Production Assistant

Prescott Park Arts Festival, a well-established and dynamic non-profit performing arts organization, is seeking to hire a Production Assistant. This position will join the experienced, fun, award-winning, and fast-paced team responsible for organizing this popular summer Seacoast tradition that features over 70 diverse performances from June through October each year. Events include weekly concerts, food and music festivals, movie nights, a mainstage musical production, and more!

Prescott Park Arts Festival has emerged as a cultural leader in the Seacoast, and reaches nearly 150,000 people through its events, all offered for suggested donation in Portsmouth’s beautiful downtown Prescott Park. The Festival’s contribution to the local economy in show and visitor related spending has swelled to $7.5 million annually. 

Job Description Details

This position calls for a dedicated, hard-working individual to assist the Theatre and Concert Production Managers for PPAF’s Summer Mainstage Musical, River House Concert Series, Movie Series, and the other community events that the Festival produces during the summer. The Production Assistant will serve as an essential member of the production team and will work with all members of the production staff, while reporting directly to the Theatre and Concert Production Managers. This position requires an individual who can multitask, is extremely organized, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and is enthusiastic about the technical and creative aspects of live-entertainment production, including concerts, theatrical productions, dance, and more. 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• Assisting the Theatre and Concert Production Managers in the seasonal preparation of the Mainstage Musical and Concert Series
• Operating, maintaining, and safeguarding the technical aspects of Movie Nights, including setting up the screen and projector and running the movies 
• Assisting the Theatre and Concert Production Managers with the execution of musicals and concerts, including assisting with lighting, sound, and communication equipment
• Assisting the Technical Director with performing safety checks of the Festival’s technical equipment and making minor repairs when needed
• Assisting with all load-ins/outs of all rentals and equipment as they pertain to concert artists
• Maintain cleanliness of all performance areas and areas where performers will be, including but not limited to the tented backstage area as well as all cast and production trailers and artist greenrooms. 
• Oversee the purchase and setup of all hospitality items in accordance with visiting artists’ riders, and with oversight from the Theatre and Concert Production Managers with approval from the Executive Director

Preferred skills and other requirements include but are not limited to:

• Have demonstrated success in previous production work or be working toward a degree in technical theater or production
• Detail-oriented with the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Access to a vehicle whenever scheduled on-site
• Enthusiasm for the production of theatrical events and concerts
• Willingness to perform, at times, physically demanding tasks, with the ability to lift items potentially weighing up to 50 pounds
• Must be comfortable standing and walking outside on uneven ground and other surfaces 
• Must be able to endure working outside in, at times, extreme heat and/or inclement weather conditions
• A desire to learn and participate in all aspects of production for live entertainment
• Availability both during the week and on the weekends for both daytime and evening hours
• A sense of humor and joy for the job!

Prescott Park Arts Festival is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Deeply embedded in its mission, the Festival seeks to ensure the arts are accessible to all, from the audience to the stage. 

Our people are the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees, contractors, and volunteers invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but are what make this organization unique. This talented group of people helps to build the fabric of our reputation and our collective achievements. 

We embrace and encourage our people’s differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make the Festival family unique. 

At the Festival, we believe in promoting: 

• Respectful communication and cooperation amongst all employees
• Teamwork and collaboration, encouraging everyone to share their perspectives
• Work/life balance through flexible work schedules to accommodate employees’ varying needs
• Employer and employee contributions to the communities we serve to promote a greater understanding and respect for their diversity

Everyone in the Festival family has a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. All employees are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work hours, at work functions in or outside of the Park, and at all other Festival-run and participative events. 

Any employee found to have exhibited any inappropriate conduct or behavior against others may be subject to disciplinary action. 

Employees who believe they have been subject to any kind of discrimination that conflicts with the Festival’s core values and initiatives should seek assistance from a supervisor or the Executive Director.