Lecturer in Acting for the Theatre, Department of Theatre
Last updated: February 27, 2025, 1:08 p.m.
Job title: Lecturer in Acting for the Theatre, Department of Theatre
Position code: 25-LTA-THEA-M
Date posted: February 27, 2025
Application deadline: March 31, 2025
Advertised until: Position is filled
Situated on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka people, Concordia University is North America’s top university under the age of 50, celebrated for advancing transformative learning, convergent thinking and public impact.
Position description
The Department of Theatre in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, invites applications for a 12-month Limited Term Appointment in Acting for the Theatre (ACTT), starting July 1, 2025. Limited-term Faculty members at Concordia are full-time faculty members whose primary duties include teaching and service, with no research obligations.
We are seeking applicants who center inclusivity and consistently demonstrate commitment to, and integration of, antiracist and decolonial approaches to the teaching of acting and theatre. Applications from historically under-represented and marginalized communities are especially welcome.
The successful candidate will be expected to teach primarily undergraduate ACTT courses, with the possibility of also teaching courses in the Specialization in Performance Creation. Teaching duties will include fundamental and advanced ACTT courses, including topics and/or specialized skills aligned with the candidate’s interests and expertise. Other responsibilities include: serving as the Academic Advisor for the BFA Specialization in Acting for the Theatre; mentoring students; attending full-time faculty meetings; collaborating in the ongoing development of the Department’s curriculum, including participation with conceiving and implementing pedagogical decolonizing strategies; serving on Departmental committees such as the Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity and Accessibility Committee to mediate and advocate for students; and participating actively in auditions for program admission, workshops, recruitment activities and open houses for potential students. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a culturally inclusive approach to theatre practice and acting pedagogy, and a willingness to work collegially with a group of professors whose teaching methods and philosophies vary.
Qualifications and assets
Applicants should have an MFA in theatre or performance and/or a substantial body of professional (peer-recognized) teaching experience in acting for the theatre. Evidence of successful teaching and administrative experience within a university/college environment is required, or equivalent experience teaching/coaching actors, and fulfilling administrative duties, in other professional contexts. Preference will be given to applicants with expertise in teaching acting, movement, voice, ensemble-development, and/or other specialized techniques useful to training performers.
Candidates are encouraged to share any career interruptions or personal circumstances that may have had an impact on their career goals in their letter of application. These will be carefully considered in the assessment process. The Department values diversity among its faculty and strongly encourages applications from those who will contribute to that profile. Concordia University is an English-language institution of higher learning at which the primary language of instruction and research is English. Since this position supports academic functions of the university, proficiency in English is required. Working knowledge of French, including reading and grading student work in French, is an asset.
How to Apply
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and Permanent Residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obliged to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. While applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenship, all applicants must include one of the following statements:
Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
or
No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
Applications should be submitted electronically to theatre@concordia.ca on or before March 31, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Submissions should consist of a single PDF file and include the following components in the order specified below:
- A cover letter clearly identifying the job title and position code (25-LTA-THEA-M)
- A complete updated curriculum vitae
- A teaching statement that includes the applicant’s teaching philosophy and interests as well as approaches to mentorship
- Evidence of teaching effectiveness—e.g., course evaluations (statistical information only) and syllabi of courses taught
- Selected examples of past and current artistic work preferably in the form of online video links (to a professional website, YouTube or Vimeo channel). If the link is private, please provide the password.
- The names and contact information of three referees who can speak to the applicant’s creative and teaching capabilities
- Declaration of immigration status: “Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada” or “No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada”
All inquiries regarding this position may be directed to Shauna Janssen, Chair, Department of Theatre at theatre.chair@concordia.ca.
Concordia University is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, and recognizes the importance of inclusion in achieving excellence in teaching and research. As part of this commitment to providing our students with the dynamic, innovative, and inclusive educational environment of a Next‐Generation University, we require all applicants to articulate in their cover letter how their background, as well as lived and professional experiences and expertise have prepared them to teach in ways that are relevant for a diverse, multicultural contemporary Canadian society. Possible examples to demonstrate a diverse experience may include, but are not limited to:
- teaching about underrepresented populations;
- mentoring students from underrepresented backgrounds;
- committee work;
- offering or organizing educational programming;
- participation in training and workshops.
All applicants will receive an email invitation to complete a short equity survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary and no identifying information about candidates will be shared with hiring committees. Candidates who wish to self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group to the hiring committee may do so in their cover letter or by writing directly to the contact person indicated in this posting.
Adaptive Measures
Applicants who anticipate requiring adaptive measures throughout any stage of the recruitment process may contact, in confidence, the equity office at: equity@concordia.ca.
The Department of Theatre offers three BFA Specialization programs that collectively attract approximately 200 students, in Performance Creation, Acting for the Theatre, and Scenography. The BFA Specialization in Acting for the Theatre trains students to become versatile actors with a rich diversity of skills, ready to take on a wide range of roles and theatrical styles. ACTT students begin their program by acquiring core acting skills such as text interpretation (scene and monologue work), movement, voice and presence, characterization, and ensemble work. They also meet and collaborate with their Scenography and Performance Creation peers in courses that focus on dramaturgy and script analysis, collaborative and socially engaged theatre creation methods, theatre history and theory, and scenographic design fundamentals. As students move through the ACTT program, they enroll in more advanced acting curriculum that offers techniques and specialized skills in stage combat, theatrical biomechanics, Fitzmaurice Voicework, viewpoints, rasaboxes, singing, dialects, audition and acting for the camera, among others. The ACTT curriculum progresses from styles rooted in psychological realism to range-expanding techniques based in psychophysical and non-realistic approaches. Students perform in productions of plays by contemporary playwrights and writers from the past, while embracing opportunities to create and perform original work.
With over 4,000 students, faculty, and staff, the Faculty of Fine Arts is among the five largest art and design schools in North America. Nestled in the heart of a pulsing city, embraced by a dynamic research university, the Faculty of Fine Arts benefits from extraordinary access to brilliant practitioners, thriving venues, cross-cultural perspectives, and an extensive network of outstanding facilities for research and production.
Taking advantage of our place within the rich fabric of a research university and our long history as one of the premiere sites in Canada for the study and creation of the arts and arts-based scholarship, the Faculty of Fine Arts is currently engaged in a transformative moment in which pedagogical, conceptual, theoretical, and material practices find resonance with a significant diversity of approaches. In our university community we value equally those practices that embrace aesthetic activism, live performance, historical scholarship, technical experimentation, skills-based production, community fieldwork and education, and therapeutic practices as well as traditional and digital fabrication. In addition to curricular advances, the formation of significant research centres and external partnerships in the Faculty of Fine Arts continue to enrich opportunities for faculty and students alike. The faculty is also home to a number of research groups led by faculty members who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour and disabled, and centred on their concerns. For more information, please visit the Faculty of Fine Arts website.
“Concordia is a young, forward-looking university. It’s a unique place where experimentation, innovation and creativity are truly valued. Our community of students, faculty, staff and alumni all contribute to our momentum as Canada’s next-gen university.” — Concordia President Graham Carr.
Building on the skills of our faculty and the strengths of Indigenous, local, and global partnerships, we set our sights further and more broadly than others and align the quality of learning opportunities to larger trends and substantial challenges facing society.
Profoundly global, Concordia is recognized for attracting some of the most talented faculty and students from around the world. We are driven by ambition, innovation and a commitment to reconciliation, research and community engagement.
Tiohtià:ke/Montreal is exceptional; safe, vibrant and diverse, with new things to discover around every corner. With a population of 1.7 million, it houses four major universities, several clinical research centres, and has been named the best student city in the world.
Historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations, the city is now home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples, and its residents enjoy the benefits of a thriving multicultural scene. While supporting a significant anglophone population, it is the one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world.
Montreal is famed for its innovative culinary scene and festivals. It was also the first metropolis to be designated a UNESCO City of Design by the Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity. The city is recognized globally as an important centre for commerce, aerospace, transport, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, gaming and film.
Employment Equity
Concordia University is strongly committed to employment equity within its community, and to recruiting a diverse faculty and staff. The University encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women, racialized persons, Indigenous persons, 2SLGBTQI+ persons, and persons with disabilities; candidates are invited to self-identify in their applications.
Immigration Status
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and Permanent Residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obliged to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. While applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenship, all applicants must include one of the following statements:
Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
or
No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
