Artistic Director
Great River Shakespeare Festival
Job Posting
The Artistic Director will be a collaborating and co-equal partner with the Managing Director, each reporting to the Board of Directors through the Board Chair and Executive Committee. The Artistic Director will have several direct reports as approved from time to time by the board.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
Set the artistic vision for GRSF and the artistic productions of the company.
Establish and maintain a strong working relationship with the Managing Director. This executive team must offer a unified and inspirational approach for the Board, staff and volunteers.
Participate with the Managing Director and Board Members in fundraising and donor activities. This includes onsite events and work in Winona, MN.
While this is an executive position, it is approximately 0.5 FTE. It is anticipated the Artistic Director may be engaged in artistic work outside of the company. The amount of time in residence in Winona will be negotiated during the hiring process.
The full job description is posted at https://www.grsf.org/employment-2027
The salary range for this position will be $25,000 - $35,000 with other duties (such as directing or acting) compensated separately.
Specific roles include:
Together with the Managing Director, guide the organization to achieve its vision in a sustainable manner.
Have an engaged relationship with the Board and continue to support the Board+rsquo;s efforts to oversee the institution and raise the funds to sustain it.
Attend all board meetings and report ongoing activities and new developments to the Executive Committee of the board.
Take an active and effective role in a broad fundraising strategy and in high level donor cultivation and solicitation.
Support and continue to develop a core company of actors, designers, directors, dramaturgs, text coaches, intimacy directors, and other artistic staff to provide a foundation of seasoned, highly skilled artistic support.
Manage artistic staff and provide clear guidance and directives to such staff with regard to their respective duties and responsibilities, creating and maintaining standard operating procedures when applicable.
Create and nurture a highly collaborative environment in which artists, production teams, and technical staff can do their best work, and fully support the broader collaboration among the artistic and administrative personnel and the Board.
Along with the Managing Director and other staff, guide the development of production budgets within overall financial parameters.
Take primary responsibility for choosing the seasons of plays in consultation with others, with a particular eye upon seasons that will grow the audience.
Take primary responsibility to select artistic talent, including directors, actors, acting interns, apprentice actors, and production teams; along with casting and design assignments.
Provide inspiration and care to all departments across the organization, and take an active oversight role in education and outreach including the design of educational programs, selection and training of teaching staff, and design of curriculum.
Advocate for the organization locally, regionally, and nationally to establish GRSF as a vital community pillar. Build and sustain high visibility and public value within the local community while maintaining an equally influential presence within the broader theater landscape.
Maintain residency in the Winona region during the summer festival season as well as multiple times throughout the year especially when off-season programs are occurring such as school residencies, off-season productions, and fundraising events. It is desired that the Artistic Director will be physically in Winona enough to establish themselves as a significant community member.
Lead the company in text centered scholarship and practice, ensuring that an active exploration of language is central to all productions and education programs.
Maintain active relationships with artists outside the organization through regular auditions, attending and communicating with other Shakespeare producers+rsquo; work, and representing GRSF as a resource to the greater regional theater community.
Collaborate with artistic unions (currently Actors+rsquo; Equity Association, United Scenic Artists, and the Stage Directors+rsquo; and Choreographers+rsquo; Society) to ensure compliance and advocate for harmonious labor/employer relations.
About Winona
Winona Minnesota, located between the Mississippi River and the 500-foot towering bluffs, is home to approximately 30,000 residents. It is the county seat of Winona County and has a long history of performing arts. A Shakespeare Club was founded in 1875 and the community boasted multiple theaters and opera houses featuring local and traveling productions. A solid foundation of manufacturing businesses keeps the economy active, and the presence of three institutions of higher learning and robust secondary education (public, strong Catholic school, and multiple charter and Montessori academies) help the liberal arts flourish. Winona boasts a variety of professional arts experiences including the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Frozen River Film Festival, Sandbar Storytelling Festival, Mid West Music Festival, and the Minnesota Beethoven Festival relocating to the world-class Minnesota Masterpiece Hall in 2027.
New works and community performing opportunities are offered by Theatre du Mississippi, Sugarloaf Theater Company, and several independent writers/producers in the community. Neighboring communities which actively participate in regional arts programs include La Crosse and Eau Claire, WI and Rochester and Red Wing, MN. The twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are just two hours away and provide numerous day-trippers and overnight guests.
About the Great River Shakespeare Festival
Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF) is a nonprofit, professional theater company founded in 2003 in Winona, Minnesota. The mission of GRSF is to enrich people+rsquo;s lives by creating dynamic, clearly understood productions of Shakespeare and other playwrights who celebrate the spoken word.
Core values include the following:
Respect, empathy, and compassion
Excellence, authenticity, and innovation
Diversity and inclusion
Outreach and education
Accessibility and affordability
Honesty, responsibility, and accountability
Founded by Paul Mason Barnes, Alec Wild, and Mark Ferraro-Hauck, the organization makes the intense study of Shakespeare+rsquo;s language its guiding artistic and educational focus. Doug Scholz-Carlson, a founding member of the GRSF acting company, assumed the role of Artistic Director upon Barnes+rsquo; retirement in 2014. Scholz-Carlson will step down from this position at the opening of the 2027 season.
GRSF attracts returning and new artists who consider Winona their artistic home, even though they may only live here for brief periods. They are professionals with relationships with the various artistic unions as well as apprentices preparing to enter the regional theater industry. The company+rsquo;s core values are designed to reinforce this sense of home as well as prepare young artists to be active contributors to advancing both the art and the ethics of the theater field. Further, the company is an active member of the Shakespeare Theater Association (STA), the service organization for Shakespeare producers across the globe, and will host the international STA Conference in January 2028 in Winona.
Application Process
The GRSF Board of Directors has formed a search committee to select the next artistic director. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, three professional references, and a resume that demonstrates both their scholarship in the works of William Shakespeare and their skills in leading a diverse group of artists to create theatrical productions that build community.
The submission deadline is Friday, September 18, 2026.
