playwrights – all to help understand the world we live in and to embrace our shared humanity. Each summer the canyon comes alive with a gregarious company of actors and musicians and over the years our stage has been graced by the greatest folk artists and actors of their time, from Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Wendy Malick, Ewan McGregor and Earnestine Phillips.
What We Do
Each summer we produce a full classical summer repertory season on our mainstage, and in our second stage, the Mark Taper Children’s Pavilion, we feature summer camps, classes and children’s programming. Throughout the year, we offer Acting Classes, Classroom Enrichment and tour smaller versions of our classical repertory shows to schools, parks, museums and senior centers.
About the Role
The Education Department Manager will guide the growth, development and streamlining of all educational programs. The Manager will oversee all of our educational programs and inspire a small seasonal roster of teaching artists and program managers. They will partner with our Artistic Producing Directors to cast our roster of teaching artists and ensure our pedagogy and artistic integrity are maintained. They will routinely assess our educational programs to ensure they meet the evolving needs of our community, build and maintain relationships with our partners, manage bookings of programs and market our offerings to new partners. They will be responsible for fiscal management of program budgets, as well as respectful management of people and resources. You will manage a dedicated team of on-site program managers as well as work with our Marketing Director to ensure our educational programs reach their intended audiences, and with our Director of Advancement to share information for grant funding.
Directly responsible for shaping programs to be aligned with the values of the organization and needs of artists. Reports to the Managing Director and works closely with Artistic Producing Directors to staff teachers and select artists for assemblies, performances and workshops. You will ensure all required program participants have been DOJ fingerprinted and are compliant with having completed their state required harassment training. You will guide and be supported by site managers for each of these programs who will direct the logistics of greeting program participants and interacting with teachers, etc.
Key Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership for the following programs:
- SCHOOL DAYS. Students (grades K-12) and their teachers, parents, chaperones, come to Theatricum Botanicum’s Topanga grounds to take part in technique workshops; interactive Living History programming; and to watch a Shakespeare (or other classic) play performed by adult professional actors. In addition to the onsite field trip experience, School Days also provides an educator in-service for classroom teachers; a study guide for their use and a preparatory in-school visit for all students attending. You will seek and manage bookings for this program, build relationships with schools, principals and teachers. You’ll hire and manage teaching artists and invoice schools. Work with partners to build curriculum for residencies and hire artists to fulfill bookings. You will manage onsite staff for program implementation.
- CLASSROOM ENRICHMENT & RESIDENCIES Our adult professional actors present acting workshops in Singing, Dancing, Stage Combat, Scansion, Rhetoric, Commedia, and Improvisation as well as present touring productions from classical works including Americana, Poetry, Shakespeare, Civil Rights and many more historical presentations. Residencies also include creating productions with students. You will seek and manage bookings for this program, hire and manage teaching artists and invoice schools. You’ll work to build this program out to include residencies at Senior Living Centers. You will manage onsite staff for program implementation.
- ADULT ACADEMY Includes a Shakespeare intensive class, playwriting, improvisation, scansion, rhetoric, stage combat as well as a summer-long intensive apprenticeship program for recent graduates. Our program also teaches artists to become teaching artists. You will partner with our Producing Artistic Directors to hire teachers. You’ll hire teachers, provide thoughtful feedback, manage enrollment, onsite staff and payments.
- SUMMER CAMPS & CLASSES Our summer camps feature specialty teachers who go deep with youth in three different camps for Young People (4-7), Youth (8-13) and Teens (14-18) as well as specialty weekend classes throughout the year on fencing, and private coaching. You will manage the marketing strategy and program implementation, invoicing and oversee camp leaders.
Experience/Skills Required
- Minimum of 3 years leading an arts education program.
- Sales acumen and marketing experience required to sell programs to schools.
- Understanding of Common Core standards.
- Facility with using Excel, Google drive, Zoom and other online organizational tools.
- Experience building and maintaining a department budget.
- Proven experience guiding staff and volunteers with compassion and integrity.
- Ability to build partnerships and programs to continuously meet the needs of our constituents.
- Curiosity, compassion and innovative problem solving.
- Ability to lift 15 pounds, stand, sit and enjoy our outdoor venue which at times includes inclement weather such as rain, cold, heat and the creatures that reside in our native habitat.
Theatricum Botanicum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and we strive to ensure that the content, methodologies, and teaching artists for our arts education programs reflect and support our diverse student audiences. Our work culture is inclusive, responsive and supportive regardless of race, nationality, disability, education level, religion, age, sexual orientation, social and economic status. We value integrity, passion and a strong moral compass. We welcome you to join our team.
To Apply
Please combine your cover letter, resume and references into a single PDF document. Email your application to Carolyn@theatricum.com with the subject line: Education Department Manager Application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.