Costume Design Design Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Description
The Division of Theatre in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist Universityn invites applications for a full-time, professional-track appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor of Practice in Costume Design, beginning August 1, 2027.
We seek an accomplished costume designer whose professional practice reflects artistic excellence, collaborative engagement, and a commitment to mentoring emerging designers. The successful candidate will foster the development of the MFA costume design students in an unusually rich production environment spanning theatre, opera, dance, and musical theatre. We welcome applicants whose professional life actively informs their teaching and who is passionate about helping students develop both technical mastery and distinctive artistic voices.
This position offers exceptional opportunities to collaborate across disciplines while preparing graduate designers for successful professional careers. Alongside our nationally recognized BFA and MFA conservatory programs, the Division recently launched the Sexton Institute for Musical Theatre and continues to expand opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. This integrated production environment is central to the Division's educational mission and supports the continued growth of the MFA program and the expanding Musical Theatre initiative.
This is a renewable, professional (i.e., non-tenure) track position with a start date in August 2027.
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will play a central role in the education and mentorship of MFA costume designers and the artistic life of the Division.
Responsibilities include:
• Teaching graduate courses in costume design, design history, and related skills.
• Mentoring MFA costume designers through studio instruction, portfolio development, and realized productions.
• Designing productions within the Division's production season.
• Collaborating closely with faculty and production staff across Theatre, Music, Dance, and the Sexton Institute for Musical Theatre.
• Supervising graduate assistants and working in partnership with the Costume Shop Director and production faculty.
• Participating in MFA Design recruitment, curriculum development, and assessment.
• Engaging in divisional, school, and university service.
• Maintaining an active professional costume design practice.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
• MFA in Costume Design or equivalent professional distinction.
• Significant professional experience in costume design for theatre, opera, dance, or related live performance.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching and mentorship.
• Evidence of an active professional design practice.
• Evidence of collaborative engagement and a commitment to mentoring emerging theatre artists and designers.
• An understanding of contemporary design technologies and digital tools.
Application Instructions
Application Materials
Applicants should submit:
• Letter of interest.
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Statement of teaching philosophy.
• Digital portfolio of professional design work.
• Contact information for three professional references.
Additional materials-including examples of student mentorship, realized productions, or syllabi-may be requested as the search progresses.
Review of applications will begin on October 30th, 2026 and continue until the position is filled.
Applications must be submitted electronically via Interfolio at the following link: https://apply.interfolio.com/191551. To ensure full consideration for the position, the application must be received by October 30, 2026, though the committee will continue to accept applications until the position is filled.Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check.
About the Division of Theatre
The Division of Theatre offers nationally recognized BFA and MFA degree programs that combine conservatory-style training with the intellectual breadth of a leading research university. As a praxis-based program, we believe theatre is simultaneously an artistic, intellectual, and civic practice. Through intensive studio training, rigorous academic inquiry, and sustained creative practice, students develop as thoughtful artists, skilled collaborators, and engaged citizens.
Our faculty are accomplished artists, educators, and scholars whose active professional careers enrich the classroom, studio, and rehearsal hall while fostering curiosity, collaboration, and artistic excellence.
Situated in one of the nation's most vibrant performing arts communities, the Division benefits from Dallas's remarkable professional theatre ecosystem. A longstanding relationship with the Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center, together with an extraordinary community of regional theatres, independent artists, and producers of new work, creates exceptional opportunities for artistic collaboration, professional engagement, and creative research.
About the Meadows School of the Arts
Founded in 1969, the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University is one of the foremost arts education institutions in the United States. The Meadows School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Advertising, Art, Art History, Arts and Non- Profit Leadership, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Creative Computation, Dance, Design and Innovation, Film and Media Arts, Game Development, Journalism, Music, and Theatre. The Meadows School is a leader in curricular innovation and challenges its students to make a difference locally and globally through building vital connections between the arts and society. The Meadows School of the Arts is also a convener for the arts in North Texas, serving as a catalyst for new collaborations and providing critical industry. research.
About SMU
Southern Methodist University, a private nonsectarian university of roughly 12,000 students, isan inclusive and intellectually diverse community of teachers and scholars that values diverse research and creative agendas and is dedicatedtoacademic excellence. SMU sits in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, a culturally rich global arts, business and tech hub and home to over eight million people, offering exceptional museums, diverse cultural attractions and a vibrant economy.