Student Opportunities

This page is regularly updated during the academic year (August–May) with opportunities that may be of interest to our students. If you would like to list an opportunity or resource, please email tdps@berkeley.edu

Please Note: Listings do not imply endorsement of any organization or individual by the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies. Whenever possible, we will do basic vetting of opportunities and provide links to information about the sponsoring organizations.

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Auditions & Performance Opportunities

Classes & Workshops

Discounted & Free Tickets

Grants, Scholarships, Prizes

Internships & Fellowships

Jobs & Gigs

Publications & Writing

Study Abroad/Away

Volunteering

Auditions & Performance Opportunities

National Choreographer's Month (NACHMO) January Challenge

Posted: Dec. 19, 2024

NACHMOSF celebrates National Choreographer’s Month by participating in the January Challenge, a nationwide event that celebrates all choreographic journeys. This year’s choreographic kick in the pants will show several works from Bay Area residents, often including current Cal students and recent alumni. The show encompasses choreographers, dancers and filmmakers that welcome all styles, experience levels, and interests. Early commitment is encouraged, but we will also happily take dancers who join later in the process. Please complete the interest form or contact helenacstevens@gmail.com for more information.

Crushing: Call for Monologues

Deadline: Jan. 9, 2025

After wonderful reception in NYC, Crushing returns to the stage in San Francisco in February 2025. Selected writers will perform their own monologue on stage in front of a live audience. Monologue Prompt: How has love changed you? This could be a specific moment or relationship, a quiet pattern that emerged over time, or anything that this question elicits in the realm of romantic love. The monologue should be at least inspired by true events, and written to be performed live on stage in 5-7 minutes. Submissions are due by January 9, 2025. Monologue Submission Form

SAFEhouse Arts: Spring RAW Showcase

Deadline: Jan. 22, 2025

Sign up to present your work in SAFEhouse Arts’ Spring RAW Showcase in San Francisco. This is an opportunity to show your art in any medium, whether its dance, singing, acting, apparatus work, drag and more! Free rehearsal space is available. Mandatory Community Day & Orientation is scheduled for Feb. 1, 10am to 1pm. SAFEhouse is a place to take risks and fail spectacularly! Apply at SafeHouseArts.org

Belonging Resident Company Auditions

Auditions: Jan. 29, 2025

Formed under UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute, BRC is a performance ensemble dedicated to making the revolution of belonging irresistible. We activate radical imagination through engaged facilitation, contemporary and hip hop dance, dance/theater, and playback theater, to foster embodied experiences of belonging and dismantle systems of oppression. Auditions for new company members will be held on Wednesday, January 29, 7–10pm at Destiny Arts Center in Oakland. Learn more at Belonging.Berkeley.edu

World Arts West Dance Festival: Open Call for Artists

Deadline: March 17, 2025

WAWDF seeks to present dance forms from around the world that are rooted in cultural traditions. Dances that reflect all aspects of culture, including sacred or spiritual dances, social dance, secular or improvisational dance, dances from life cycle events, contemporary reimaginings or fusions and innovative work based in traditional dance forms. WAWDF will take place in Fall 2025 in the Bay Area and the theme is “Dance as Health and Healing.” Submissions will be accepted from January 13 to March 17, 2025. Learn more at WorldArtsWest.org

Golden Thread: Seeking Afghan Theater Collaborators

Posted: Dec. 11, 2024

Golden Thread Productions, a San Francisco-based theater company devoted to the Middle East, is seeking Afghan or Afghan American actors and theater artists who may be interested in working on a production of Pilgrimage in 2025. To learn more, contact artistic producer Salim Razawi, salim@goldenthread.org

Audition & Casting Resources:

Classes & Workshops

UC Berkeley: Songwriting Workshop with Martha Redbone

Deadline: Jan. 27, 2025

Roots music singer-songwriter Martha Redbone will be in residence on campus for her Cal Performances' concert, This Land is Our Land. She will be leading a songwriting workshop on February 27 with the theme "Fractured History." Applications for the workshop are open to UC Berkeley students at all stages of songwriting ability. Apply at arts.berkeley.edu

Bodies of Empowerment: Free Monthly Dance Classes

Joe Goode Annex in San Francisco

BOE strives to provide welcoming and inclusive space where you can explore your favorite ways to move. Our monthly dance classes are taught by master teachers offering their knowledge of a wide range of movement styles and techniques. BOE.Dance

Belonging Resident Company: Free Dance & Theater Workshops

Mondays, Oct. 21 – Dec. 9, 2024

The Belonging Resident Company (BRC), a dance and theater troupe hosted by the Othering and Belonging Institute (OBI) at UC Berkeley, is offering in-person fall workshops to anyone (post-high school) who loves dance, theater, belonging and co-creation. When: Mondays, October 21 – December 9, 6:30–8:30pm. Where: Bancroft Dance Studio, 2401 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. BRC Workshop Details

Ongoing Classes & Work Exchanges:

Discounted & Free Tickets

Berkeley Playhouse: $20 Student Rush Tickets

Rush tickets can be purchased for $20 at the door at a performance’s showtime. Tickets are based on availability. A valid student ID must be shown for entry. BerkeleyPlayhouse.org

Berkeley Rep: Under 35 Discount

Half-price tickets for anyone under the age of 35. ID required to be shown at will call before performance, one ticket per one ID; based on availability; available online, by phone, and in person. BerkeleyRep.org

Cal Performances: $10 or Half-Price Student Tickets

Cal Performances (UC Berkeley) offers $10 student tickets to select performances. UC Berkeley students can also get 50% off tickets to any show. For details, visit CalPerformances.org

The Marsh: $10 Student Tickets

Use promo code STUDENT for $10 student tickets to any show at The Marsh (Berkeley & San Francisco). TheMarsh.org

Shotgun Players: $10 Tickets for Ages 25 & Under

Shotgun Players (Berkeley) offers $10 MAD Tickets to anyone 25 and younger. Use discount code MADTIX to reserve tickets to any performance. ShotgunPlayers.org

Grants, Scholarships, Prizes

UC Berkeley: Bancroft Library Fellowships & Awards

Deadline: Feb. 3, 2025

The Bancroft Library is now accepting applicants for our 2025–26 fellowships and awards—available to graduate students, undergraduates, and independent scholars conducting research in our special collections. The Bancroft Library is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive research environment, and seeks to support students and scholars using the collections both for traditional archival and bibliographic research, as well as those wishing to use the collections for creative projects. Learn more at lib.berkeley.edu

UC Berkeley Scholarship & Prize Resources:

Internships, Fellowships & Residencies

Shotgun Players: Theatrical Design Fellowships (Berkeley)

Deadline: Jan. 5, 2025

Want to get paid while also receiving a hand-on learning experience with professional designers? Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity for early-career and emerging theater artists. The priority deadline is January 5, however, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Apply at ShotgunPlayers.org

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: Summer Internships

Application Window: Dec. 18, 2024 – Jan. 9, 2025

Interns will gain knowledge of museum careers and culture, receive mentorship from full-time staff, hands-on project experience and feedback, and join a network of emerging museum professionals. Dates: June 16 – August 8, 2025. Schedule: 35 hours/week, Monday–Friday. Pay: $18.75/hour. Learn more and apply at famsf.org

New Conservatory Theatre Center: Teaching Artist Apprentices

Posted: Dec. 19, 2024

NCTC in San Francisco is seeking emerging theatre artists who would be interested in joining our team and sharing the gift of theatre with children. We are seeking mainly those who have graduated, but upperclassman are also welcome to contact us. Our teaching artist team enjoys the following benefits: pay of $55–$60/hour; Comps to all NCTC mainstages, as well as comps to other SF theatre companies; Coaching with NCTC Education; Collaboration with their peer artists. If interested, contact Will Mattingly, will@nctcsf.org

UC Berkeley Internship Resources:

Recurring Internship/Fellowship Opportunities:

Jobs & Gigs

Berkeley Rep: Summer Residency Lab Production Assistants

Deadline: Feb. 14, 2025

The Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab production assistants help facilitate a generative environment for Ground Floor artists during their time at Berkeley Rep. The production assistant position offers highly motivated, responsible individuals the opportunity to learn about and provide support for every aspect of a new play development process at a major regional theatre. Production assistants are hired to work at Berkeley Repertory Theatre from four to six weeks. Applicants should be available between June 9 and July 27, 2025. Learn more at BerkeleyRep.org

American Dance Festival: Summer Jobs & Internships

Deadline: Feb. 15, 2025

Applications for ADF's 2025 paid internships and seasonal positions are now available. Gain hands-on experience in arts administration and production in Durham, NC. Housing assistance is available for interns and summer staff! 

Aurora Theatre: Carpenter Overhire & Box Office Associate

Posted: Nov. 20, 2024

The Carpenter supports build, load-in, and load-out. Works with the Technical Director on construction and assembly of the set utilizing digitally drafted plans. Must be comfortable using power tools, able to climb and descend ladders, and lift and carry 50lbs. The Box Office Associate provides exemplary customer service to all patrons by performing individual ticket sales and customer assistance over the phone, via email, and in person. Learn more at AuroraTheatre.org

Shotgun Players: Front of House & Production Staff

Posted: Nov. 7, 2024

The FOH team shares the responsibility of opening and closing the theatre for performances, ensuring lobby and house cleanliness, distributing tickets, serving concessions, and addressing patron concerns as they arise. We’re also looking for set, props, costumes, sound, video, and lighting designers, stage managers, and ASMs. ShotgunPlayers.org

Ongoing Job Opportunities & Resources:

Publications & Writing

Latinx New Play Festival: Call for Submissions

Deadline: Dec. 31, 2024

The Latinx New Play Festival expands the presence of Latinx stories and artists on the American stage, and spotlights the broad range of today’s Latinx experience. Four scripts will be selected to be rehearsed and developed at La Jolla Playhouse, culminating in a live public reading at the festival in November 2025. Learn more at LaJollaPlayhouse.org

Crushing: Call for Monologues

Deadline: Jan. 9, 2025

After wonderful reception in NYC, Crushing returns to the stage in San Francisco in February 2025. Selected writers will perform their own monologue on stage in front of a live audience. Monologue Prompt: How has love changed you? This could be a specific moment or relationship, a quiet pattern that emerged over time, or anything that this question elicits in the realm of romantic love. The monologue should be at least inspired by true events, and written to be performed live on stage in 5-7 minutes. Submissions are due by January 9, 2025. Monologue Submission Form

Native Voices: Call for Multigenerational Play Proposals

Deadline: Jan. 20, 2025

We are seeking proposals for two new play commissions from Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or First Nations artists. The playwrights with the selected proposals will each receive $15,000 for the creation and development of their scripts and subsequent drafts. View the call for proposals from Native Voices

Your Worst Nightmare Short Play Festival

Deadline: Jan. 31, 2025

Strange Prescription Productions is producing our third Your Worst Nightmare short play competition in which we select six winners who not only get a cash prize, but have their piece produced in our theater in downtown San Francisco! Apply at StrangeRx.com

Recurring Writing Opportunities:

Study Abroad/Away

UC Programs:

Volunteering (Arts-Related)

UC Berkeley:

  • CREATE (Creative Residencies for Emerging Artists Teaching Empowerment) invites Berkeley undergraduates to teach classes in visual arts, theater, dance, and/or creative writing to meet the enrichment needs of local schools and community organizations.
  • Dance the Bay strives to make dance accessible for all audiences by providing dance classes for preschool and after school programs, in addition to hospitals and senior homes. 
  • Splash at Berkeley brings local high school students to the University of California, Berkeley for a day of unlimited student-led learning. Participating students take courses in both conventional and unconventional subjects taught by Berkeley students.

East Bay:

San Francisco: