Nashville Ballet
Costume Shop Director
Costume Shop Director
DEPARTMENT: Production
POSITION: Costume Shop Director
REPORTS TO: Director of Production
JOB TYPE: Full Time, Exempt
START DATE: Negotiable
SALARY RANGE: $55,000 - $60,000
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Negotiable
WORK VISA AVAILABLE
BENEFITS:
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Health/Dental/Vision Insurance
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401K
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Vacation time
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Sick days
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9 paid holidays
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Free/discounted ticket opportunities
Position Summary
The Costume Shop Manager’s primary 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, School Director, and Director of Production to coordinate all costume needs well in advance of each production for the main Company, NB2, and the School of Nashville Ballet. Design opportunities available.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
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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.
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Works as a liaison between Designer and Costume Shop to maintain artistic intent within the financial and time resources.
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Assist in creating upcoming costume budget projections; regular budget monitoring throughout the season.
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Preparation and upkeep of all paperwork regarding the costume shop: inventories, costume plots, accessory lists, show bibles, etc.; or assisting guest designers as needed with paperwork for archival purposes.
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Attendance at production meetings and enough studio rehearsals to have a working knowledge of the performances; attendance at technical rehearsals and performances as assigned.
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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.
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The Costume Shop Manager will oversee the pulling, restocking, fitting, and altering of costumes for all appearances, photo shoots, recitals, and other events for marketing, special events, the School of Nashville Ballet, and Outreach.
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Responsible for organizing and maintaining the costume shop, including all equipment and costume storage.
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Managing all incoming and outgoing rentals of costumes.
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Ordering of supplies, materials, and notions in a timely manner to keep the costume shop operating efficiently.
Skills and Qualifications
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Advanced knowledge of costume construction, fitting, and alterations
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Able to direct costume shop personnel, backstage dressers, and costume assistants and effectively communicate each production's requirements
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Demonstrated proficiency in flat patterning and draping
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Knowledge of a variety of costume construction techniques
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Knowledge and experience in both men’s and women’s tailoring techniques
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Understanding of period shape and how to adapt it to theatrical costumes
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Experience working with and patterning for stretch fabrics
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Good working knowledge of costume history as well as fabric types and uses
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Excellent hand and machine sewing techniques
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Ability to multi-task, prioritize and reprioritize
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Working knowledge of various sewing machines, sergers, and other tools of the trade
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Basic shoe painting and dyeing
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Costume design experience (preferred)
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Proficiency in Word, Excel, and Outlook
About Nashville Ballet
Since its founding in 1986, Nashville Ballet has grown to become the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee, presenting a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet owns its own building, The Martin Center for Nashville Ballet, a customized facility that serves as a home for our professional dancers, school students and administrative offices. Though some performances are held at The Martin Center for Nashville Ballet, most performances are held at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in downtown Nashville.
Mission
Our mission is to create, perform, teach, and promote dance as an essential and inspiring element of our community. Nashville Ballet’s history of consistent growth and steady expansion is a credit to the dedicated artists and philanthropists who worked have tirelessly to bring the art of ballet to Nashville.
Anti-Racism Statement and Action Steps
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 artistic programming. When considering the diversity of the Nashville Ballet community, we look at all aspects, including: race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, disability status, 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.
WORK TO DATE HIGHLIGHTS:
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Hosted an organization-wide antiracism training that included company dancers, administrative staff, full-time faculty members, and Board members.
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Established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI) that includes Board members, employees, and community members, and codified it as a standing committee in our Board bylaws.
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Started a tuition-free Adaptive Dance program, providing an opportunity for children of all abilities to experience the joy of dance.
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Hosted a series of conversations with dancers, staff, faculty, and Board members about our DEI goals and included stakeholder-driven strategies in every branch of our strategic plan.
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Hosted an All Access Inclusion Training (AAIN) training for School of Nashville Ballet staff to make classes more inclusive for neurodiverse individuals.
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Formed partnerships with other local dance organizations like Rejoice School of Ballet and Moves and Grooves. • Collaborated with MOBBallet to create a more inclusive and equitable audition process for professionals seeking company positions during the pandemic.
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Assigned two staff DEI Leaders to provide strategic leadership and ensure accountability for all DEI efforts.
Ongoing Goals and Work in Progress:
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Partnering with diverse artistic collaborators, including musicians, choreographers, guest artists, production and costume designers, videographers, and more to broaden scope of artistic programming.
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Continuing to host interdepartmental conversations about our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals in collaboration with our DEI Committee.
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Creating a new, free-of-charge virtual season to increase accessibility of art form to diverse communities.
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Research potential barriers to entry for School of Nashville Ballet training and develop strategies to remove them in order to increase the inclusivity of our talent pipeline.
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Deepen relationships with diverse community organizations and develop an infrastructure to maintain those relationships long-term in a mutually beneficial way.
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Diversify our Board member pipeline and ensure committees include membership of both internal/external stakeholders.