Assistant Professor in Acting and Directing with Emerging Technologies

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Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design

The Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD) invites highly qualified applicants for an Assistant Professor position in Acting and Directing with Emerging Technologies. This is a tenure-track appointment to the Professorial Stream to commence July 1, 2025.

One of North America’s leading schools for the arts and top 120 global Schools for performing arts (QS 2024), AMPD http://ampd.yorku.ca/ offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Art History and Visual Culture, Cinema and Media Arts, Dance, Design, Digital Media, Music, Theatre and Performance, and Visual Arts. The Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance https://ampd.yorku.ca/department-of-theatre-dance-and-performance/theatre/ emphasizes a hands-on approach to theatre training, fostering collaboration, social engagement, and artistic innovation. We offer exciting BFA/BA undergraduate and graduate programs in Theatre, Dance and Performance, including training in studio techniques, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary explorations, and preparing our graduates to take on diverse roles in the performing arts field and beyond.

We seek a creative practitioner in Acting and Directing whose research actively imagines the future of acting and directing in the digital age and develops methods for training students to meet the new opportunities and challenges of the present moment. Areas of specialization might include:
• Mixed reality performance (augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality)
• Uses of and/or impacts of AI in acting and directing
• Digital storytelling in performance creation (devised theatre)
• Performance/motion capture for video games and other media
• Incorporation of digital media tools in acting and directing

The successful candidate will pursue a clearly articulated program of research/creation and/or professional practice, and will engage in outstanding, innovative, and externally funded projects. They will bring a background or desire to incorporate interdisciplinary and socially engaged approaches with a capacity to supervise undergraduate and graduate research / research-creation in acting and directing with emerging technologies. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to teach core (studio) and elective (studio) courses in acting, directing, and performance creation, and to develop new curriculum in these areas.

This is a research-enhanced faculty position partially funded by the Connected Minds https://www.yorku.ca/research/connected-minds/ program, funded in part by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. The successful candidate will be eligible for enhanced start-up funds, an annual research grant, and a reduced teaching load. In addition, the successful candidate will engage with, and benefit from, the Connected Minds program, which focuses on scholarship in three main research goals: 1) to understand how the interplay of humans and intelligent technologies produces unexpected, emergent properties at the community/whole society levels, 2) predict how new technologies will disrupt the techno-social collective and 3) use these predictions to drive new research and technology development. The Connected Minds program is supported by a total of $318 million in funding over seven years (2023-2030).

The successful candidate is expected to align their research program both with the Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance’s priorities and with Connected Minds, which envisions a world where deep interconnections between humans and intelligent machines promote social health and justice for all.

Candidate Qualifications:
Degree: An MFA in Theatre (or MFA equivalent with a substantial record of professional experience) in Acting, Directing, or Performance Creation (or a related field) is required. Candidates must demonstrate excellence or promise of excellence in teaching, scholarly research and publication, and service.
Scholarship:
• A coherent and well-articulated program of research, research-creation and/or professional theatre practice with a focus on acting and directing with emerging technologies.
• A record or evident promise of generating innovative, substantive, rigorous, and as appropriate, externally funded research and/or research-creation.
• A record or evident promise of making influential contributions and demonstrating excellence in the field (e.g., theatre, performance, and digital media works created and produced; a record of publications (or forthcoming publications); presentations at major conferences or events; awards/accolades; and/or reviews of creative work).

Teaching:
• A record or evident promise of excellence in teaching and dedication to students (e.g., pedagogical innovations and curriculum development, teaching awards and other public forms of public recognition, demonstrated impacts on students, and student and peer evaluations).
• Past experience teaching in the area of acting and directing, including developing innovative initiatives in technologically engaged learning. The candidate must also have past experience in one or more of the following areas: acting practice, directing practice, performance creation (devised theatre), acting for the camera, performance capture. Evidence of pedagogical innovation in high priority areas such as experiential education is preferred.
• Strong commitment to pedagogy and student success, the capacity to bring a theoretical and practical orientation to teaching, learning and program design, and evidence of good judgment and a reflective approach to innovation in teaching built on an awareness of, and experience with Decolonization, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DEDI) initiatives.
• Suitability for prompt appointment to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, given that the position will involve graduate teaching and supervision.
Additional:
• Experience working with marginalized theatre artists and groups [e.g., Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC), persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+] and ability to contribute to the diverse perspectives among our faculty and students is strongly preferred.
• Candidates are also expected to provide evidence or the potential to contribute to service in committee and administrative work (including undergraduate Coordinator and Graduate Program Director positions).

Hiring Policies:
• Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
• All York University positions are subject to budgetary approval.
• York is an Affirmative Action (AA) employer and strongly values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity, in its community. Details of the AA Program, which applies to women, members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, can be found here https://www.yorku.ca/vpepc/faculty-affairs/affirmative-action/ or by contacting Christal Chapman, EDI Program Manager (chapman7@yorku.ca).
• York welcomes and employs scholars from all over the world. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
• York has a policy on Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities http://secretariat-policies.info.yorku.ca/policies/accommodation-in-employment-for-persons-with-disabilities/ and is committed to working towards a barrier-free workplace and expanding the accessibility of the workplace to persons with disabilities. Applicants who require accommodation are invited to contact Mary Pecchia, Administrative Assistant, Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, mpecchia@yorku.ca.

Application Process:
• Due date for completed applications: December 15, 2024
• Required materials: 1) current CV; 2) cover letter; 3) teaching philosophy; 4) DEDI statement; 5) statement of research interests, including 5-year research plan aligned with Connected Minds’ goals/themes; 6) sample of two course outlines/syllabi; and 7) Names and contact information for three professorial and/or academic references. Letter will only be solicited from shortlisted candidates.
• Provide required information regarding your Canadian work status and optional self-identification for Affirmative Action purposes as part of the online application.
• Direct questions about the position to Mary Pecchia, Administrative Assistant, Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, mpecchia@yorku.ca
• Submit materials: at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AMPD_Theatre

Learn More About York:
• York University generates and shares knowledge through our research, teaching and engagement with communities around the world. The 2023-2028 Strategic Research Plan https://www.yorku.ca/research/strategic-research-plan-2023-2028/ showcases the depth, breadth and ambition of research at York.
• York’s commitments to social justice are laid out in our Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy https://www.yorku.ca/dedi-strategy/, the Framework & Action Plan on Black Inclusion https://www.yorku.ca/abr/ and the Indigenous Framework for York University https://indigenous.yorku.ca/framework/.
• Follow the activities and accomplishments of York’s faculty, students and staff on YFile https://yfile.news.yorku.ca/.

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