The Classical Theatre Apprentice Program
About the Apprenticeship
The second annual Classical Theatre Apprentice Program at Tennessee Shakespeare Company is focused on experiential, classical performance/stage management/production training and work designed to help emerging theatre performers launch and sustain their early/mid professional careers.
This Program focuses on immersive career development opportunities. Apprentices are guaranteed to act/teach, or stage manage, or provide production assistance in multiple areas in a variety of shows, including mainstage/touring/schools’ productions during TSC’s 17th season.
The Apprenticeship offers a unique combination of performance, training, observation, and networking.
Contract Dates/Hours
Apprentices will be contracted from Monday, September 2, 2024, through and including March 7, 2025. Apprentices will be on break from work from December 23, 2024, through and including January 5, 2025. This hiatus represents a period of no work/no salary. Apprentice work-weeks (a total of 25) will consist of approximately 40 hours per work-week, on average, and will include at least one day off per week.
Compensation
An employment salary of $290.00/week will be paid to each Apprentice and will be payable in the trailing week. Apprentices will be responsible for all costs associated with living in the Memphis area for the duration of the Apprenticeship. These costs include, but are not limited to, round-trip transportation from primary residence to Memphis; in-town Memphis transportation when not in a TSC vehicle; meals; housing. If Apprentices use their own vehicle for TSC-related work, TSC will reimburse Apprentices for fuel/mileage. Apprentices will be hired as full-time employees of TSC.
Application/Announcement Deadlines
Applicants’ initial submissions to TSC must be received no later than: April 11, 2024
TSC informs applicants of callbacks no later than: April 14, 2024.
If invited to submit video audition/interview, applicants submit auditions/interviews by: May 6, 2024.
TSC makes candidates’ offers: May 23, 2024.
Actors in the Program are guaranteed to act (and teach) in a variety of shows during TSC’s 17th season, including its touring Education productions of Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. The mainstage season will include two plays by William Shakespeare.
TSC’s actor training will focus on preparing the actor to create a career in classical theatre. The cornerstones of that training are voice, body, actor/audience relationship, Shakespeare verse, clowning, dance/fight, auditioning, and the business of remaining employed as a theatre actor. Training will include regular warm-ups, master classes, mock auditions, and ongoing specialty training classes with TSC teaching and artistic staff.
TSC has an open-rehearsal policy. Acting Apprentices are encouraged to observe the work of visiting artists, and to discuss with them. Apprentices will be given the opportunity to interact (in both formal and informal settings) with every visiting actor and director who works at TSC.
What to Submit:
Initial submission via email for Actors: Resume/Headshot/Letter of Interest/Refences’ contacts (2-3). Send submission to Dan McCleary at danmccleary@tnshakespeare.org.
Note that if Actors then are invited to submit a video audition, that will include a slate, a 3-minute pairing of two classical pieces (both Shakespeare, at least one comedic, at least one in verse; pieces that are personally meaningful to you are ideal), and a possible invitation for either or both a virtual/in-person interview.
What is TSC’s “Letter of Interest”?
All Letters of Interest should address an applicant’s passion for classical theatre, awareness of TSC’s work and its mission, how previous training has prepared them for an immersive professional theatre experience, and their relationship to commitment, compassion, discipline, generosity of spirit, and courage in the theatre.
Program training for stage managers and technicians will be supervised by TSC’s Production Manager, with additional management provided by TSC’s Production Stage Manager. Opportunities to train and work in areas of management, design, lighting, sound, scenic/props, costumes, and all technical aspects will be available for Apprentices and will include a range of possibilities from shadowing to running responsibilities.
What to Submit:
Initial submission for Stage Managers/Production personnel: Resume/Letter of Interest. Send submission to Dan McCleary at danmccleary@tnshakespeare.org.
Note that if Stage Managers/Production Personnel then are invited to a virtual interview, that will include a submission of paperwork and call-sheets and any photos of previous work.
What is TSC’s “Letter of Interest”?
All Letters of Interest should address an applicant’s passion for classical theatre, awareness of TSC’s work and its mission, how previous training has prepared them for an immersive professional theatre experience, and their relationship to commitment, compassion, discipline, generosity of spirit, and courage in the theatre.
Before you begin, please note that…
It is highly unlikely you will be able to work successfully another job concurrently with/around/in between hours of this Apprenticeship. This is full-time, six days per week.
If you have not been successful during your academic/early career with being on-time for calls, working with focus and spirit, ensuring your full preparedness prior to each call, or being an artistic collaborator: this program will not be beneficial for you at this time.
For actors training in classical theatre, this is a hands-on experience: hands-on training, dealing with stage violence and death, accommodating stage romance and intimacy, and navigating Shakespeare’s stories of stage trauma. If you feel unprepared for this, this program will not be beneficial for you at this time.