Career and Volunteer Opportunities

Assistant House Manager

Quantum Theatre is in search of an Assistant House Manager for The Return of Benjamin Lay to help lead our Front of House operations. The Assistant House Manager supports the House Manager to help create a welcoming experience for all patrons and help performances run smoothly. The successful candidate will be highly motivated, an excellent communicator, and a collaborative team player. The rate for this position is $15/hour, and is classified as part-time, non-exempt.

The Return of Benjamin Lay at the Carnegie Braddock Library

• Training Day: January 26, 2025
• Performances: Performance schedule is 1/29/25 – 2/23/25, Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm. Special Matinees on Saturday 2/8, 2/15, and 2/22 at 2pm and on 2/19 at 10am. Approximate Start Time 6pm
• Load out on 2/24/25

The Assistant House Manager will work with the House Manager to oversee front of house operations for night of performance, including:

• Managing the box-office and check-in system.
• Welcoming the public to the theater
• Seating patrons, and addressing patrons questions and needs.
• Managing and leading volunteers.
• Coordinating distribution of program books.
• Overseeing the safety and well-being of audience members before, during, and immediately after the show, ensuring patrons are able to safely exit.
•  Creating a lasting positive impression of authentic hospitality to all patrons.
• Warmly inviting audiences to attend again and invite their friends.
• Communicating with the Stage Manager and/or Technical Staff to coordinate closing the house

Skills and Experience

• Positive, “Can-Do” approach
• Detail oriented, highly organized, and able to balance multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Able to identify and proactively solve issues regarding house management and patron experience and follow-through with organized, concise, and timely communications and actions that uphold the professionalism of Quantum Theatre.
• House Management or Box Office experience is preferred but not mandatory.
• Current driver’s license and/or access to reliable transportation.

Read the full job description.

Please submit cover letter and resume to: Julie DeSeyn applications@quantumtheatre.com by January 10, 2025.

2025-26 Season General Auditions

AUDITION DATES

Monday, December 2 and Tuesday December 3, 2024 from 9am to 5pm

APPOINTMENTS

Schedule your audition appointment here.

CONTRACT

SPT
$800 weekly minimum (SPT 6) + pension and health
–Pittsburgh, PA actors encouraged to submit–

PREPARATION

Please prepare (1) monologue of your choice; no longer than two minutes in length; preferably from either Chekhov or a contemporary play.

LOCATION

Quantum Theatre Offices
212 45th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

PERSONNEL

Expected to attend:
Karla Boos (Artistic Director)
Kyle Haden (Director)
Alex Ungerman (Director of Production)
Hazy J (Associate Producer)
Kelley Bowen (Associate Producer)

OTHER DATES

Callback dates: Friday, December 5 from 3-8pm; Saturday, December 7 from 12-7pm; Sunday, December 8 from 9am – 3pm

BREAKDOWN

Quantum Theatre 2025-26 Season

SHOW 1: SEAGULL

Written by Joanie Schultz; adapted from Chekhov (World Premiere)
Directed by Joanie Schultz
Rehearsals: July 1, 2025
Open: August 1, 2025
Close: August 24, 2025
Performances: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Please note: This production will take place outdoors

SYNOPSIS: WORLD PREMIERE

Joanie Shultz’ new adaptation of Chekhov’s beloved classic brings a fresh exploration of the story’s gender dynamics to the fore: four artists navigate crises of romance, art, class, and life.

SEEKING:

IRINA ARKADINA – She/her, 50s-60s, any ethnicity.
CONSTANTINE – She/her (They/Them), late 20s-30s, any ethnicity.
TRIGORIN – He/him, late 30s-50s, any ethnicity.
SORIN – He/him, 60s-70s, any ethnicity.
NINA – She/her, 18-25, any ethnicity.
MASHA – She/her, 20s-30s, any ethnicity.
MEDVEDENKO – He/him, 20s-30s, any ethnicity.
SHAMRAEV – He/him, 50s-60s, any ethnicity.
POLINA – She/her, 40s-50s, any ethnicity.
DR. DORN – He/him, 50s-60s, any ethnicity.

DETAILED CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:

IRINA ARKADINA
She/her, 50s-60s, any ethnicity.
An accomplished actress, Arkadina is fiercely protective of her career and reputation. She has always lived a non-traditional bohemian life while taking care of herself and Constantine, as a single mother and artist who has climbed the ranks and achieved great success. She deeply fears aging or becoming
irrelevant, her relationship with Trigorin is more about retaining status, though she respects him deeply. Her love for her daughter Constantine is complicated, as mother/daughter relationships can be—they have been best friends at times, competitive at times, and their relationship has often been co-dependent,
which Constantine taking care of her mother’s needs. Since Constantine has started following her own path and creative work, Arkadina has struggled to support or understand her.

CONSTANTINE
she/her (in today’s language might have been they/them), late 20s-30s, any ethnicity.
Constantine is Arkadina’s daughter, a sensitive, passionate aspiring playwright searching for her place in the world. She is queer and fiercely creative, yearning for recognition and validation from her mother and the world at large. As did many gay women of the time, she has taken on a male name, and presents more masculine in her dress. She has quietly found acceptance or at the very least tolerance from her family and the bohemian circles that she was brought up in. Constantine feels deeply, often struggling with jealousy, despair, and self-doubt. She fell hard for Nina and felt like she could do and make anything with her, and her need for Nina’s attention mirrors her need for her mother’s attention and love.

TRIGORIN
He/him, late 30s-50s, any ethnicity.
A successful and charismatic writer, Trigorin is Arkadina’s lover, both captivated by and detached from the people around him. He embodies a paradox of being intensely admired yet personally unfulfilled, feeling constrained by his public persona and often haunted by self-doubt. He stands a little outside his life, always writing in his mind. He becomes fascinated by Nina, drawn to her simplicity and ease. Trigorin is both Constantine’s rival and unintentional antagonist, representing the success and status she longs for but cannot attain.

SORIN
He/him, 60s-70s, any ethnicity.
Arkadina’s older brother, Sorin is kind-hearted and gentle, with a nostalgic longing for the life he never lived. Despite his poor health and limited achievements, he remains hopeful, expressing a wistful desire for love, freedom, and excitement. Sorin is sympathetic to Constantine’s struggles, sharing her sense of isolation and dissatisfaction with the constraints of country life.

NINA
She/her, 18-25, any ethnicity.
Innocent, ambitious, and impressionable, Nina is eager to escape her provincial life, drawn to the idea of artistic fame and glamour. Nina was swept up in Constantine’s passion for the theater and for her and yet with Arkadina and Trigorin’s arrival that bubble is burst, as their success lures her, and she falls for
Trigorin. Nina is idealistic and romantic, misbelieving the possibility of the complexities of the reality of relationships and artistic careers.

MASHA
She/her, 20s-30s, any ethnicity.
Pragmatic yet deeply melancholic, Masha is gay and closeted and masks her unhappiness with biting wit and cynicism. She’s passionately in love with Constantine, knowing that her feelings will never be returned, and that perhaps she would never even be brave enough to live that life, who knows, she’d never have a chance. Resigned to her circumstances, she decides to marry Medvedenko, though it offers little solace. Masha is honest, self-aware, and grounded, serving as a stark contrast to the more idealistic characters around her.

MEDVEDENKO
He/him, 20s-30s, any ethnicity.
A schoolteacher of modest means, Medvedenko is practical, hardworking, and perpetually concerned with money. He is in love with Masha, drawn to her grounded straight forwardness. Medvedenko’s straightforward nature and focus on daily struggles make him an outsider to the more romantic and artistic aspirations around him. Despite his simplicity, he has a quiet persistence, often expressing frustration with the constraints of poverty.

SHAMRAEV
He/him, 50s-60s, any ethnicity.
The boisterous and opinionated estate manager, Shamraev is practical and occasionally overbearing, especially in matters of estate management. He takes pride in his work, often clashing with Arkadina, whom he feels does not appreciate his role. He’s married to Polina, is father to Masha (he believes),
though he is basically oblivious to the struggles within his own family.

POLINA
She/her, 40s-50s, any ethnicity.
Polina is caught between duty to her husband, her father Shamraev, and her love for Dr. Dorn, with whom she has had a long-standing affair. She longs to be in a real, monogamous relationship with Dorn, and is tortured by knowing she has been one of his many lovers. She clings to him and their relationship as her hope for happiness, and her self-esteem has suffered within the relationship. Her quiet yearning and emotional exhaustion contrast to the other characters’ louder ambitions and frustrations.

DR. DORN
He/him, 50s-60s, any ethnicity.
An intelligent, charismatic doctor, Dorn is respected and well-liked by the household. He is perceptive, nonjudgmental, and often plays the role of confidant. He has a secret ongoing relationship with Polina, and while he doesn’t claim to be Masha’s father, he has a deep connection with her that is paternal. As the outsider who comes and goes, Dorn skates above much of the drama in these families and Dorn represents a calm, philosophical presence amid the chaos, his wisdom tempered with detachment.

—-

SHOW 2: ENRON

Written by Lucy Prebble
Directed by Kyle Haden
Rehearsals: September 30, 2025
Open: October 31, 2025
Close: November 23, 2025
Performances: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8pm;
Sundays at 2pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

SYNOPSIS

ENRON is a theatrical and explosive tale of the collapse of a company. Inspired by real events, but told as a sprawling, dynamic tragedy, the play follows CEO and anti-hero Jeffrey Skilling through the journey of Enron’s rise and fall.

SEEKING

(flexible casting, some roles doubled)

Ken Lay – Enron Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Jeffrey Skilling – Enron President
Andy Fastow – Enron Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Claudia Roe – Enron Executive
Skilling’s Daughter
Arthur Andersen – accountant
Ramsay & Hewitt – law firm (one male, one female)
Sheryl Sloman – analyst, Citigroup
Lawyer
Irene Gant

Schedule an audition appointment here.  

Ushers

As a volunteer usher, you are an integral part of the Quantum Theatre experience. Your customer service and positive attitude affect the experience of each patron. Quantum patrons rely on you to find each new venue and how to navigate the new area. You may be asked to work outdoors. Volunteer Ushers are permitted to watch the performance for free (space permitting).

Responsibilities:

• Provide the primary level of guest assistance.
• Direct patrons to the venue from the street.
• Direct patrons to parking area.
• Direct patrons to performing area.
• Pass out programs.
• Sell and tally concessions.
• Assist in clean up as needed.
• Act upon all comments/complaints in a prompt and friendly manner.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• 16 years of age or older.
• Willing to work outdoors.
• Friendly and personable. Excellent customer service skills a plus.
• Must be available nights and weekends.
• All Volunteer Ushers are to report to the venue 1 hour prior to the start of the performance and report directly to the House Manager.