Job Description

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OPPORTUNITY

PLEASE APPLY BY August 1, 2025

Nurturing confident, compassionate, responsible young people
through training in the art and craft of theatre.

Studio East is founded on the belief that the performing arts can make a difference in the lives of our children. Children who learn and practice the discipline, dedication, and teamwork required by the craft of theater develop skills that will be valuable assets throughout their lives,
no matter what career they choose to pursue.

Who We Are

Studio East began as one teen program in 1992, and is now a prominent children’s theater training program in the Seattle area. Studio East offers a comprehensive program of drama classes, theater arts summer camps, and Mainstage productions for children aged 4 through 19. The organization also offers SchoolStage (a 6-week, after-school residency program) and outreach classes. Studio East produces StoryBook Theater, an adult professional touring troupe with performances across the Puget Sound Region, that often becomes a child’s first experience with live theater. Altogether, Studio East currently serves over 70,000 people annually.

Studio East is a youth-focused theater organization committed to collaboratively developing life skills through theater experiences. We empower young people to grow into confident, compassionate, and resilient individuals by fostering accountability, leadership, curiosity, and community. Through high-quality education, performance opportunities, and our touring company, we use the transformative power of theater to inspire and continually engage learners of all ages.

Studio East envisions a community where young people grow through the power of theater. Our programs cultivate responsibility, empathy, creativity, and leadership by encouraging honesty, curiosity, and purposeful collaboration. We foster an inclusive, supportive environment that values timeliness, open-mindedness, and respectful communication, equipping students with the life skills to succeed on stage and in life. Our touring company introduces young children to live musical theater that is infused with positive life lessons. We believe theater is a transformative, cultural force that develops valuable skills children can use throughout their lives, regardless of their eventual chosen vocation.

We define inclusivity with two words: welcome home . The entire Studio East organization strives to create and support an environment that embraces individuals from any background, culture, identity, orientation, or ability, and strives to foster a sense of real belonging.

Our hearts, minds, and doors are open to ALL.

We lead from the heart and educate from the head.

We believe in every young person’s ability to embrace the highest-quality and socially-relevant theater, believing they can find inside themselves the desire to make a meaningful contribution and achieve their personal best.

What We Do

Drama Classes and Summer Camps

Studio East offers performing arts education programming for students ages 4-19 through classes, camps, and workshops at our building in Kirkland, and at schools throughout the Eastside community!

At Studio East, we believe theater has the power to build confidence, creativity, and community. Our education programs offer young performers of all experience levels the opportunity to develop their skills, express themselves, and discover the magic of live performance. From engaging classes and workshops to exciting productions and summer camps, we provide a supportive environment where students can grow on and off the stage.

Mainstage Productions

At Studio East, our Mainstage Productions bring young performers center stage, giving them the opportunity to shine in high-quality, fully produced shows. These productions are more than just performances—they’re transformative learning experiences where students develop confidence, teamwork, and storytelling skills under the guidance of professional directors and designers. These include a special production rehearsed through the year specifically for homeschooled students.

From beloved musicals to compelling plays, our Mainstage performances showcase the dedication and creativity of our students, delivering inspiring performances for audiences of all ages.

SchoolStage and School Programming

For over 30 years, Studio East has provided high-quality theater classes, workshops, and productions to local schools. Our experienced teaching artists offer drama programming for pre-K through 12th grade, fostering confidence, self-esteem, and team-building skills.

School programming options include in-school residencies, after-school enrichment classes, and SchoolStage, a six-week after-school residency program that partners with PTSAs to co-produce the school’s play.

Storybook Theatre

StoryBook Theater productions are upbeat and fun 55-minute musicals, written especially for young people ages 3-10, but fun for grown-ups, too. Every story includes audience participation and conveys a positive life lesson for children. StoryBook shows are never scary and always have a happy ending.

Each season, we travel our shows around the Puget Sound Area and tour our shows at schools, zoos, museums, and different theatres. We also invite schools to bring their students to a StoryBook Theater show and experience the magic of live theater! StoryBook Theater offers weekday matinees for groups of 10 or more.

Performance Space:

Studio East currently operates out of a 17,530 square foot facility located at 10718 NE 68th Street, Kirkland, Washington. The building is a converted grocery store that features a proscenium theater with 99 seats, a full lobby with a box office, several offices and studios, a classroom, a dressing room, and various backstage storage and shop areas. This facility currently supports all of Studio East’s on-site activities and assumes that many staff members operate in a hybrid fashion, sharing spaces between programming or departments as needed.

Studio East moved into this space and renovated it in 2024 to serve as a transitional location before relocating to a more permanent site in the years ahead. Studio East has begun defining the needs for a new home and laying the groundwork for establishing relationships and securing funding to realize that future.

Our Acknowledgement

Studio East acknowledges that we reside on the traditional lands of the first inhabitants of Seattle: The Coast Salish People, which includes, but is not limited to, the Duwamish, Stillaguamish, Snoqualmie, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and Tulalip Tribes. We extend our respects to the Coast Salish Peoples, their Elders – past, present, and emerging – for their wisdom, and we acknowledge their everlasting connection to the land, waters, and culture.

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