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Title: Lighting & Sound Crew-Illinois Shakespeare Festival 2026 (ISU Students)
Employee Classification: Student Special Event
Division Name: Academic Affairs
Department: School of Theatre, Dance, and Film

Job Summary

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is seeking applications for a Sound Engineer, Sound Technician, Assistant Master Electricians, Electricians for the 2026 summer season.

SOUND ENGINEER
- Significant sound, electrical, and supervisory experience is required, preferably in a professional environment. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated sound engineering/installation skills, be proficient on sound consoles, strong troubleshooting ability, work well in a fast-paced environment, be self-motivated, have excellent communication/leadership skills, and be able to teach/lead a sound team with interns.
- This position is available for the full Festival, May 19 – August 5.

-Run the sound board for two Mainstage Productions.

ASSISTANT LEAD ELECTRICIAN
- Significant lighting, electrical, and supervisory experience is desired, preferably in a professional environment. The ideal candidates will have demonstrated lighting skills, be proficient on ETC consoles, have capable troubleshooting ability, work well in a fast-paced environment, have excellent communication/leadership skills, and be able to teach/lead young electricians and interns.
- These positions are available for the full Festival, May 19 – August 5.

-This position will run the lightboard or spotlight for 2 Mainstage productions.

ELECTRICIAN and LIGHT BOARD/SPOT OPERATOR
- Lighting and electrical experience is desired. The ideal candidates will have demonstrated lighting skills, be proficient on ETC consoles, have capable troubleshooting ability, work well in a fast-paced environment, have strong communication skills, and be able to teach interns.
- Electricians are hired for the full season and transitioned to a board operator and/or spotlight operator when tech begins.

SOUND TECHNICIAN
- Sound experience is desired, preferably in a professional environment. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated sound installation skills, be proficient on sound consoles, have strong troubleshooting ability, work well in a fast-paced environment, be self-motivated, have strong communication skills, and be able to teach interns.
- These positions are available for the build portion of the season, May 19 – July 10, system installation pre-season and assisting with technical rehearsals.

Housing is available at a reduced cost beginning on May 18.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed and positions filled as applications are received.

In addition to the required resume and cover letter, interested applicants are encouraged to submit images of their work, uploaded as a Word or PDF document. Alternatively, a link to an online portfolio can be uploaded in a Word or PDF document.

Additional Information

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is a professional repertory theatre company that produces Shakespeare and contemporary plays in the spirit of Shakespeare every summer at the beautiful Ewing Cultural Center in Bloomington, Illinois. The Festival hires professional Directors, Designers, Actors, and production personnel and offers a variety of internships to students from Illinois State University and other colleges and universities. The Festival sells an average of 10,000 tickets per year, is supported by Illinois State University and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival Society.

Student employees are eligible to participate in the University’s 403(b) Plan.  More information can be found here.

Pay Rate

$15.00/hour

Required Qualifications

Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment

Self-motivated

Strong communication skills

Additional requirements included in the General Summary

Work Hours

Regular shop hours are typically Tuesday through Sunday 8:00am to 4:30pm with evening hours for lighting focus calls. The average number of hours is 30 hours per week. Individual schedules will vary based on daily needs. Additional hours may be added during tech weeks. For the position who will stay through the festival, work hours will shift to mostly evening hours for performances.

Proposed Starting Date

May 2026

Required Applicant Documents

Resume & Cover Letter

Please Note: These documents are required to be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Optional Applicant Documents

Images of work or links to online portfolio

Please Note: These documents may be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Contact Information for Applicants

Allie Nicholson
alnich1@ilstu.edu
Production Manager, Illinois Shakespeare Festival

Important Information for Applicants

This position is subject to a criminal background investigation and if applicable, an employment history review, based on University Policy 3.1.30 and any offer of employment is contingent upon you passing a satisfactory criminal background investigation and/or an employment history review. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

In addition, all appointments are contingent upon proof of eligibility for employment at Illinois State University to perform the required duties described above on your scheduled start date. The Immigration and Control Act of 1986, Public Law 99-603, requires all new employees to file an I-9 in person and no later than three days from the beginning of employment. This may be accomplished within the department or through Human Resources. A list of the types of documentation you will be expected to provide is available at https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents. Failure to comply with this law will result in cancellation of your appointment.

Illinois State University, as your employer, is required by federal law to ensure proper tax withholding from wages and to ensure that the required reporting of employee wages, withholding, and employment taxes is accurate. For this reason, every employee must have a valid Social Security Number registered with the University at the time of employment and/or as soon after as possible, but no later than 45 days from the start date. Failure to comply with this law may result in cancellation of your appointment.

Illinois State University student employees are restricted to no more than 28 hours per week of on-campus employment for all positions held.

International students are restricted by their visa status to no more than 20 hours per week of on-campus employment when the university is in session but may work more when the university is not in session. International students should contact the Office of International Studies and Programs for guidance if they have questions concerning employment restrictions.

Illinois State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other state or federal law you may request an accommodation by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309) 438-3383. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will hold any confidential information you provide in confidence.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please call Human Resources at (309) 438-8311.