Organization Classic Stage Company (CSC) is one of New York’s most celebrated Off?Broadway theaters, known for reimagining classic stories with boldness, intimacy, and contemporary resonance. Located in the heart of the East Village, CSC has been a creative home for adventurous theater?makers since 1967, producing work in the Lynn F. Angelson Theater—an immersive, 199?seat space that invites artists and audiences into close conversation. Under Producing Artistic Director Jill Rafson, CSC continues to champion innovative interpretations of classic texts while nurturing the next generation of theater artists and audiences.
Education, access, and community engagement are central to CSC’s mission. The organization offers robust programs for students and educators, including student matinees, in?school workshops, and free study guides, as well as NextGen, a multi?year leadership and arts?immersion program for high school students. CSC’s seasons blend reimagined classics, new adaptations, and special events that activate the theater beyond its mainstage productions, creating a vibrant hub for artistic exploration and public dialogue.
CSC is supported by a dedicated 20?member Board of Directors and a collaborative leadership team. With an annual budget of approximately $6 Million, the organization is poised for continued artistic growth and institutional momentum. Joining CSC means becoming part of a mission?driven company that values curiosity, creativity, and the power of classic stories to speak urgently to the present.
Sources: edited from classicstage.org; propublica.org
Position Summary
As a senior leader within CSC, the General Manager will oversee all production operations across the season, ensuring that each production is delivered with excellence, fiscal responsibility, and alignment with the organization’s artistic vision. Reporting jointly to the Producing Artistic Director and Managing Director, the General Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership across production planning, contracting, payroll, union compliance, and company management. This role will supervise the Company Manager and House Manager and will provide partial supervision to the Producing Assistant. The General Manager will serve as a central connector across artistic, production, and administrative teams, ensuring that CSC’s productions are supported by strong systems, clear communication, and a collaborative culture.
Roles and Responsibilities
Production Leadership and Organizational Management
Lead all production operations for CSC’s season, ensuring alignment between artistic goals, production capacity, and organizational resources.
Hire, supervise, and support the Company Manager, Production Manager, production personnel, and House Management team.
Provide active leadership throughout pre?production, rehearsals, technical periods, and performances to ensure smooth operations and timely problem?solving.
Manage production operations for special events, including concerts, readings, and the annual Gala, ensuring high-quality execution and effective coordination across departments.
Oversee Workers’ Compensation matters related to production and company operations.
Embrace other production leadership responsibilities as required.
Contracting, Union Relations, and Compliance
Lead all production?related contracting, including offers, negotiations, and agreements for Directors, Designers, Actors, Stage Managers, Musicians, and Crew.
Serve as CSC’s primary liaison to all artists’ unions, ensuring full adherence to collectively bargained agreements and maintaining strong, transparent relationships with union partners.
Prepare and submit all required union reporting, including AEA, SDC, USA, and AFM/Local 802 documentation.
Engage and represent CSC with the Off-Broadway League (OBL) in CSC’s role a major anchor of the organization in all union negotiations.
Create royalty statements and manage all OBL box office reporting.
Embrace other contracting and compliance responsibilities as required.
Financial Oversight and Business Operations
Oversee payroll processes for administrative and production teams, ensuring accurate collection of new?hire documentation and timely submission of payroll information.
Draft production budgets in collaboration with leadership and finance teams, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and fiscal stewardship.
Track and reconcile all production expenses, maintaining accurate records and supporting transparent financial reporting.
Embrace other financial and operational responsibilities as required.
Traits and Characteristics
The General Manager will be a collaborative and highly organized leader who thrives in a fast?paced artistic environment. They will bring strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work seamlessly with staff, artists, production teams, and external partners. A true team player, the General Manager will excel at managing multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining clarity, composure, and a solutions?oriented mindset. Timely and thoughtful communication, particularly with artists and production collaborators, will be a defining strength, ensuring trust, transparency, and smooth operations across all phases of production. Adaptable, diplomatic, and grounded, they will pair creativity, especially in problem solving, with positivity, resilience, and a deep belief in the value of not?for?profit theater. The General Manager will embody the professionalism, responsiveness, and collaborative spirit that support CSC’s artistic mission and organizational success.
Experience and Qualifications
The General Manager will bring a minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in theatrical general management, with New York–based experience strongly preferred. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills; exceptional organizational abilities; and the capacity to prioritize, manage, and execute multiple projects in a fast?paced production environment. They will be a timely and personable communicator with a collaborative spirit, diplomacy, and creative problem?solving skills that support artists, staff, and production partners.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Word is required, and familiarity with Spektrix and Quickbooks, or a willingness to learn, is expected. The ideal candidate will thrive in a team?centered culture, bring a solutions?oriented approach to daily operations, and demonstrate the interpersonal skills necessary to work effectively with a wide range of artists, technicians, and administrative colleagues.
CSC values the many ways professional expertise is developed and welcomes applicants whose lived experience, training, and career paths have prepared them to contribute meaningfully to a dynamic, artist?focused producing environment.
Working Conditions
This is a full?time, exempt position with a standard schedule of 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Hours will shift during production periods to ensure appropriate presence and support for company members. CSC offers a hybrid work environment for administrative staff, with the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays when schedules allow. The role requires regular use of standard office and digital communication tools, as well as on?site presence during rehearsals, technical periods, and performances.
Compensation and Benefits
The anticipated annual salary for this position is $90,000, with an expected start date of March 23, 2026. CSC offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; access to a 401(k) retirement plan; and a flexible paid?time?off (flex?PTO) program.
Application Process
Candidates are invited to submit a résumé and a cover letter that shares more about their background, interests, and what draws them to this role at CSC. Application materials should be emailed to jobs@classicstage.org with “General Manager” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, CSC recommends you apply promptly as the goal is to fill the position by mid-March.
Research shows that men apply for jobs when they fulfill and average of 60% of the criteria, yet women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, CSC encourages you to apply. CSC is dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. So, whether you’re returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, CSC will be glad to consider your application. Please also use your cover letter to tell us about what you hope to bring to this role and how your background and experience align with the desired skills and qualities.
CSC's evaluation processes are designed around merit and capability. We don't select people on the prestige of their educational establishments or other background information. Our interviewers are trained on how to manage selection processes fairly and without bias, and to conduct processes which do not selectively appeal more to one or more demographic to the detriment of any others. CSC does not discriminate against employees or clients based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, familial status, or any other protected characteristic. Reasonable accommodations will be made in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
