Part-time Visiting Instructor of Theater

The Department of Theater at St. Olaf College invites applications for a part-time, one-year position in Theater at the level of Visiting Instructor or Assistant Professor, to begin August 2025. This part-time position is responsible for teaching three courses during the 2025-26 academic year. In the fall semester, these courses will include TH 115: Acting for non-Majors and TH 120: Public Speaking, and in the spring semester TH 130: Introduction to Acting. Applicants should have substantial experience teaching rigorous acting and performance-based classes at the undergraduate level.

Salary: $29,500 - $32,000 

Qualifications
Masters degree or Master of Fine Arts in appropriate performance-based field required.

About the Department
St. Olaf Theater takes for its subject matter all aspects of making theater. We think of the program as a kind of laboratory for a serious and productive life. We produce a diverse and ambitious season of new and existing works in two well-equipped theaters. Theater at St. Olaf benefits from its proximity to the Twin Cities, which, only 45 minutes away, have more theaters per capita than nearly any city in the nation. Each year, our classes see a variety of shows in the Cities, at theaters such as the Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theater and Mixed Blood, and are visited by prominent guest artists from the local scene. Our departmental curriculum challenges students to become well-rounded artists and scholars by requiring courses in acting, directing, writing and design, as well as history, theory and literature of theater and performance. As a department, we are rigorously interdisciplinary and collaborate regularly with colleagues in the fine arts as well as others across campus. We welcome new voices and visions that expand the notion of what theater is and what is possible with it. For more information about the department, visit wp.stolaf.edu/theater.

We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity—gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age—to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Community and Belonging webpage to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply
A complete application includes the following: 

References: Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship. 

Supporting Documents and URLS:

1. Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Graduate transcripts (unofficial)
4. Teaching Statement: Describe your pedagogical goals in teaching undergraduate Theater students in the classroom

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Questions about the position, department, or college may be directed to William Sonnega, Department Chair, at sonnega@stolaf.edu. 
 

Who We Are:

Founded in 1874, St. Olaf College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff. The college is located on a picturesque 300-acre campus in Northfield, Minnesota, a vibrant, historic river town of 20,000 located 45 minutes south of culturally rich and diverse Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

The college offers an academically rigorous, nationally ranked liberal arts education that fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and emphasizes learning in an inclusive and globally engaged community. We encourage applications from candidates committed to multicultural understanding and the enrichment of our diverse community.

The college offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a 9% retirement match, contributions to eligible employees' health savings accounts, a significant tuition discount (up to a 90% reduction) at ACM, GLCA, and ELCA colleges and