Teaching Artist Job Description
Urban Improv School Residency Program
2023-2024 School Year
Job Title: Teaching Artist
Reports To: Head of Program for Urban Improv & Community Partnerships
Position status: Part-time, non-exempt
Salary: $35/hour
Schedule: ~20 hrs week for March 19, 2024 through May 31, 2024
Tues-Fri, generally between the hours of 8:30am-2:30pm
Location: Jamaica Plain, Greater Boston area
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Urban Improv School Residencies provides in-school theater-based Social-Emotional Learning
education to six partner Boston Public Schools (schools are located primarily in Chinatown, Jamaica
Plain, Roslindale and Dorchester).
Since Urban Improv’s launch in 1992, our team of teaching artists has developed a curriculum of
interactive scenes and songs that provide the formal basis for this program. Our curriculum is
organized into three 9-week units per school year, customized by grade level, and explores themes
like community, friendship, fairness, self-esteem, family diversity, peer pressure, healthy relationships,
racism, systemic oppression, bystander issues, sexism, gender identity/self-expression — and more.
POSITION OVERVIEW
This position requires passion for creative youth development, and experience in theater and/or
music performance and teaching. An Urban Improv Teaching Artist will have experience in
performances for youth audiences and a desire to engage students through music, improv and
applied theatre. Applicants should reflect a diverse lived experience, value the principles of anti-
racism and cultural competency, and understand the need for diversity, equity & inclusion.
RESPONSIBILITIES
● Serve as Performer, Facilitator, and Creative Collaborator for partner schools, community-
based organizations, and community events.
● Serve as a community ambassador, representing RFL to support the organization’s goals.
● Collaborate with Artist Director, Associate Directors and Teaching Artist ensemble on tools for
student engagement and topical scene development.
● Attend and actively participate in weekly ensemble rehearsals and participate in professional
development.
● Attend/participate in development/community events.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
● Strong alignment with the Rehearsal for Life mission, vision, and values.
● Commitment to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
● 1+ years of service as a teaching artist or educator in a school/youth organization setting.
● Ability to sing is desirable, but not required.
● Willingness to engage in applied theater, devising, and performance.
● Proficiency or fluency in a second language is desirable, but not required.
ORGANIZATION
Rehearsal for Life, Inc. (formerly Urban Improv/Freelance Players) is an organization that uses theater
to promote social change through our two primary programs: Urban Improv and Freelance Players.
Our mission is to strengthen young people’s social and emotional skills for every stage in life, through
dialogue, creativity, and performance.
Rehearsal for Life’s Urban Improv program is grounded in social-emotional learning, serving school
communities through structured improvisational theater workshops that provide a brave space for
young people to practice self expression, empathy, and intersectional dialogue that promotes anti-
racism, equity, and inclusion. We believe that our organization can best serve our partner
communities through representation on our staff that is multilingual, multicultural, and diverse.
For more information, please visit www.rehearsalforlife.org
TO APPLY:
Please send a brief cover letter and resume to office@rehearsalforlife.org
Please include in the subject line: [Your Name] – Spring Session Teaching Artist.
Applicants that align with our search will be contacted for interviews on a rolling basis, and the
position will remain open until filled. Thank you very much for your interest in Rehearsal for Life. We
look forward to hearing from you and discussing how we can work together to empower Boston
youth.