Location: Remote (with a residential address in the District of Columbia)
Position: Part-time (approx. 12 hours/week)
Reports to: DC Theater Arts Board of Directors
About DC Theater Arts
DC Theater Arts (DCTA) is the region’s go-to source for theater journalism, covering productions across Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. For 15 years, our team of writers has built credibility and trust with readers and theatermakers alike.
DCTA was founded in 2010 by Joel Markowitz, a passionate advocate for the arts whose vision was to create a space where all theater in the region — large and small, professional and community-based — could be celebrated and critiqued. Joel’s dedication to inclusivity and breadth of coverage remains a guiding value for the organization today. Following his passing in 2017, the DCTA team has continued to carry forward his legacy. In 2021, the organization became a nonprofit, and in 2025 began actively applying for grants — signaling an exciting new chapter in our growth.
We are now seeking a part-time Executive Director to guide DCTA into its future: stabilizing our financial foundation, building efficient systems for how we operate, and creating opportunities for sustained growth, while honoring our legacy of covering the rich diversity of theater in the DMV region.
Position Overview
The Executive Director will oversee the nonprofit’s operations, finances, fundraising, and strategic partnerships. They will work, in partnership with DCTA’s Editor-in-Chief (EIC), to make content decisions for the site’s future. They will work, in partnership with DCTA’s Board Chair and the EIC, to make strategic decisions to secure a sustainable future for the organization.
This role is best suited for a candidate who is highly organized, loves spreadsheets and systems, and enjoys building the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that allows an arts organization to thrive.
While the site’s journalism is central to DCTA’s mission, the Executive Director’s charge is to ensure long-term sustainability — strengthening finances, pursuing grants, and developing steady revenue streams from advertising, memberships, and partnerships. They both manage and partner with an existing team of long-time, committed people working on the site.
Key Responsibilities
• Financial & Organizational Management: Develop and maintain budgets, payroll, and reporting systems that bring stability and accountability to the organization.
• Fundraising & Development: Build DCTA’s financial future through grants, sponsorships, advertising, donor cultivation, and membership initiatives.
• Strategic Partnerships: Cultivate relationships with theaters, funders, and community partners to expand DCTA’s reach and impact.
• Systems & Operations: Develop strong nonprofit systems for administration, compliance, and growth. Oversee advertising sales with existing clients and nurture new relationships
• Content Support:
—Oversee organizational aspects of DCTA’s journalism and, with the Editor in Chief, explore innovative ways to deliver content across platforms, including social media.
—Oversee DCTA’s digital media. In coordination with staff, design and post all in-house digital images, content, and fliers, and oversee content on all social media channels
• Board Relations: Work closely with the Board of Directors to align strategy and governance.
Candidate Profile
• Strong skills in systems, spreadsheets, and organizational management.
• Experience with nonprofit management, development, or arts administration.
• Demonstrated fundraising ability (grants, sponsorships, individual giving).
• Entrepreneurial and solutions-oriented, able to navigate challenges with creativity.
• Passion for theater and the performing arts; familiarity with the DC-area arts ecosystem a plus.
• Comfortable juggling this role with other part-time professional opportunities.
Opportunities & Challenges
• Challenges: Steering a site that has prided itself on covering all theater in the region, while balancing financial realities and sustainability.
• Opportunities: Building on a respected 15-year-old brand with credibility, a dedicated readership, and an excellent team of writers; shaping the future of how theater journalism is delivered; strengthening DCTA’s presence in social media, advertising, and partnerships.
Compensation
This is a part-time position (approx. 12 hours/week). The position offers a $1,000 stipend, monthly, to begin. That compensation will be reviewed — following an organizational assessment, after the Executive Director’s first 30 days of employment — after which the stipend may increase. This position does not include health benefits.
Application Instructions
Interested candidates should submit the following materials in a single PDF to Eric Colchamiro, eric@dctheaterarts.org, with the subject line DCTA Executive Director – [Your Name]:
1. Résumé (no more than two pages)
2. Three professional references
3. Written responses (no more than 250 words each) to the following questions:
—Why are you the right fit to lead this organization?
—Share one favorite theatrical experience you have had.
Deadline to apply: November 5, 2025. Applications will be considered as received.
