Opportunities

PURPOSE: To serve as the primary support to the Rehearsal Department by casting/hiring/managing Supernumerary Adults & Children, Studio Teachers, and Child Wranglers, as well as coordinating/managing associated personnel: Child Principals, Child Choruses, Chaperones, Representatives, and Guardians. To administer daily Rehearsal Department duties in order to support Main Stage artists/staff, Opera Center, Merola Opera program, and SFO staff members through the scheduling process and by overseeing the general facilitation of the rehearsal and performance process. To aid in the compliance of COVID protocols and testing.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Supernumeraries (Extras) & Associated Personnel (Adults, Children, Studio Teachers, Wranglers, Chaperones/Representatives)

Arranges and executes casting calls, auditions, or Q&A meetings for Supernumeraries
Re-engineers and Maintains the Supers and Child Supers Database including latest measurements and casting information
Creates a Supers Preference form including information for each production. Sends received receipts & tracks submissions on database

Reviews Production materials to confirm the number and quality of Supernumeraries needed for a given production. Plans the use of Adult and Child Supernumeraries per production with the Rehearsal Department Director. Coordinates casting supernumerary slots based on production needs from the existing supernumerary database; scouts for and develops mechanisms for identifying new supers.
Responsible for recruiting, casting, and management of the Supernumeraries for each opera production; communicates with directors, designers, etc. to cast supernumeraries that fit a specific productions needs; communicates with the Costume Director and Costume Supervisors to effectively cast Supers that fit existing costumes, when applicable.
Schedules all Supernumerary Measurement sessions and Costume Fittings; distributes the Super Fitting Schedule, as needed.
Creates & maintains an extracted schedule for all Adult & Child Supers, Child Choruses/Representatives, Studio Teachers, and Wranglers on a per-production basisusing the weekly master & budgeted rehearsals as a template; communicates the schedule and all super-related notifications to the Supers cast in each production
Creates & maintains a per-show Contact sheet (for Rehearsal Department usage only) for Adult/Child Supernumeraries, Child Choruses/Representatives, & Studio Teacher/Wranglers, as well as a Casting List for Supers & Child Choruses to be shared with Production & Communications.
Requests Supernumerary ID badges & provides the Supers with HR/Media/personal paperwork. Compiles ID badge requests for child chorus organizations and chaperones.
Prepares the Studio Teacher/Wrangler Letters of Agreement, PANs, and New Hire Information; oversees and schedules studio teachers, wranglers, and chaperones. Collects all employment/company paperwork for studio teachers (and/or wranglers) including employment packets, time sheets, ID badge requests, sick time submissions, teacher certificates & parking reimbursement.
Prepares the sign-in sheets for the Supernumeraries and/or associated personnel for each production; checks-in Supernumeraries and associated personnel before rehearsals/performances and communicates absences to production team. Maintains the Super Call Board by creating and posting sign-in sheets, schedules, and miscellaneous notes.
Works with the Rehearsal Department Director & Rehearsal Administrator to ensure compliance of the State of California Child Labor Laws & the collective bargaining agreement between Studio Teachers (IATSE Local #16) and SFO. Must be prepared to learn California Child Labor Laws and help explain the limitations of such laws to the parents/guardians and to members of the Company.
Works with parents to complete New Hire Paperwork for all Child Supers (including liaising with parents and the California Division of Labor Board to procure Entertainment Work Permits); works with Studio Teachers, Wranglers, and Chaperones to create a safe and productive plan for moving Child Supers around the WMOH and associated rehearsal venues.
Manages changing child labor laws, minimum wage increases, the permit to employ minors, and late-night waiver submissions
Tracks Super, Child Super, Studio Teacher, and Wrangler Hours, utilizing Sign-in Sheets for Payroll purposes; Compiles payment requests and distributes payments for all Supernumeraries
Attends pre-season, weekly schedule, & Tech Department Heads meetings (if available) to coordinate the scheduling of day-to-day activities. Observes rehearsals as necessary and might need to stand-in as a Supernumerary when applicable.

General duties shared by the Rehearsal Department

Assists in the general management of the Rehearsal Department, including the hiring/ training process of new staff members.
Covers the rehearsal office so that there is always a staff member physically present during an opera related activity (rehearsal or performance) either on or off-site. Fields questions from artists while they are in San Francisco and directs artists to the proper person.
Administers incident report paperwork; disseminates incident report/workers comp documentation to the proper parties.
Must gain on-the-job training of local Health Orders/Company COVID Safety policies, as well as different Covid testing processes.
Assists in the administration of company COVID testing and testing preparation, including answering questions, supervising individual testing processes, ensuring protocol compliance, keeping results confidential, and maintaining an accurate account of testing sign-in sheets.
Must be prepared to gain a general understanding of other Collective Bargaining Agreements-in addition to the CA Child Labor Laws
Schedule Based: Cross-references Weekly Master Schedules against departmental calendars; Assists in proofing Chorus, Orchestra & Dancer Master Calendars. Assists with the Rehearsal Department weekly coverage schedule and helps with the creating, distributing, posting & archiving the daily, weekly, and bi-weekly schedules; as well as reviews the War Memorial Bi-Weekly & Monthly Calendars (Opera House, Davies, Zellerbach, Herbst & Wilsey) and communicates any discrepancies. Inputs artist release information into the release database. Assists with scheduling same day rehearsal spaces, coaching studios, & dressing roomsas well as booking conference room requests into the Outlook calendar.
Compiles a ticket voucher list for Artists Guests for open final dress rehearsals; works the Artist Guest door or in the office for final dress rehearsals to distribute vouchers & to confirm that all guest admittance policies are being observed.
Show Based: Assists in ensuring that all artists are accounted for prior to rehearsals and performances; contacts all principal artists & the maestro the morning of each performance to confirm wellness, call times, and backstage guests. Compiles a backstage guest list for each performance, updates this list throughout the performance, and prepares the backstage guest list/passes for the door guards Assists in the preparation of the performance sign-in sheets for on-call/on-duty staff members (Executive, Managing Directors, Artistic, Music Staff, Tech), In-house Doctor, & Covers

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS:

Directs and/or escorts artists to rehearsal spaces both within the WMOH grounds and external venues. Unlocks the rehearsal spaces, coaching studios, and dressing rooms at the WMOH and reports any maintenance issues.
Compiles ID badge requests for artists, staff, guests, & house doctors. Prints and distributes Rehearsal Department reference cards containing important phone numbers & email addresses
Retrieves and distributes mail, invitations, flowers/gifts, and phone message/package notifications to artists/staff. Handles personal needs of artists/production teams when necessary, such as: food, medicine, taxis
Assists with creating and changing the dressing room placards according to the onstage rehearsal or performance.
Maintains the Rehearsal Department call board by posting the current version of pertinent information
Assists Security and House Management with access and/or clearance for guests or unescorted opera patrons
Responsible for general office maintenance; assists in ordering or purchasing office, hospitality, & medical supplies
Performs other job-related duties as assigned

Requirements

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university or equivalent work experience
Minimum two years of stage related experience in theatre, opera, music, or performance arts desired
Experience in opera / music and the performing arts preferred
Knowledge of opera production scheduling and opera repertoire preferable

PREREQUISITE SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS:

Must have reliable daily attendance and punctuality, as well as maintain a high level of confidentiality
Provides a welcoming and friendly environment for guest artists, company members, patrons and volunteers; must be able to recall a large quantity of names, dates, and times
Ability to anticipate & solve problems quickly, with an aptitude for crisis management, maintaining a professional demeanor under pressure
Must communicate in a clear, professional, and patient manner by phone, in writing, and in person
Ability to work collaboratively and diplomatically in a team and with others, to take initiative / work with confidence, and to establish productive working relationships and interact effectively with a wide range of personalities and working styles
Must be able to set priorities; coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, meet firm deadlines
Must be able to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, late night services, and split shifts
Proficiency in MS Word, Excel and Outlook & an understanding of web-based applications
Knowledge of foreign languages, particularly German, Italian, or French desirable, but not necessary
Must perform the functions of the position in a safe manner while working in an environment with a high level of noise and distractions
Must have the ability to work in onstage conditions: to see clearly in low-light situations such as are common backstage and in the theatre; walk and stand on complex stage settings throughout day-to-day activities
Ability to sit at a computer/desk for up to eight hours per day; must be able to deliver schedules and escort artists to rehearsal spaces