Post of Performing Arts Technical Manager
for September 2013
About King’s
King’s College is a boarding and day school of approximately 450 pupils. It
combines strong academic achievement, traditional values and excellent
pastoral care with a progressive, modern outlook, providing girls and boys
aged 13–18 with the opportunities, confidence and ability to exploit their
potential to the full within a happy and caring environment.
King’s Hall Prep School (located some three miles away) combines with
King’s to provide continuous education from 3-18 and the two schools are run
by one Governing Body, with many functions (marketing, strategy and finance
for example) undertaken jointly.
King’s College has a sound family and community ethos. About 70% of the
pupils board. A broad range of extra-curricular activities is offered. Good
discipline is encouraged in a firm and positive way within a supportive pastoral
framework. King’s College is strong on manners and social skills. Pupils go
on to good universities and professional careers.
For a relatively small school, King’s College has an enviable recent record of
success. The school has regularly topped GCSE league tables for Somerset
in recent years. The Chapel Choir recently won the BBC “Choir of the Year”
competition and the rugby team won the Rosslyn Park Sevens Festival trophy
a few years ago.
In short, King’s is a purposeful, outward looking, down-to-earth, successful
school.
About Taunton
Taunton, the county town of Somerset, is a busy market town with major road
and rail links. It is located between junction 25 and 26 on the M5, 25 minutes
north of Exeter and 35 minutes south of Bristol. The fast West Country train
service reaches Paddington in two hours. Taunton is a growing commercial
and residential centre, has a splendid small theatre, the County Cricket
Ground, a successful rugby club, a delightful museum and the usual shopping
outlets.
About the post
The school has a thriving Drama Department which has greatly expanded in
recent years. The AQA Drama and Theatre Studies curriculum is followed at
GCSE and A level with the current year 10 numbers being 24 pupils and 10
pupils in the first year of 6th form. Results have been consistently good and
reflect a broad range of pupils taking the subject at every level. Practical
marks have been exceptional and the school has been highly commended for
its standards by senior examiners both at GCSE and A level. Recent exam
performances have been used by the exam board as examples of how to
achieve the highest grades in standardisation. Pupils have gone on to study
Drama at top Universities and Drama schools and we have recently had a
Bafta winner in Juno Temple. Pupils have also taken part in national
competitions and appeared with organisations like the NYT and NYMT. Every
year we get a very talented intake of pupils from a broad variety of schools
applying for Drama scholarship at King’s.
The school values Drama highly and as well as having a key place in the
curriculum there is a wide variety of Drama all pupils can take part in. Every
year there is a full scale school play in the Michaelmas term which has
recently included Les Miserables, a modern reworking of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, The Pirates of Penzance and an adaptation of Great
Expectations. There is a very close relationship with King’s excellent Music
Department. There is also a Junior play for younger years, a House Drama
Festival in which the pupils create their own work and a Primary school/ Year
9 Drama event as well as various other workshop productions. All these
productions are very popular and pupils are keen to take part and support
each other. The department consists of one full time Head of Department, a
part time teacher, a teacher who helps out with extracurricular work and a full
time Performing Arts Technical Manager.
The department is exceptionally well equipped with a 250 seat theatre with
state of the art computer lighting and sound systems where most productions
take place. We also have a dedicated classroom, props and costume store
and black box Drama studio with lighting and sound facilities. Standards are
high and we are fortunate to be able to realise most designs through the
employment of a professional set design company, professional costume hire
and we have hired in professional sound and lighting designers. The School
facilities are also used extensively by a variety of outside organisations from
amateur theatre companies to local businesses.
The successful candidate will be expected to take responsibility for the day to
day running of The King’s College Theatre with its programme of school,
community and visiting professional events and to provide technical support
for other events within the school community as required. They will also be
expected to instruct pupils in technical skills on the schools performing arts
academic programmes as well as guide them working on school
performances. The ability to proactively promote the use of the theatre to
raise its profile and expand its use will be essential. An ability to contribute to
the wider delivery of Drama as a subject and extracurricular activity will be
desirable.
What we are looking for
Essential:
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A qualification in Drama preferably to degree status.
And/ Or a technical theatre qualification.
Excellent Lighting and Sound operation and design skills.
Training in health and safety legislation.
Excellent communication skills.
Experience of working with young people
A full driving license.
An ability to work at heights.
A flexible approach to working hours.
Excellent commitment to professional standards.
Desirable:
 Excellent skills in other technical areas such as Stage Management,
Set Construction and Design, Costume and Make Up, Prop Making,
Sound Recording, Live Music Mixing, Projection.
 Previous experience of the events industry.
 An ability to contribute to other aspects of the Performing Arts both
curricular and extracurricular Performance, Music, Dance.
 A willingness to contribute to other aspects of work in a busy boarding
school
Appointment policy
Candidates are expected to have read the enclosed appointment policy and
agreed to the terms within.
How to apply
Please write a brief letter of application and complete the application form
enclosed and email or send to:
The Headmaster, King’s College, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 3LA.
Tel:
Fax:
01823 328210
01823 328202.
e-mail: hmsec@kings-taunton.co.uk
website: www.kings-taunton.co.uk
The closing date for applications is 22 April 2013
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 1 May 2013
Any candidate invited to interview will be expected to complete a medical
questionnaire.