Head of BA Acting and Physical Theatre in Colchester

Established in 1961, East 15 is one of the UK’s most innovative conservatoires, providing professional training for those wishing to work in theatre, film, TV, radio and related fields. The School offers a dynamic portfolio of courses that span many areas of training for actors, directors and technicians. East 15’s philosophy draws on its long and successful traditions and combines this with a keen sense of the changing world of theatre today. East 15 is a world-leading drama school attracting UK and international students, with approximately 700 students. The school is ranked 1st in the UK for Drama and is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools (FDS). The school runs sixteen degrees at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. East 15’s teaching emphasises a balance between personal discovery, intuition and technical skills. While there are principles that anchor both module content and delivery, we believe there is no single way to approach text, character or performance.

As part of East 15’s commitment to diversity, we encourage applications from ethnically and culturally diverse communities and backgrounds.

Duties of the Role

• The postholder will be responsible for the academic strategy, management, recruitment and delivery of the BA in Acting & Physical Theatre.
• They will oversee the co-ordination of tuition of all modules on the programme, ensuring that the course objectives are met.
• They will lead on administration and assessment and be responsible for locating and hiring staff with professional practice relevant to the course.
• They will also be able to contribute to the teaching of modules on other East 15 courses in Colchester.

Skills and qualifications required

• The successful post holder will have relevant and extensive experience of professional work as an actor, director and/or physical theatre performer and professional experience or practice that is equivalent to a doctoral-level degree in theatre/drama (or successful completion of a doctoral degree).
• We would expect to see relevant and extensive experience of working across a range of media that may include theatre, film and motion capture.
• They should have a history of working across a range of physical theatre disciplines to an advanced level in a conservatoire training environment.
• Additionally, they are expected to be able to demonstrate the ability to manage and lead a small team as a course leader.
• Desirable experience includes directing productions, either professionally or at a recognised conservatoire, and teaching text-based acting and/or devising.

At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds.

To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives.

To download the job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification outlining the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role, please visit our recruitment website. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made online, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please email resourcing@essex.ac.uk.