About Children's Theater Academy Children's Theater Academy (CTA) is a youth theater program serving students in grades K-10 in the Kenosha community. We are committed to creating high-quality theatrical experiences while teaching students responsibility, teamwork, independence, confidence, and professionalism. CTA is operated by three theater professionals who serve as the owners and directors of each production. We take great pride in the quality of our productions and in creating an environment where young performers are held to meaningful, professional standards. As our productions continue to grow, we are looking for a P roduction Assistant to join our production team as a fourth member. About the Position The Production Assistant is a key support position within CTA's production team. This person will work closely with all three directors to help manage the many organizational, administrative, and production-related responsibilities involved in bringing a show to life. This position combines elements of a Production Assistant, Assistant Stage Manager, and Director's Assistant.
Our goal is simple:
we need another person we can trust to help make things happen. There are countless small tasks that need to be completed throughout a production. Currently, those responsibilities fall entirely on the three CTA owners and directors. We are looking for someone who can take ownership of those smaller responsibilities so that our directors can spend more time focusing on directing, teaching, choreography, music, and the larger artistic elements of the production. This person will be an important part of the CTA team and should genuinely believe in our program, our students, and the standards we have established. What You'll Do Rehearsal & Stage Management Attend regular rehearsals and production meetings. Take and maintain student attendance. Track absences, tardiness, conflicts, and other attendance-related information. Maintain and update the rehearsal schedule. Prepare and maintain call sheets and rehearsal information as needed. Create rehearsal reports and communicate important updates to the directors. Help keep rehearsals organized, productive, and on schedule. Help students get where they need to be and make sure groups are ready when called. Assist with sectionals, small groups, choreography review, line memorization, music practice, or other rehearsal needs when requested. Help maintain rehearsal spaces and ensure students are following CTA expectations. Identify problems as they arise and use good judgment to address smaller issues independently while keeping the directors informed. Student Leadership & Supervision Serve as a positive and responsible authority figure for CTA students. Reinforce CTA's rules, expectations, rehearsal procedures, and professional standards. Address minor behavior or organizational issues appropriately. Encourage students to be independent, responsible, and self-sufficient. Supervise students when assigned by a director. Occasionally lead or assist a small group of students independently, such as during a sectional or rehearsal activity. Understand that CTA expects students to take ownership of their responsibilities rather than relying on adults to do everything for them. Maintain appropriate communication with directors regarding student concerns, behavior, conflicts, or other issues. Props, Costumes, Sets & Production Organization Help organize and maintain props, costumes, set pieces, and other production materials. Maintain scene-by-scene production checklists. Track what is needed for individual scenes and rehearsals. Assist with set construction, painting, organization, and strike. Help keep production areas organized and functional. Assist directors and students with production projects as needed. Be willing to jump into whatever production task needs to be completed. CTA is a small theater. Everyone helps with everything. While responsibilities will be assigned based on the individual's strengths and the needs of each production, this is an all-hands-on-deck position. The Production Assistant should be comfortable wearing many hats and stepping into different responsibilities throughout the production process. Administrative & Organizational Support Maintain production documents and organizational materials using Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, and other CTA systems. Maintain attendance records, rehearsal notes, scene charts, schedules, checklists, and other production documentation. Help keep production information organized and easily accessible. Assist directors with small administrative tasks and projects. Help prepare materials for rehearsals, meetings, and performances. Learn CTA's policies, procedures, expectations, and systems thoroughly. Become familiar enough with CTA operations to confidently answer routine in-person questions from students and parents. Direct questions or concerns to the appropriate director when a decision or information falls outside the Production Assistant's responsibilities. Performances & Tech Week As performances approach, responsibilities will shift based on the production's needs and the structure of the show's student crew. The Production Assistant may assist with: Student check-in and organization. Backstage supervision. Props and costume coordination. Student crew support. Communication between production areas. Performance checklists. Helping students stay organized and on schedule. Supporting the directors and student crew wherever needed. Strike and post-production cleanup. CTA utilizes student crew members during tech week and performances, so this position is intended to support and coordinate the production - not do everything themselves. Authority & Decision-Making The Production Assistant will be an extension of the CTA directors and should be comfortable taking initiative. Major artistic, disciplinary, financial, casting, scheduling, or policy decisions will always remain with the CTA directors. However, we are looking for someone who can make reasonable, on-the-spot decisions within CTA's established expectations without needing constant direction. When something significant arises, the directors should be kept informed. Communication with Families The Production Assistant will not be responsible for official email communication with families. All official parent communication is handled by the CTA directors. However, this person will be expected to: Answer routine questions from parents and students in person. Understand CTA's policies and procedures. Provide accurate information about rehearsals, expectations, schedules, and production procedures. Know when a question needs to be directed to a director. Help reduce the number of small, routine questions that require a director's attention. What We're Looking For The ideal candidate is: Reliable — If you say you will be there, we need to be able to count on you. Consistent — Students and directors should know what to expect from you. Organized — You can keep track of multiple responsibilities without becoming overwhelmed. Driven — You see what needs to be done and take initiative. Positive — You contribute to a productive and encouraging rehearsal environment. Responsible — You can be trusted to work independently. Professional — You understand that working with young performers requires maturity and appropriate boundaries. A team player — You are willing to do whatever the production needs. Confident with students — You can lead without being overbearing and support without doing everything for them. Adaptable — Theater changes quickly, and you need to be comfortable adjusting to it. Qualifications We are especially interested in candidates who are: Responsible high school or college students, or adults with relevant experience. Experienced in theater, music, dance, education, childcare, event coordination, or similar fields. Comfortable working with children and young performers. Comfortable taking direction while also working independently. Confident in leadership and organizational settings. Comfortable using basic technology and Google Workspace. Able to maintain professionalism in a fast-paced production environment. Interested in learning the full production process. A background in theater or music is strongly preferred, but relevant leadership, education, organizational, or event experience will also be considered. Having reliable transportation and the ability to drive independently is a significant plus, particularly when production needs require flexibility. Attendance Expectations The Production Assistant is expected to attend all regular rehearsals whenever possible, as well as production meetings, tech week, performances, and strike. We understand that life happens. Occasional absences are not automatically a problem. However, this is a position where consistency matters, and frequent or last-minute absences may make the position difficult to maintain. The Production Assistant is paid hourly at $15/hour for time worked. Additional production meetings or responsibilities outside of regular rehearsal hours will be compensated. Why This Position Matters Putting on a theatrical production takes an incredible amount of work. At CTA, that work currently falls almost entirely on our three owners and directors. We have built a program that consistently produces high-quality shows, but we know that we can do even more when our directors aren't spending their time chasing down attendance sheets, organizing props, updating schedules, managing rehearsal logistics, answering routine questions, or tracking dozens of small production details. We are looking for someone who wants to learn, grow, take ownership, and become an important part of the CTA family. If you are the kind of person who sees something that needs to be done and simply gets to work, we want to hear from you.
