Job Posting: Dance Programmer / Artistic Associate, Harbourfront Centre

Job Ref. # 1000F06-ET
Number of Vacancies: 1

Situated on Toronto’s waterfront, Harbourfront Centre is renowned as Canada’s foremost facility for contemporary culture. Harbourfront Centre produces the largest multi-disciplinary festival season in Canada. Our year-round operation offers some 4000 internationally acclaimed events ranging from music, literary and theatrical festivals to children’s activities and craft shops.

Harbourfront Centre is currently seeking an ambitious, knowledgeable, community-oriented dance expert to join our Performing Arts department as Dance Programmer / Artistic Associate. This full time Dance Programmer / Artistic Associate is a primary member of our Performing Arts programming team, planning and managing the strategy, voice and vision for dance programmes across the organization. The position also works to assist and develop various other programmes and festivals produced by the department and cross-organizationally.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Acts as Curator of the NextSteps programme, Harbourfront Centre’s annual series of dance projects produced in partnership with Toronto’s vibrant dance community.
• Acts as an advocate for and expert on the field of contemporary dance on behalf of the organization, within our local, national and international communities, including travel to national and international festivals and events as a representative of Harbourfront Centre programmes.
• As Dance Associate for World Stage, Harbourfront Centre’s annual contemporary international performance series, advises and works closely with the Artistic Director on dance content and related programmes as well as overall programme implementation.
• Works closely with interdepartmental committees in the development and implementation of special projects for the organization.
• Provides budgets and programme strategies including grants and year planning vision documents

QUALIFICATIONS and REQUIREMENTS:

• A post secondary degree in the performing arts or 5 years senior experience in arts management.
• Experience in project management, strategic planning and community partnerships.
• Thorough knowledge of the local, national and international dance and contemporary performance scene.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication abilities, along with passion for working with people from across cultural disciplines.
• Strong grant / proposal writing and research skills.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:    MARCH 8, 2010
Qualified applicants please send your resume quoting Job Ref. No. 10F06-ET to:
Human Resources, 235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON M5J 2G8
Fax (416) 973-1003
E-mail: jobs@harbourfrontcentre.com
Harbourfront Centre is committed to building a diverse workforce and strongly encourages qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

Job Posting: Box Office & House Manager, Tarragon Theatre

Tarragon Theatre is looking for an experienced individual to fill a full-time position as Box Office & House Manager.  Box Office & House Management is a key position at Tarragon; the successful candidate is joining an established team who acts as the “face” of the organization and does so with an excellent service record.

Duties include servicing our subscribers and single-ticket buyers, accurate reporting, supervising volunteer ushers and part time staff, and ensuring a smooth experience for the audience. In addition to a busy season of Tarragon productions, the venue hosts numerous rental companies to whom we provide Front of House and Box Office services.

Customer service experience is a requirement for this position. The ideal candidate will also have strong telephone skills, a proven ability to multi-task, a high level of computer proficiency, and a familiarity with the performing arts. Preference will be given to candidates who are familiar with box office ticketing or database systems; Theatre Manager (by Arts Management Systems) is the program Tarragon uses.

We are looking for an individual who has a career interest in customer service, and who recognizes that excellent audience relations is a critical part of Tarragon’s success. This is a full time position that requires a flexible schedule. The position covers 44 hours per week with a combination of daytime, evening and weekend shifts. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Reply by email to jobs@tarragontheatre.com or by mail to Natasha Parsons, FOH Manager, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto ON M5R 1X3. Applications should include a cover letter and resume, along with your salary expectations. We encourage you to use your cover letter to outline your customer service experience. No phone calls or faxes, please. Applications must be received by Friday February 19, 2010.  The position begins in late March 2010.

For more information about the theatre, please visit our website at www.tarragontheatre.com

We thank all applicants for their interest in Tarragon Theatre; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Event: Reading of Plighted Troths by Elmar Maripuu, Foundry Theatre Company

Foundry Theatre Company presents the reading of: Plighted Troths by Elmar Maripuu

Tickets: PWYC
February 22nd, 7pm The Rearview Mirror 193 ½ Baldwin Street

Synopsis
Plighted Troths follows the story of four couples – one pair in England in 1940, and one pair in the Soviet Union 17 years later.  Both pairings explore the toll that strong political beliefs impose on personal loves and lives, during and after the Second World War.  A subtle play, where words and meanings are often buried under years of misunderstanding, missed chances, and political intrigue.

About the Playwright
Elmar Maripuu Elmar became involved in theatre in the north of England, through working as a volunteer on a summer arts program for children in deprived urban areas.  He subsequently formed a company, which delivered performances and collaborative events in playgrounds, classrooms, old people’s homes, mental hospitals, and out on the streets.

He is currently CEO of Stone Bay Software, supplying lottery management software across Canada and Australia.

About the Director
Ashlie Corcoran is freelance director, producer and dramaturge.  She is Co-Artistic Producer of Theatre Smash, was one of the 2009 Shaw Festival Intern Directors and is a former Ensemble Studio Intern Director at the Canadian Opera Company.  Upcoming:  directing A Boy Called Newfoundland for Theatre Smash (www.theatresmash.com) and assistant directing Idomeneo at the COC.

*Foundry Theatre engages under the terms of the Independent Theatre Agreement, professional Artists who are members of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

Call for Submissions: The Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award 2010, PACT

The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the 2010 Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 26, 2010.

This $5000 Award was initiated in celebration of PACT’s 30th anniversary in 2006-2007 and named in honour of Mallory Gilbert, who was Tarragon Theatre’s General Manager for 34 years and one of the founders and Past President of PACT. Supported by the PACT Communications Centre (PCC) and by Tarragon Theatre, the annual Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award celebrates and recognizes outstanding leadership within the Canadian Theatre community.

The Award includes a $1000 portion presented to a protégé chosen by the Award winner, underlining the importance of skills and knowledge transmission in leadership building. Mallory Gilbert, the Award’s namesake, is one of Canada’s most respected arts managers. In addition to her successful 34-year tenure at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, she has served on numerous local and national boards of directors and advisory boards. Ms. Gilbert served on PACT’s Board for 20 years (as PACT President 1989-1993), and she was the recipient of PACT Honourary Life Membership in 2005. By mentoring countless aspiring arts administrators during the course of her career, she has shaped the careers of many of Canada’s theatre leaders and encouraged the creation of exciting new theatre ventures.

The Panel

The 2010 Selection Panel for the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award is currently composed of Mallory Gilbert (Toronto, ON), Cherry Karpyshin (Winnipeg, NB), and Heather Redfern (Vancouver, BC), with further panelists to be announced. The Selection Panel will review all nominations and select one winner, judging nominations against the eligibility requirements. At its discretion, the Selection Panel may choose to grant no award or multiple awards in one year. All Selection Panel deliberations are strictly confidential. The award recipient will be named at the 2010 PACT Conference in Cow Head, NL.

Background

In an exceptional collaboration based on their deep appreciation for Mallory’s contribution to both organizations and their shared commitment to leadership in the theatre community, Tarragon Theatre and PACT Communications Centre have initiated the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award. Tarragon Theatre is sponsoring and helping to promote the award; PACT Communications Centre will administer the award and its selection process, and host the presentation ceremony at the PACT Conference each year.

The Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award was presented in 2009 to Heather Redfern, Executive Director of the Vancouver East Cultural Centre in Vancouver, BC.  Deemed as one of Western Canada’s most respected arts managers, Heather inspires others through her hard work advocating for and promoting Canadian theatre, whether as a founding member of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Managing Director of Catalist Theatre, Executive Director at Vancouver East Cultural Centre, or mentor to emergining arts administrators.  The protégé selected by Heather was Kris Nelson, a Montreal-based curator, agent, producer and dramaturg.

Download the nomination form and more information for the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award from the PACT website.

Deadline for submissions is March 26, 2010
About PACT

The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) is a member-driven organization that serves as the collective voice of professional Canadian theatres. For the betterment of Canadian theatre, PACT provides leadership, national representation and a variety of programs and practical assistance to member companies, enabling members to do their own creative work. PACT celebrated 30 years of service in 2006-2007.

About PCC

The PACT Communications Centre (PCC) is the charitable branch of PACT that promotes public interest in theatre, advances knowledge and appreciation of theatre, and increases the accessibility of theatre and the performing arts in Canada by educational means such as online resources, books, magazines and other publications, as well as holding seminars and carrying out studies and research.

About Tarragon Theatre

Tarragon Theatre was founded in 1970, and is well known for its development, creation and production of new work. Major playwrights who have premiered their work at Tarragon include David French, Joan MacLeod, John Murrell, Michael Healey, Morris Panych, James Reaney, Jason Sherman, Morwyn Brebner, Judith Thompson, among many others. Over 150 works have premiered at Tarragon, which is located in mid-town Toronto and has two theatre production spaces and three rehearsal halls.

Workshop: Artist-Educator Foundations Course, Ontario Arts Council

Are you an artist working or interested in working in schools or community settings?  Would you like to enhance your arts education skills?

The Royal Conservatory, with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, is pleased to offer the Artist-Educator Foundations Course for artists who are already engaged in arts education, and for those who would like to learn more about arts education. This 30-hour course prepares artists to work in schools and/or in community settings.

The Ontario Arts Council is subsidizing this course so that Ontario artists can enroll at a registration fee of $60.

Registration

• To register, individuals must apply by completing the following application form
• Application deadlines will be one week before each course start date.
• Please note that individuals who have participated in other Ontario Arts Council, Royal Conservatory, or Learning Through The Arts artist-educator training programs are not eligible to apply.
• The registration office at the Royal Conservatory School will notify all applicants at least three business days prior to the course start date to let the applicant know whether he or she has been admitted to the course.
• Registration will proceed upon receipt of the $60 fee.

Locations and Dates

• Click here for detailed information about course sites, dates, and availability.

About the Artist Educator Foundations Course

• Combines educational content and theory with a creative “laboratory” environment.
• Artists experiment with applying their arts discipline in educational and community contexts.
• Includes modules on how people learn at different stages of life, partnering in the classroom, and how to develop and structure arts-based lessons that are effective and engaging for learners.

Modules

• Understanding School Culture & Teacher Culture
• Engaging Effective Partnering with Teachers or Coordinators (Foundations Level)
• Engaging Effective Classroom Management (Foundations Level)
• Understanding Ages and Stages of Development (Foundations Level)
• Exploring Multiple Intelligences Theory
• Understanding The Arts Curriculum (Foundations Level)
• Preparing and Planning Lessons (Foundations Level)

For questions related to the courses, please contact:
The Royal Conservatory
416-408-2825 or 1-888-408-2825

For questions related to the Ontario Arts Council, please contact:
Christina Akrong
Associate Arts Education Officer
Ontario Arts Council
647-258-5075
1-800-387-0058 ext.5075
cakrong@arts.on.ca

The Ontario Arts Council is an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Volunteer: 150 Enthusiastic Volunteers Needed, Magnetic North Theatre Festival

Come and join our energetic volunteer team and connect with other like-minded theatre lovers from across the country. You might end up driving an award winning director to their opening night, welcoming an international theatre presenter to your home town, or hob-knobbing at the festival bar with the actors whom you just saw onstage.

Once again, we are looking for 150 enthusiastic volunteers to make this amazing festival a great success. Your time and energy will assist Magnetic North in operating this outstanding festival, while supporting some of Canada’s finest theatre artists. You can look forward to an entertaining and rewarding experience.

Volunteer benefits include:

• One pre-booked, guaranteed seat per 8 hours of volunteer work.
• Access to all other festival productions and Magnetic Encounters events on a stand-by basis.
• A collectible Magnetic North T-shirt.
• An invitation to our opening and closing night parties.

Click here to find out how you can be involved.

Volunteer: Compass Point Seeks National Planning Committee, Magnetic North Theatre Festival

Compass Points is putting a call out to all conservatory, college, and university-level theatre students and recently graduated emerging artists. We are currently developing a National Planning Committee to help guide the 2010 edition of Compass Points Student & Emerging Artist Symposium. We are looking for dynamic students and emerging artists looking to share their ideas on current issues of concern to young artists seeking to navigate the gap between student life and professional practice. We are currently looking for one representative from each province and territory or region. For more information on how to join please contact Liz Truchanowicz at compasspoints@magneticnorthfestival.ca

Held during the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, the Compass Points Symposium is a gathering of students and emerging artists from across the country which helps navigate the Festival and offers a firsthand introduction to the professional theatre industry. Organized by students and emerging artists from across the nation, Compass Points is a week-long event consisting of workshops, panel discussions, and social events which inspire participants to chart their own course in Canadian Theatre. We welcome students and artists from all theatre disciplines including but not limited to acting, directing, playwriting, design, technical production, and arts management.

Call for Submissions: Expressions of Interest for Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre, Centre for Social Innovation

The Centre for Social Innovation is thrilled to announce that we are working with Artscape to build a Creativity Lab within the Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre.  The Creativity Lab will be a 10,000 square foot workspace hub that supports a dynamic community of entrepreneurs, artists, and arts and cultural organizations. Our plan is to open the new space in 2011.

Request for Expressions of Interest!

Are you interested in becoming a potential tenant of this new space? Visit www.regentparkarts.ca for more information, for guidelines to submit an Expression of Interest, and to download an information form before the March 11 submission deadline. You should also join us for one of our two Information Sessions for more details about the project:

• February 23, 9:00am – 11:00am 500 Dundas Street East Click here to RSVP

• February 25, 9:00am – 11:00am 500 Dundas Street East Click here to RSVP

About the Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre

Toronto Community Housing Corporation, The Daniels Corporation and Artscape are working collaboratively with the local community on the development and operation of a vibrant new arts and cultural centre in Regent Park. The Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre will anchor culture as a primary driver in the community’s revitalization, both physically and symbolically. The integration and celebration of Regent Park’s cultural richness in the revitalization will play a central role in its success and in the creation of a socially inclusive, livable, healthy, safe and vibrant neighbourhood. The Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre is expected to be in the range of 65,000 square feet in total. Construction is scheduled to begin in late spring 2010. The building is scheduled to open March 2011. www.regentparkarts.ca

Call for Submissions: 2010 Maggie Bassett Award, Theatre Ontario

Nominate an Ontario Theatre Leader for 2010 Maggie Bassett Award

Theatre Ontario is now inviting nominations for the 2010 Maggie Bassett Award.  This award is presented for a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in Ontario.  The deadline is March 15, 2010.

The four main criteria for the award are:

• A significant contribution – the recipient’s impact is measurable provincially (or beyond);
• A sustained contribution – the recipient should have a proven body of work and/or have made a continuous effort over a period of years (more than five);
• An unselfish contribution – recipient’s history should encompass work and activity both paid and voluntary;
• Involvement – recipient should have been involved in more than one area of theatre (professional, community, educational.)

For more information on the award criteria, past recipients, nomination deadline and procedures, please visit http://theatreontario.org/content/maggiebassettaward.htm.

Event: FemCab 2010, Nightwood Theatre

FemCab 2010
April 13, 2010 / 8pm / $30
Brigantine Room / Harbourfront Centre
For Tickets: (416) 944-1740 x 8 or nightwoodtheatre.net

Nightwood’s International Women’s Day Celebration is coming soon!  This sell-out event is now in its 28th year.  Don’t miss it!

The only cabaret in town where performers of every discipline come together in an irreverent and boisterous celebration of women!!  Hosted by Ellen-Ray Hennessy and Lisa Karen Cox with house band, The Giomar Campbell Trio.

Ten extraordinary performers (music, comedy, dance, film, theatre and more) show their wares. Here is a peak at who we have for this year!

• Maude Barlow, Keynote Speaker: National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, recipient of eight honorary doctorates including the 2005 Right Livelihood Award (known as the “Alternative Nobel”), and a best selling author of 16 books.
• Jessica Yee, Keynote Speaker: 2009 YWCA Young Women of Distinction Winner, this 24-year-old is an organizer, educator, writer, facilitator, activist, and Two-Spirited from the Mohawk Nation.
• Jean Stilwell & Patti Loach: Jean is this generation’s forefront Mezzo-soprano and best known as Canada’s most “blisteringly seductive” Carmen and her accompanist, Patti, a “chameleon of the keyboard”.
• Andrea Nann: One of the most outstanding and influential dance choreographers and performers of her generation who has collaborated with Michael Ondaatje and Gordon Downie.
• Sandra Battaglini: Canadian comedy award-winner for her show, Hard Headed Woman.
• Maryem Tollar & Roula Said: A Middle Eastern music and dance combo that you won’t want to miss! Maryem is an award-winning Arabic vocalist and Roula is one of Canada’s leading lights in the world of belly dance.
• Andrea Dorfman: Known for her feature length films, Parsley Days and Love that Boy, we are excited to present one of her short films, How To Be Alone at this year’s cabaret.
• Saidah Baba Talibah: The daughter of Salome Bey, Saidah’s distinct sound is a fluid blend of bluesy rock, deep funk and hot buttered soul.

“Nightwood Theatre’s FemCab is one of the most entertaining and inspiring shows of every year.” NOW Magazine 2009