Brooklyn College Fellowship- Costumes

2027 Public Theater Brooklyn College Fellowship Program Description, Costumes

The Brooklyn College Fellowship at The Public Theater offers full-time, paid training opportunities to recent Brooklyn College graduates for a duration of seven months. Made possible by the generous support of Arts Midwest’s Shakespeare in American Communities and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, this program ensures that each Fellow is ingrained within a specific Public Theater department related to their chosen discipline, providing them with robust professional development and network-building opportunities to help launch their careers.

Dates of the fellowship: Monday, February 1, 2027 – Friday, August 27, 2027.

Candidates from historically underrepresented communities are highly encouraged to apply*. 

The 2027 Brooklyn College Fellowship includes:

• A structured, full-time, training opportunity at The Public Theater where Fellows will be assigned day-to-day tasks/long-term projects in support of and in collaboration with their department
• Mentorship by an experienced staff member of The Public Theater 
• Seminars, workshops, and additional networking opportunities designed to increase understanding of The Public’s operations and programming, guide professional development, and connect to the larger performing arts community
• A salary of $30,000 disbursed bi-weekly at an hourly rate over the seven-month fellowship period
• This is a full-time, non-exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act with an hourly rate of $25, which is annualized at $52,000. The Overtime Rate is $50.00
• Access to healthcare benefits and pre-tax transit

 
The departments available for the 2027 Brooklyn College Fellowship include: Costumes, Communications/Archives, and Operations

Applications must include:

• 1-page cover letter that details:

• Why you want to work at The Public Theater in your selected department
• What preexisting and/or foundational skills you would bring into the role
• What you hope to learn during the fellowship and how it applies to your long-term professional goals
• Optional: Some applicants may have a background, identity or interest that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this resonates with you, then please feel free to share with us.

• 1-2 page professional résumé
• Contact information for 3 references (at least 2 references should be professional and/or academic)

Applicants must:

• Have a Bachelor's degree from the Brooklyn College Department of Theater conferred between December 2023 - December 2026.
• Must possess U.S. work authorization upon date of hire for the length of the fellowship
• Not be currently enrolled in a graduate degree or training program during the fellowship 
• Be available to work up to 40 hours a week in their assigned department (please note: some departments may require periodic evening and/or weekend availability) for the duration of the fellowship
• Attend periodic training events, meetings, and workshops as required by the program

The deadline for completed applications is 11:59pm on Tuesday, December, 1 2026.  
All applicants will be notified of their application status no later than December 31, 2026.

Please reach out to Becca Kenigsberg at [email protected] if you have any questions. 

*The Public is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Applicants from populations underrepresented in the theater field are strongly encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, familial status, sexual orientation, national origin, ability, age, or veteran status.

The Public's commitment to diversity is broadly conceived. It includes, but is not limited to: 

• Underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds 
• First-generation college students 
• Women and gender expansive people 
• LGBTQIA+ communities 
• People with disabilities 
• Others whose backgrounds and experiences would diversify the field of theater

2027 Public Theater Costumes Fellowship

The Costume Department Fellow will learn about the inner workings of the Costume Department at the Public Theater, which includes Costumes, Wardrobe, Hair and Make-Up.  The fellow will see how the Costume Department facilitates achieving visiting Costume Designers' visions for the shows, working alongside Hair & Make-Up Designers, and supervising the Wardrobe and Hair & Make-up run-crews.

Our full-time staff in the Costume Department have two parts that have an integral working relationship: our technical side and our administrative side.  The fellowship will focus on the administrative side, learning project management, budgets, timelines, and multitasking across multiple shows. There will be additional opportunities to learn or shadow various technical elements of the shop.

Departmental Responsibilities:

Learning Opportunities:

• Observe designers present their work and sketches to the costume shop
• Learn how our technical staff execute costume designs
• Understand how the administrative team coordinates fittings and supplies for costume builds
• Assist in organizing and maintaining supplies and needs for productions
• Support the overall maintenance of the costume shop

Daily operations & Physical Tasks:

• Answer emails and Slack messages
• Place online orders for show purchases
• Process returns for online orders
• Move costumes from one location in the building to another
• Pack hampers with costumes
• Unload hampers from trucking
• Move garment racks
• Run errands to the garment district or other stores within the city, whether picking up packages or buying supplies 
• Travel periodically to our Costume Stock/Warehouse in Queens to organize and restock costume inventory 
• Needs to be able to lift up to 50 lbs

We’re Looking for Someone Who:

• Brings a positive, collaborative attitude to the workplace
• Interest & desire to learn about an in-house Costume Shop at a historic non-profit theater
• Curiosity to learn more about tailoring, fittings, building costumes, cutting fabric, shopping/being a runner for Costumes
• Perform well under pressure 
• Pivot quickly when project priorities shift 
• Multitask while maintaining attention to detail
• Ability to exercise discretion and handle confidential information 
• Be in person Monday-Friday 9am-5pm