Technical Theater Assistant

Reporting to the Technical Director, with oversight from the Director of Creative Arts, the Technical Theater Assistant provides hands‑on scenic and physical theater support for productions in the School’s auditoriums. This role supports the Technical Director in creative design, build, and show implementation, while helping maintain a safe, well‑run scene shop and mentoring students in technical theater skills. This is a 12-month, non‑exempt, variable‑hour position averaging approximately 15 hours per week.

Hours fluctuate with the production calendar.

Scenic & Physical Theater Support

• Lead and support scenic construction, helping move productions from design through build.
• Assist with set building, props, painting, and costumes; provide general physical theater support during production and tech periods.
• Take on additional responsibilities during build weeks, tech weeks, and performance runs, in coordination with the Technical Director.
• Nice to have: comfort supporting basic AV needs and assisting the Technical Director with light hangs and focus calls, working under TD direction rather than independently.

• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe scene shop, including tools and materials.
• Follow strong safety practices in all shop and backstage work.

• Supervise and support students working in technical theater roles in a shop/backstage environment.

• Hours average approximately 15 per week and flex with the production calendar — heavier during build and tech weeks, lighter during quieter stretches.
• Work with the Technical Director to establish a consistent weekly schedule (e.g., regular build days) while remaining flexible as show demands shift.

Required

• Experience in technical theater, scenic construction, or a related stagecraft field.
• Comfortable mentoring and supervising high school students in a shop/backstage environment.
• Strong safety awareness and ability to maintain an organized workspace.
• Collaborative working style and clear communication with the Technical Director and production team.
• Ability to safely operate shop tools and lift and move production materials.
• Must pass a background check and be fingerprinted prior to starting work, per Menlo School policy.

• Hours are variable and may include evenings and weekends during build and tech weeks.
• Physical requirements include lifting and moving production materials, as well as sustained work on your feet in the shop and backstage.
• Must be comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment with competing deadlines across multiple productions simultaneously.

In the spirit of pay transparency, we share the base salary range for this position. The full pay range, which encompasses all experience levels, is $30 to $45 per hour. Within this broad range, we pay each employee in accordance with what is reasonably expected given an individual’s experience level. Base salary is exclusive of fringe benefits, employer contributions to retirement plans, and potential stipends (for eligible employees).

Pay ranges at Menlo are reasonable estimates of what the School anticipates paying for a role, but are not guaranteed. If hired at Menlo School, your final base salary will be determined by factors such as skills, education, experience, job level, part‑time status, and the number of months worked per academic year. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity with our current employees as a part of any final offer.

Please note that the generous range mentioned above is the full base salary range for the role. Hiring at the top of the range is not typical at Menlo School to allow for future and continued salary growth.

Menlo School is committed to a policy of non‑discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants. We administer all personnel practices without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or domestic partnership status, disability, protected veteran status or military status, genetic information, or any other category protected under applicable law.