Costume Shop Manager

Nashville Ballet

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Job Summary

Our Mission:

We create, perform, teach, and promote dance as an essential and inspiring element of our community.

Our Vision:

Nashville Ballet is an accessible and inclusive organization that creates community through excellent and innovative dance and dance education; is recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for artistry, community engagement, and financial sustainability; and is a rewarding and satisfying place to work.

 

Our Enduring Values

• We believe in the transformative power of art.
• We inspire appreciation for the art of ballet.
• We strive for excellence with integrity in all we do.
• We respect one another and the art form.

 

The understanding of and the ability to not only support but celebrate our culture is essential to each and every person at Nashville Ballet.

 

Nashville Ballet Diversity Statement:

 

Nashville Ballet is invested in creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. We believe we can best achieve our mission by creating a climate of respect that is supportive of all voices, celebrating diverse stories, increasing arts access, and sparking communal discussion about our community and our world through our art form and our artistic programming. When considering the diversity of the Nashville Ballet community, we look at all aspects, including: race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, special needs, geographic (rural/urban), and sexual orientation. However, Nashville Ballet recognizes the racial inequalities that have plagued the dance world for far too long and is deeply committed to educating our constituencies on systemic racism, engaging in antiracist work in every branch of our organization, and doing our part to abolish racial inequalities in ballet.

 

Nashville Ballet provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Job Description for Costume Shop Manager

Reports To:  Director of Production                                       

Area of Responsibility:  Artistic/Production

Wage Classification:  Salary, exempt

Position Summary: The Costume Shop Manager’s main focus is to oversee the design, creation and execution of all costumes for all Company, NB2 and School of Nashville Ballet productions including, but not limited to, financial planning and oversight, management of first hand, wardrobe supervisor, cutters and stitchers, logistical coordination, and serving as liaison to the artistic staff and dancers.  The Costume Shop Manager works closely with the Artistic Director, Associate Artistic Director, and Director of Production to coordinate all costume needs well in advance of each production for the main Company, NB2 and School of Nashville Ballet.  Design opportunities available.

Job Responsibilities

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• The Costume Shop Manager shall be responsible for all aspects of costumes, accessories, and costume props for Nashville Ballet Company and NB2 performances.  It is understood that the goal of the Costume Shop Manager shall be to help create and maintain the vision of the Artistic Director, choreographer, and designers while providing a safe working environment for the dancers and crew.
• Works as liaison between Designer and Costume Shop to maintain artistic intent within the financial and time resources.
• Assist in the creation of upcoming costume budget projections; regular monitoring of budget throughout the season.
• Preparation and upkeep of all paperwork with regards to the costume shop:  inventories, costume plots, accessory lists, show bibles, etc.; or assisting guest designers as needed with paperwork for archival purposes.
• Attendance at production meetings and enough studio rehearsals to have a working knowledge of the performances; attendance at technical rehearsals and performances as assigned.
• Managerial responsibilities include hiring and supervising staff (in-house and for the theater) and creating work assignments for costume shop personnel, backstage dressers, and costume assistants with performance deadlines and efficiency in mind.
• The Costume Shop Manager will be responsible for overseeing the pulling, restocking, fitting and altering costumes for all appearances, photo shoots, recitals and other events for marketing, special events, the School of Nashville Ballet, and community engagement.
• Responsible for the organization and maintenance of the costume shop, including all equipment and costume storage.
• Managing all incoming and outgoing rentals of costumes.
• Ordering of supplies, materials and notions in a timely manner to keep the costume shop operating efficiently.

Qualifications

Work Requirements and Qualifications:

Education: Minimum of MA or MFA in costuming or similar arts education or equivalent professional experience to be considered an expert in this field.

• Advanced knowledge of the costume construction, fitting and alterations
• Able to direct costume shop personnel, backstage dressers and costume assistants and communicate effectively the requirements of each production

• Demonstrated proficiency in flat patterning and draping
• Knowledge of a variety of costume construction techniques
• Knowledge and experience in both men’s and women’s tailoring techniques
• Understanding of period shape and how to adapt it to theatrical costumes
• Experience working with and patterning for stretch fabrics
• Good working knowledge of costume history as well as fabric types and uses
• Excellent hand and machine sewing techniques
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and reprioritize.
• Working knowledge or various sewing machine, sergers and other tools of the trade.
• Basic shoe painting and dyeing.
• Costume design experience (preferred)
• Proficiency in Word, Excel and Outlook.

 

Experience: minimum of 5 years in a costuming position with supervisory responsibility.

 

Equipment: Knowledge of various sewing machine and tools used in a costume shop and the safe use of each. Basic knowledge of general office equipment.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are a non-exhaustive list of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to handle, feel, talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms above the shoulder. The employee is frequently required to sit and occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds with assistance.

 

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative to those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

 

Disclaimer Statement:

This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with the job. While this document is intended to be an accurate description of the current job, circumstances may require that other, or different tasks be performed (e.g., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs, or technological developments).

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Please send a cover letter and resume to careers@nashvilleballet.com with “Costume Shop Manager” in the subject line. No phone calls, please.

Details

• Date Posted: January 10, 2022
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Other
• Service Area: Arts / Culture