Professor of Musical Theater and inaugural Whitney Family Gary Gardner Chair in Musical Theater

Position overview

Position title :

Professor of Musical Theater and inaugural Whitney Family Gary Gardner Chair in Musical Theater

Salary range :

A reasonable estimated salary range for the position is $130,000 - $250,000, inclusive of the salary scale and offscale salary components.

Application Window

Open date : November 3, 2025

Next review date : Monday, Jan 5, 2026 at 11 : 59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date : Saturday, Feb 28, 2026 at 11 : 59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

Professor of Musical Theater and inaugural Whitney Family Gary Gardner Chair in Musical Theater

UCLA seeks applicants for a full time position for a tenure-track Assistant Professor or tenured Associate or Full Professor of Theater in the area of Musical Theater, who will serve as the inaugural Whitney Family Gary Gardner Chair in Musical Theater, beginning July 1, 2026.

Responsibilities :

• Contribute significantly to leadership of the rigorous and flourishing Ray Bolger Musical Theater program in the BA of the Theater Department at UCLA, a Research I University.
• Teach a combination of practice and scholarly courses in the Department, primarily related to Musical Theater.
• Serve as a director, musical director, and / or choreographer for Department productions.
• Supervise undergraduate and graduate projects in relevant areas across the Theater Department, including thesis and capstone work.
• Maintain and grow a national and international professional career.
• Recruit promising students to the Musical Theater program; mentor current students in academic and career planning.
• Participate in department, school, and university committees, as well as other service opportunities.
• Work with unit leadership and Development to identify and cultivate new sources of funding.
• Contribute to department, school, and university inclusive excellence initiatives.

Qualifications :

A minimum of eight years professional experience in musical theater and three years of related teaching experience is required. An MFA, other terminal degree, and / or professional equivalency is preferred. Additional experience in film, television, and / or streaming media of interest but not required.

The ideal candidate will have experience that demonstrates :

Rank / Salary :

We are seeking applicants who qualify for an appointment to a Senate Faculty position in the University of California. A reasonable estimated salary range for the position is $130,000 - $250,000, inclusive of the salary scale and offscale salary components.

Application requirements and deadline :

A CV, cover letter, statement of teaching philosophy, mission statement, names & contact information of 3-4 references and digital portfolio are required.

Please address your materials to the Chair of the Music Theater Faculty Search Committee, Professor Dominic Taylor.

The position will remain open until filled, For full consideration, materials must be received by Dec. 31st 2025. Applications submitted after the initial review date of 12 / 31 / 25 will not be considered unless additional review dates are created.

Additional Information :

The Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program is the Musical Theater emphasis within the Theater BA undergraduate degree of the Department of Theater at UCLA. The Whitney Family Gary Gardner Chair in Musical Theater is a permanent endowed chair, intended to honor a faculty member affiliated with the Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program who has demonstrated academic and creative excellence.

The University of California, Los Angeles, and the Department of Theater are interested in candidates who are committed to the highest standards of professional activities and to the development of a campus climate that supports equality and diversity. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists' current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University's Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UCLA requires all applicants for Academic Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled "Authorization to Release Information" into RECRUIT as part of their application. If the applicant does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Academic Senate faculty positions will be subject to targeted employment reference checks.

School : [http : / / www.tft.ucla.edu ]

School : http : / / www.tft.ucla.edu

Qualifications

Basic qualifications

A minimum of eight years professional experience in musical theater and three years of related teaching experience is required.

Additional qualifications

Additional experience in film, television, and / or streaming media of interest but not required.

Preferred qualifications

An MFA, other terminal degree, and / or professional equivalency is preferred.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

Cover Letter

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

Reference check authorization release form - Complete and upload the reference check authorization release form

Portfolio - Uploaded as a single pdf file. Can include URLS that link to externally hosted personal website or videos.

As the University's Recruitment system only accepts PDF format, some applicants might simply include a PDF that contains an external URL to their portfolio if they maintain a website with examples of their work. Alternately a PDF with static images is also acceptable . There are no specific guidelines for the candidate portfolio.

UCLA Mission Statement - As the nation's premier public research university, UC's mission is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. We have a particular responsibility to the people of the state of California which we express in the excellence of the education we provide, the impact of the research we do, the comprehensive, life-saving medical services we provide, and the public service mission we are devoted to. The University of California promotes the social mobility of its students, equips them with the tools and experience that furthers their ambitions, and regards their accomplishments across the life span as evidence of the profoundly positive impact of higher education.

The UCLA campus has expressed these goals in its strategic plan as follows :

Deepen our engagement with Los Angeles

Expand our reach as a global university

Enhance our research and creative activities

Elevate how we teach

Become a more effective institution

Prompt for candidates for recruitment :

Reflecting on your personal and professional experiences, highlight your past contributions and future commitments to advancing UCLA's mission as embodied in the 2023-28 strategic plan. These accomplishments and ambitions may be discussed in the context of describing your teaching, scholarship, and service

Reference requirements

The names of 3 references who may be contacted at a later date regarding your application

Apply link :

https : / / recruit.apo.ucla.edu / JPF10680

Help contact : rhamilton@tft.ucla.edu

About UCLA

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and / or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California 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, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties

Job location

Los Angeles, CA