Teaching Artists and Teaching Assistants

About Our Organization

 

PCC is a welcoming home and site of experimentation for multigenerational artists, dedicated to the creation of original interdisciplinary and community-specific work, and the cultivation of artistry through training and education programs.  Originally, founded in New York City in 1975 by legendary theatrical innovator and National Medal of Arts recipient Ping Chong, PCC is now being transformed through a  three-year leadership transition period led by an Artistic Leadership Team comprised of Nile Harris, Jane Jung, Mei Ann Teo, Talvin Wilks, and Sara Zatz.Tasked with creating a forward moving model for PCC building on its 50 year legacy, this collective is centering consensus based, non-hierarchical leadership structures, while creating exciting dynamic works of art that meet the moment and speak to our times.

 

Over nearly five decades, PCC has created over 110 original productions, reaching audiences throughout New York City, the United States, and the world. Across PCC’s performance, arts education, and community engagement work, the company collaborates with regional theaters, international arts festivals, schools, universities, senior centers, and grassroots social service organizations to transcend creative and cultural boundaries. At its core, PCC is guided by principal values of Artistic Creativity, Humanity, Equity, Community Building, and Education. Consistent with our 50 year history PCC endures as a creative home holistically supporting the needs of artists. 

 

About our in-school arts education program: 

In PCC’s in-school theater residencies, teaching artists guide students in exploring themes of identity, culture, and community.  Through peer interview techniques, writing exercises, and theater activities, the program centers student voices and harnesses the power of documentary, devised theater, and personal storytelling to advance learning goals in writing and theater. The program builds student confidence, nurtures community, and increases empathy and appreciation for the cultures and lived experiences of self and others. Work occurs in elementary (grade 3+), middle, and high schools, offering tools for dialogue and connection, and creating supportive spaces for artistic skill-building and joyful discovery. 

Job Summary

PCC Teaching Artists deliver meaningful arts engagement experiences for students in grades 3-12, based on PCC's methodologies in documentary & devised theater. PCC Teaching Artists will be aligned with PCC’s artist-centered, community-oriented, generative approach to the creation of new works. Ideal TAs are excited by working in community settings and committed to supporting social justice and equity in making the arts accessible to all. Most TAs in our cohort lead 1-3 residencies in a given school year. Residencies typically involve approximately 20 teaching hours & 20-30 prep hours over 10-12 weeks in the winter & spring months.

Responsibilities

• Guide student participants through a creative process in which they:

  • Identify key memories that have shaped their sense of self, 

  • Script their stories into a collective work of art, 

  • Explore and deepen their performance skills (voice, movement, expression) for a final performance of their original theater piece. 

• Thorough preparation of lesson plans

• Prompt arrival to class sessions and other scheduled events

• Timely completion of associated residency tasks (delivering scripts, reflections, timesheets, and other paperwork when due.)  

• Responsive and timely communication with company staff, and dogged pursuit of open communication among school teachers and administration over the course of a residency

• Engagement in reflective practice and (provided) opportunities to enhance your teaching skills through trainings, including in the areas of trauma-informed practice, differentiated instruction, and working with ESL & multilingual learners

Job Qualifications & Requirements

Core Competencies 

• Passion for unlocking young peoples’ potential through self-expression

• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and liberated, anti-racist learning environments, and appreciation of the value of diversity across intersectional identities

• Self-awareness and the ability to balance holding space, taking space, and giving space in a classroom setting

• Boundary awareness and the ability to establish, maintain, and respect healthy emotional and physical boundaries

• Organization and reliability

• Flexibility, adaptability within a rapidly changing/responsive classroom environment

• Excellent verbal communication skills

 

 

Desired Experience

• For Teaching Artists, 2+ years of experience teaching theater or spoken word arts education programs to youth.  (For Teaching Assistants, less teaching experience is permissible, with demonstrated interest in the relevant art forms.)

• Skills/training in theater, spoken word, or devised performance

• An active art-making practice of your own

• Experience working in multicultural community environments 

• Experience working in/with NYC schools is a plus. 

• Given current needs in NYC schools, the ability to facilitate in languages other than English, especially Spanish, Mandarin, or Arabic, is a plus.

Additional Details

Application and Training Process

Here is an overview of our application and training process. Please note that our in-school residencies typically take place in the winter/spring, anytime from January-June.

• Sept/Oct: Applications are open through Oct 15.  

• Oct/Nov: After review of applications, selected candidates will be invited to an in-person Open House/Tryout in lieu of an interview. This is a way for you to get to know our work, and for us to get to know you and your teaching style.

• Nov/Dec/Jan: Vetted candidates will be invited to join PCC’s cohort of TAs and our full (paid) training process. Residency placements for spring 2025 will be offered and assigned.  *Note that every effort is made to place all candidates who complete training, but a school placement is not guaranteed. 

• Note: Teaching Artists must pass a NYC Department of Education fingerprinting process/background check. 

 

Support

After training, if a Teaching Artist is matched with a school residency PCC also provides:

• Clarity on schedule and location of residency

• Assistance with initial planning meetings and goal-setting in schools

• Access to education staff throughout residencies, as needed, to process/brainstorm ideas and challenges

• Mid- and post-residency observation, feedback, and reflection

• Support in arranging culminating school performances

• Periodic additional professional development workshops for our roster of TAs, on specific topics of interest. 

Other Information

 

Ping Chong and Company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. PCC is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization. We would strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described above.

How to Apply

Please fill out this form by October 15, 2024.