Joshua Ritter

Current

• Education Director/Music Librarian at Goodspeed Musicals

Past

• Director of Marketing at Hilberry Repertory Company
• Internet Researcher and Marketing Intern at Wicked LLC and bdb marketing
• Box Office Manager at Hilberry Repertory Company

• Drama Director at LAI Summer Camp (Colegio Santa Maria Del Camino)
• House Management Coordinator and Director of Recruiting at Hilberry Repertory Company
• Box Office Manager at Dorset Theatre Festival
• Producing and Literary Management Intern at Goodspeed Musicals
• Undergraduate Assistant to Jefferson Westwood at Rockefeller Arts Center
• Box Office and House Management Intern at TheaterWorks
• Box Office and House Management Intern at Goodspeed Musicals and Norma Terris Theatre

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7 more...

Education

• Wayne State University
• State University of New York College at Fredonia
• Hall Highschool

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Recommended

3 people have recommended Joshua

Connections

126 connections

Industry

Performing Arts

Joshua Ritter’s Summary

My early experience was in acting, research, house management, literary management, and box office. After graduating early with a double major in Theatre and Arts Administration from SUNY Fredonia, I taught basic drama in Spain and then gained box office management experience at the Dorset Theatre Festival. Then I was accepted into the MFA Theatre Management program at Wayne State University and I worked as House Management Coordinator and Director of Recruiting for the graduate company. In my second year of the MFA program I was the Box Office Manager for the three theatres on campus. Over the summer of my second year in the MFA program, I worked as an Internet Researcher and Marketing Intern for Wicked LLC and bdb marketing. In my final year in the MFA program I was the Director of Marketing. Currently, I am the Education Director/Music Librarian for Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut.

Joshua Ritter’s Specialties:

I excel at roles involving communication, leadership, detail, strategic planning, theatre education, creative thinking, marketing management, project management, research, community outreach, public relations, graphic design, and customer relations management. I am comfortable speaking Spanish and I am proficient in using the following software: Microsoft Office, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, ProVenue Max, Corda 7.2, basic HTML, Constant Contact, and Astorstreet Software.

Joshua Ritter’s Experience

• Education Director/Music Librarian

  Goodspeed Musicals

  (Non-Profit; Performing Arts industry)

  May 2009 — Present (7 months)

  Create and manage education programs and theatre tours for a wide range of students and schools, K-12, including the creation of study guides and study programs for each Goodspeed production. Manage an ongoing education program with the Hartt School of the University of Hartford which includes the planning and supervision of an annual Goodspeed Festival of New Artists. Serve as Goodspeed’s main liaison to the Hartt School. Manage an ongoing education program with the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University which includes the planning and supervision of the annual NYU residency program at Goodspeed. Serve as Goodspeed’s main liaison to the Tisch program. Work with Goodspeed’s Development staff to find and coordinate funding for Education programs and to create and maintain relationships with key funding sources. Work with Goodspeed’s Marketing and Public Relations staff on a variety of publications and programs intended to make the full range of Goodspeed’s programs and work accessible to the public. Included in these are: The creation and management of “Goodspeed Conversations”, a series of events on each Opera House production which serve as community outreach. Participation in “Backstage At Goodspeed” events, held throughout performances and intended to introduce audiences to the work that goes on behind the scenes at Goodspeed. Participation in “Talkbacks” held after productions at the Norma Terris Theatre and used to gather valuable audience feedback on Goodspeed’s new works. Supervise the operation and maintenance of Goodspeed’s Scherer Library of Musical Theatre, a collection of musical theatre publications and memorabilia. In coordination with Goodspeed’s senior staff, create and maintain relationships important to the continued growth of the collection. Support Goodspeed’s creative teams and producers in the gathering of research and with limited dramaturgical support as needed.

• Director of Marketing

  Hilberry Repertory Company

  (Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)

  August 2008 — May 2009 (10 months)

  Managed marketing and publicity for the Hilberry, Bonstelle, and Studio theatres at Wayne State University; exceeded income goals during a recession, created strategic marketing plans for six shows; secured, managed, and prepared copy for four strategic marketing deals with radio stations and three with newspapers; secured six live radio interviews to promote shows; helped implement an email marketing initiative; provided leadership to a marketing staff of four; provided marketing oversight for fifteen productions and an annual subscription campaign; managed $40,000 marketing budget; acted as Photoshop and InDesign mentor for company personnel; designed a portion of the show art for the Hilberry 2009-2010 season; and marketed and designed materials for the Kent State and Wayne State Acting Showcase. Course work: Public Relations and the Theatre, Interpersonal Dynamics, Marketing for the Theatre, Board Governance, Spanish Conversation, and taught Introduction to Theatre Management.

• Internet Researcher and Marketing Intern

  Wicked LLC and bdb marketing

  (Entertainment industry)

  June 2008 — August 2008 (3 months)

  Researched and documented Wicked’s presence on social networking platforms, blogs, official and unofficial fan sites, and forums. Also, researched official cast member websites/blogs and important Broadway websites. Compiled and presented data to the Director of Marketing for Wicked, the CEO of Istros Media Corporation, and other key decision makers. Additionally, Interned for Betsy Bernstein, Marketing Director of Wicked and the new Broadway musical Vanities. Assisted with the implementation of the marketing strategy for Wicked and Vanities and aided in building promotions for the shows.

• Box Office Manager

  Hilberry Repertory Company

  (Educational Institution; 5001-10,000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  August 2007 — May 2008 (10 months)

  Duties included management of the combined box office for the Hilberry, Bonstelle, and Studio Theatres, season programming for three theatres, work scheduling for five staff members, rehearsal room scheduling and company comp. distribution. Other responsibilities included knowledge of ProVenueMax ticketing, marketing, development and subscription applications; processing ticket orders including phone, mail and in-person sales in addition to financial recording of daily cash audits. Wrote the Operations and Customer Service sections of a business plan for a new arts organization, lead in the creation and management of a Box Office Ticketing System Research Study, an Informal Network Case Study, a Subscriber Party Event, and a Theatre Leadership Research Project. Course work: MBA Financial Reporting and Analysis, MBA Marketing Fundamentals, Theatre and the Media, Entrepreneurship in the Theatre, Human Resources and Financial Management and Managerial Strategy.

• Drama Director

  LAI Summer Camp (Colegio Santa Maria Del Camino)

  (Primary/Secondary Education industry)

  June 2007 — August 2007 (3 months)

  Taught drama classes with the aim of improving students, understanding of basic text analysis, characterization, articulation, improvisation, and physicalization. Students wrote and performed their own scenes at the end of the class.

• House Management Coordinator and Director of Recruiting

  Hilberry Repertory Company

  (Educational Institution; 5001-10,000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  August 2006 — May 2007 (10 months)

  As Director of Recruiting, designed, created, and placed all recruiting materials for the Wayne State University Department of Theatre, budgeted and implemented a $21,000 advertising campaign, and helped candidates through the application and interview process. As part of the Development Team, aided in the planning of numerous special events and fundraising initiatives; helped conduct a market research study to learn more about our subscriber base; assisted in creating a strategic development plan for the Theatre Department and helped construct a fundraising resource council. Working as House Management Coordinator, gained; cultivated; and trained more than 100 additional volunteer ushers for the Theatre, developed and organized policies for house managers; ushers; concessionaires and volunteers and coordinated all front-of-house ordering and maintenance. Course work: Development, Leadership, Market Research, Subscription Campaigns, Graduate Design and Desktop Publishing.

• Box Office Manager

  Dorset Theatre Festival

  (Performing Arts industry)

  May 2006 — August 2006 (4 months)

  Duties included season programming; management of staff; work scheduling; box office system installation and configuration.

• Producing and Literary Management Intern

  Goodspeed Musicals

  (Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Performing Arts industry)

  June 2004 — August 2004 (3 months)

  Interned for the Producer Sue Frost in Goodspeed’s Literary Management office. Aided in the reading and selection of new musicals; conducted a research study on contracts with Actors Equity Association for upcoming negotiations and liaison for writers in residency.

• Undergraduate Assistant to Jefferson Westwood

  Rockefeller Arts Center

  (Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)

  September 2003 — January 2004 (5 months)

  Duties included development, administrative tasks, show selection, and mass mailings.

• Box Office and House Management Intern

  TheaterWorks

  (Performing Arts industry)

  July 2003 — August 2003 (2 months)

  Box Office and House Management Intern.

• Box Office and House Management Intern

  Goodspeed Musicals and Norma Terris Theatre

  (Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Performing Arts industry)

  May 2003 — June 2003 (2 months)

  House Management Intern for Mary Miko at the Norma Terris Theatre and Usher at the Goodspeed Opera House.

Joshua Ritter’s Education

• Wayne State University

  MFA Theatre Management , 2005 — 2009

• State University of New York College at Fredonia

  BA: Theatre and Arts Administration Minor: Philosophy , 2001 — 2004

  Activities and Societies:

  Random Acts Improv Comedy Group

• Hall Highschool

Additional Information

Joshua Ritter’s Interests:

I love painting, meditation, reading, performing improv comedy, acting, yoga, learning languages, swimming, theatre, movies, philosophy, appreciating everything, nature, cooking, food, traveling, writing, and my wife Catherin Sedano Zelada.

Joshua Ritter’s Groups:

•    Wayne State University Alum
•    Eagle's Nest--Eagle Scout Award Recipients
•    SUNY at Fredonia Alumni Group
•    Wayne State University Department of Theatre Alumni

Joshua Ritter’s Honors:

Eagle Scout, Golden Key International Honor Society,

Joshua Ritter’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch