Illinois Shakespeare Festival 2026 – Costumes Crew

Division Name: Academic Affairs
Department: School of Theatre Dance and Film

Job Summary

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is seeking applications for highly skilled and experienced Cutter/Drapers and First Hands as well as Costume Technicians and Costume Crafts Technicians for the 2026 summer season.

CUTTER/DRAPER and FIRST HAND

• Professional cutter/draper experience is required. Professional first hand experience is preferred in addition to being a skilled cutter/draper or first hand. The ideal candidate should work well in a fast-paced environment be self-motivated have excellent communication skills and be able to teach young costume professionals and interns.
• Positions will be available for both the build period of the Festival and the full season. Cutter/drapers and First Hands hired for the build period will work from May 19 July 10. First Hands/Wardrobe Crew Heads hired for the full season will work May 19 August 5 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

COSTUME TECHNICIAN/WARDROBE CREW

• Costume construction experience is required preferably in a professional addition to strong construction skills the ideal candidate should have strong communication skills be able to work well in a fast-paced environment be able to produce professional quality costumes independently and teach interns.
• Positions will be available for the full season. Costume technicians hired for the full season will work May 19 August 5 and be transitioned to wardrobe crew when dress rehearsals begin.

ASSISTANT CRAFT SHOP SUPERVISOR

• Experience working in a managerial position is required preferably in a professional craft shop. The ideal candidate must work well in a fast-paced environment be self-motivated and possess excellent communication skills. Candidates must demonstrate advanced organizational skills and an ability to work with professional costume designers. Knowledge of costume and craft construction methods is required.
• This position is available for the build period of the Festival May 19 July 10.

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

IF YOU ARE AN ISU STUDENT (enrolled in at least 6 undergraduate or 5 graduate credit hours during the Spring 2026 semester): Please do not apply to this posting. You will need to apply to the student employment posting located here: 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 10000 tickets per year is supported by Illinois State University and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival Society.

Benefits include time away from work for eligible employees and the option to participate in the Universitys 403(b) Plan.

Salary Rate / Pay Rate

Positions range from $15.00 per hour to $20.00 per hour

Required Qualifications

1. Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment
2. Self-motivated
3. Strong communication skills
4. Additional requirements included in the General Summary

Work Hours

Regular shop hours are typically Tuesday through Sunday 8:00am to 4:30pm with an average of 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

Special Instructions for Applicants

Please fully complete the entire application including but not limited to the education and work history portions. Be specific on your work history including employment dates (if part-time you must list the number of work hours) and duties for all positions held. Applicable part-time work experience will be considered toward qualifying for this position; however it will be converted to a full-time equivalency to determine combined length of experience. Please do not put see resume in the duties and responsibilities section of the work history. This will be considered an incomplete application and incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants for this position must be authorized to work in the U.S. without ISU sponsorship. Sponsorship for work authorization will not be considered for this position.

Illinois State University is authorized to do business within the State of Illinois. All work under this appointment is required to be performed from within the State of Illinois.

Extra Help employees are paid for hours worked only. There is no guarantee that working as Extra Help will lead to or secure permanent employment.

Contact Information for Applicants

Allie Nicholson

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.

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 . 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 .