The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
US

DESCRIPTION

This summer (June–August 2026), Bard SummerScape returns with a vibrant season of dance, theater, opera, music, and the beloved Spiegeltent. Presented by the Fisher Center at Bard, this celebrated multi-arts festival takes place in person on Bard’s idyllic 1,000-acre campus, featuring performances in the stunning Frank Gehry-designed performing arts center.

The Host team plays a critical role in the overall guest experience of the SummerScape Spiegeltent, contributing directly to a safe, enjoyable, and unique experience. They must be knowledgeable of SummerScape programming, venue details, and food and beverage menus. Hosts must be able to work calmly and efficiently in a fast-paced dining and cabaret environment—always anticipating, listening, and responding with grace to guests’ needs.

The Spiegeltent Host Supervisor reports to the Spiegeltent Front of House Operations Manager and helps oversee the host team. The FOH Supervisor interacts closely with the general management, catering, box office, security, and production teams.

This is a seasonal position from approximately June 17 – August 17, 2026, paid hourly at a rate of $18–19/hr, depending on experience. Most activity at the Spiegeltent occurs on Thursday to Sunday evenings, and open availability is needed during those times. Hosts work 15–25 hours per week at the Spiegeltent, and some opportunities may be available to pick up shifts with other departments within the Fisher Center when the Spiegeltent does not have events.

This position requires local residence from June 17 to August 17, 2026. Housing is provided as needed, beginning one day prior to the employment start date and ending at 10 am on the day after the employment end date, and includes a single bedroom and shared amenities. Employees will have access to three (3) meals per weekday and two (2) meals per weekend day on campus during the residency period. Should campus dining agreements or options change from the time of the agreement, an equivalent per diem will be provided.

Please note that room and board arrangements may differ for current Bard College students.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise Spiegeltent Hosts; ensure adherence to the standards of conduct in the Spiegeltent Host Handbook when on duty.
• Coordinate Host position assignments, delegate tasks, and ensure breaks are taken in compliance with labor laws.
• Facilitate guest entry for events, including ticket taking, wristbanding, and seating of attendees.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with production, security, dining, and box office staff to ensure guests’ needs are met, and events take place in a comfortable and safe environment.
• Ensure seating setup and special seating requirements match Box Office planning. Supervise VIP seating and hospitality needs in coordination with the Spiegeltent Operations Manager.
• Ensure guests with mobility devices and other accessibility needs are appropriately accommodated.
• Provide accurate information about the Spiegeltent events, dining menu, SummerScape events, other performance spaces, and the Bard campus upon request.
• Ensure house policies regarding entry, exit, age restriction, photo and video, etc., are adhered to.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for guest concerns, complaints, and compliments, and act as the first point of escalation for hosts/staff for guest issues to solve problems with ticketing, dining, etc., in a timely and professional manner. Escalate to the Operations Manager as needed.
• Lead venue and garden set-up and breakdown, including moving tables and chairs into and out of the venue in a timely manner.
• Maintain a clean and presentable garden, entrance, and seating area with the support of hosts and Bard Environmental Services employees.
• Facilitate merchandise setup and sales for artists, as needed.
• Manage and arrange VIP and Artist parking in coordination with the Operations Manager, Spiegeltent Company Manager, and Fisher Center Development team.
• Help facilitate the response to any emergency situation that arises in the venue.
• Contribute to the daily Venue Report in coordination with the Operations Manager, Production Stage Manager, and Assistant Stage Manager.
• Assist the Operations Manager in weekly preparation for upcoming events, including reviewing schedules, maintaining supply inventory, laundering tablecloths and towels, etc.
• Create and update Spiegeltent Host timecards in coordination with the Operations Manager.
• Other duties as assigned.

COMPANY-WIDE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Fisher Center is currently undergoing an organization-wide process of change toward becoming an anti-racist, multicultural institution. All on staff are expected to:

• Commit to anti-racism and inclusivity at the Fisher Center. This includes participating in any trainings when scheduled, supporting departmental, company-wide, and cross-departmental collaboration in issues of inclusive excellence, and furthering your own independent journey with anti-racism
• Contribute in meaningful ways to the organizational culture

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE

• At least one year of hospitality experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Superior attention to detail.
• Must possess a positive work attitude and enjoy interacting with people.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Some supervisory experience is preferred.
• Interest in the performing arts.

Working Conditions

• Ability to stand for extended periods of time and ability to lift at least 50 pounds.
• Able to work late nights and weekends.
• Comfortable working outdoors.

Location

Bard’s beautiful 1,000-acre campus is situated on the east bank of the Hudson River in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Community life is defined by numerous cultural and recreational opportunities in the surrounding historic Hudson River Valley and by proximity to New York City. Nearby towns and villages include Rhinebeck, Tivoli, and Red Hook, New York.

Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

For any access-related requests, questions, or issues with the application form, please contact [email protected].

Bard College is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information. Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities.

About the Fisher Center

The Fisher Center is a premier professional performing arts center and a hub for research and education that demonstrates Bard College’s commitment to the performing arts as a cultural and educational necessity. To support artists, students, and audiences in the examination of artistic ideas, the Fisher Center develops, produces, and presents performing arts across disciplines through new productions and context-rich programs that challenge and inspire.

Home is the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry and located on the campus of Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley. This world-class theater building will be complemented by a new studio building designed by Maya Lin, scheduled to open in 2026. More than 200 events and 50,000 visitors are hosted at the Fisher Center each year, and over 300 professional artists are employed annually. As a powerful catalyst of art-making regionally, nationally, and worldwide, the Fisher Center produces 8 to 10 major new works in various disciplines every year. The Fisher Center offers outstanding programs to many communities, including the students and faculty of Bard College, and audiences in the Hudson Valley, New York City, across the country, and around the world. Building on a 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders.

The Fisher Center was born from the Bard Music Festival, founded in 1990, which, for the first 13 years of its existence, occupied several spaces on campus, including a large tent. Each summer, the Music Festival focuses on the life, work, and influences of one composer, promoting new ways of understanding and presenting the history of music to a contemporary audience. When the Fisher Center and its two theaters opened in 2003, the summer festival expanded to include a fully staged opera, as well as theater and dance performances. The highly acclaimed opera program brings unjustly neglected works to the stage in major productions—often making their US debuts.

Through Fisher Center LAB, the Center’s acclaimed residency and commissioning program, artists are provided with custom-made support toward their innovative projects and their work has been seen in over 100 communities around the world. Resident choreographer Pam Tanowitz’s 2018 Four Quartets was recognized as “the greatest creation of dance theater so far this century” by The New York Times. In 2019, the Fisher Center won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for Daniel Fish’s production of Oklahoma!, which began life in 2007 as an undergraduate production at Bard and was produced professionally by the Fisher Center in 2015 before transferring to New York City. Illinoise, a 2023 Fisher Center world premiere from artists Sufjan Stevens, Justin Peck, and Jackie Sibblies Drury, was recognized with a Tony Award for Best Choreography following its tour and transfer to Broadway.

The Fisher Center is home to several of Bard’s academic programs in the performing arts. Year-round, it hosts performances by the undergraduate Dance Program and Theater and Performance Program; the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music; The Orchestra Now (TŌN), a Bard graduate program that is training the next generation of classical-music ambassadors; and students at the Bard Conservatory, the first (and so far only) conservatory to require all its students to pursue a bachelor of arts degree in a field other than music in addition to their specialized music studies. As a hybrid institution, the Fisher Center brings together professional and academic art-making of the highest caliber, where student and professional artists work side by side, learning from each other and informing one another’s practices.

About Bard College

Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 park-like acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs, graduate degrees in 11 programs, nine early colleges, and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.

DURATION

Jun 17, 2026 - Aug 17, 2026

SALARY

$18.00 – $19.00 per hour

APPLY ONLINE

https://airtable.com/appR57NFMXrS8Q9Cx/pagvKA3GUyemSNeui/form