Workshop: Theatre Creation: A Collective Creation with Linda Griffiths, Equity Showcase Theatre

The Canadian Award winning writer and actor Linda Griffiths with Theatre Creation: A Collective Creation
April 18th to June 3rd 2011

Director of the Professional Development Program of  Equity Showcase Theatre Kevin McCormick, and president of the Board of Directors David Macniven, are very pleased to welcome the talented and highly regarded Canadian writer and actor Linda Griffiths to EST to present this special and unique collective creation workshop in honor of our 50th Anniversary.

This workshop is part of Equity Showcase Theatre’s 50th Anniversary initiative called the Writers Laboratory, a new ongoing program that is now part of the EST mandate to serve artists who are writers wishing to gain in skills or actors and other artists who wish to pursue the art of writing under the guidance of some of Canada’s best writers and creators.

“Linda Griffiths is one of Canada’s originals, known not only for the quality of her work but for the sheer range of her career” – Macleans Magazine.

Apply online now, as spaces are limited.  www.equityshowcase.ca or click on this link: http://www.equityshowcase.ca/component/fabrik/details/32/305
Email any questions to zoe@equityshowcase.ca

Deadline is April 4, 2011

Job Posting: Director of Education and Outreach, Tarragon Theatre

Tarragon Theatre is seeking a Director of Education and Outreach.  We are looking for an individual with a strong background in arts education and hands-on experience in play creation, to take a leadership role in developing and enhancing Tarragon’s reach into schools, and our audience development activities.

This full-time seasonal position, reporting to the General Manager and Artistic Director, is responsible for all Tarragon’s training opportunities and programs that interact with the community, youth, teachers, and artists.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Managing, booking and developing programs for high-school students, including weekday matinees, workshops, and other integrated opportunities for learning
• Developing and overseeing value-added programming for audience development, including pre-show chats, post-show Q&As, tours and lectures
• Managing youth programs, including: Spring Training Project, the “Under 20 for Under 20s” playwriting contest, the Young Playwrights Unit, the Young Director’s Project and the One-Act Play Festival
• Developing and coordinating outreach activities to potential theatre-goers
• Researching and writing Education and Outreach funding proposals, and contributing to and editing study guides and outreach marketing materials
• Networking in the educational community to enhance Tarragon’s relationship with school boards, schools and teachers
• Building partnerships in the arts education community, including associations with PAONE, CODE, T-Dot, and the Paprika Festival
• Facilitating and developing Tarragon’s professional courses for artists
• The supervision of coop and volunteer placements.

The ideal candidate will have hands on experience in arts education, a passion for new play creation, and a proven dedication to working directly with youth. He/she will be accustomed to working in a small committed team, comfortable as a public speaker, familiar with the education system, have exemplary writing skills, and be highly organized. This is an administrative/artistic role for someone who is a strong artist educator, facilitator and communicator. The ability and willingness to work flexible hours as needed is also a requirement of the job; there will also be some flexibility to the schedule during non-peak periods.

Reply by mail to Camilla Holland, General Manager, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto ON M5R 1X3 or email at camilla@tarragontheatre.com  Applications should include a cover letter and resume. No phone calls or faxes, please. Applications must be received by Monday May 9, 2011.

We thank all applicants for their interest in Tarragon Theatre; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will be scheduled in late May 2011.

Tarragon Theatre is one of Canada’s oldest and most respected mid-sized theatres and is a leader in the field of new Canadian plays. Tarragon Theatre is dedicated to discovering and mentoring artists who tell Canadian stories.  Tarragon believes in equal opportunities in the arts for everyone.  We welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Job Posting: General Manager, Talk Is Free Theatre

Talk Is Free Theatre (TIFT) is an artist-driven, award winning theatre company based in Barrie, ON. The company was founded in 2002 by Artistic Producer Arkady Spivak and has produced fifty productions concentrating largely on new and neglected work, most especially Canadian and off centre musicals. As of this June, TIFT will move into the new Downtown Theatre, the municipally built and owned 100-200 flexible black box.

Working within a very limited existing staff of two, the General Manager is the new position within the organization. The General Manager and Artistic Producer will both report directly to the Board of Directors.

Principal duties include:

• Supporting the Artistic Producer’s vision and strategic plans by securing the necessary resources (finances, human resources, equipment)
• Representing Talk Is Free Theatre in local, provincial and national community events and meetings
• In collaboration with the Artistic Producer, preparation of principal operating and other grants and supervision and or preparation of other corporate, foundation, individual or other fundraising requests and activity
• Being familiar with annual operating and long term budgets and management, control and reporting on the current financial position of the company
• Hiring and supervising administrative staff and artists and performing the responsibilities of HR management
• Assisting the board through timely reports, attendance at board meetings, creation of policies and procedures, recording minutes, and other assistance
• All other management duties to ensure the on-going operating objectives of the organization.

Applicants should have a minimum three years experience in arts administration. Computer literacy in word processing, spreadsheets and email programs are a requirement, as are strong written and verbal communications. Assets include experience with the Canadian Theatre Agreement, contracting playwrights, managing personnel and the ability to juggle multiple tasks without missing deadlines. We encourage applications from determined and passionate arts management professionals who are at the early stage of their career development. Salary: commensurate with experience

Start Date: Part-time on or about June 1 or as mutually agreed until September 30, 2011 after which date the position is expected to develop into full-time.

Applications should include a resume and a cover letter, stating salary expectation. Applications should be received no later than May 15, 2011 and should be mailed or e-mailed in confidence to:
Search Committee – General Manager
Talk Is Free Theatre
P.O. Box 247
Barrie, ON
L4M 4T2
Or by email to: submissions@tift.ca

For more information, please contact Arkady Spivak, Artistic Producer (705) 792-1949 or arkady@tift.ca.
We thank all applicants however only those selected for an interview will be contacted

Announcement: Keeping the arts on the federal election agenda, The Canadian Arts Coalition

The Canadian Arts Coalition announces three initiatives to strengthen the presence of the arts in Campaign 2011:

1. Join The Coalition on Facebook to publish updates, links and reports. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Canadian-Arts-CoalitionCoalition-canadienne-des-arts/170376976273

2. If you are tweeting about federal election arts issues, consider using the hashtax #artsvotecan — and tell everyone you know to do the same!

3. Sign up at the Canadian Arts Coalition website at http://www.canadianartscoalition.com and you’ll be the first to get the election toolkit when it launches: door-step questions, compelling arts facts, links, and analyses of party platforms.

Workshop: Go Ahead! Produce It Yourself: A Masterclass with Julie Tepperman and Jacoba Knaapen, Nightwood Theatre

DATES: Tuesday, April 26th and Thursday, April 28th, 2011, 10am-5pm
COST: $125+HST *
LOCATION: Nightwood/Tapestry Studio, 55 Mill St., The Cannery, Studio 315
Limited to 20 participants (first come. first serve)
Please fill out the registration form and email to hilary@nightwoodtheatre.net

Have you ever wondered what it takes to produce a show?  Are you flirting with the idea of starting your own theatre company or entering the Fringe lottery, but find the idea incredibly daunting?  If you are a new theatre school grad or an emerging theatre artist interested in creating and mounting your own work, this is the workshop for you!  Join Jacoba Knaapen (Executive Director of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts) and Julie Tepperman (actor, playwright, co-artist director of Convergence Theatre) for a two day intensive that will cover the basics of what it takes to be a self-producing artist.

Topics will include:

• an overview of the current climate in Toronto (statistics, Toronto festivals, spaces, site-specific theatre)
• funding models (grant writing, fundraising, “the ask”, corporate sponsorships, incorporating and managing a board, the difference between non-profit, not-for-profit and commercial theatre)
• how to make and manage a budget
• marketing and publicity (how to effectively market your show within your budget, getting bums in seats, etiquette for contacting the media, press releases)

JACOBA KNAAPEN is a highly skilled cultural worker and producer whose work in the Canadian professional theatre industry spans a period of thirty years. She is currently the Executive Director of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), an arts service organization that represents 175 professional theatre, dance and opera companies in the city of Toronto. Jacoba is also the Producer of the annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which she has been producing for a decade. She is past producer of Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize (Canada’s largest theatre prize), and worked as the Company Manager at Theatre Passe Muraille for eleven years and also past producer for Topological Theatre.  She was co-founder and past editor of Theatrum A Theatre Journal and recently published The Doras:  30 Years of Theatre, Dance and Opera in Toronto. Jacoba is the recipient of a Harold Award for her contribution and mentorship in the Toronto theatre community, and has been recognized with a Vital People Award by the Toronto Community Foundation for her work in improving Toronto’s arts sector ‘vital signs’.

JULIE TEPPERMAN is an actor, playwright & educator.  She is also co-founding artistic director of Convergence Theatre (with Aaron Willis), creators of the hit plays AutoShow (named #4 in NOW Magazine’s Top Ten Toronto Productions of ’06), The Gladstone Variations (4 Dora nominations, including best production, play & direction; named #2 in NOW Magazine’s Top Ten Toronto Productions of the DECADE!) and YICHUD (Seclusion) (named #5 in NOW Magazine’s Top Ten Toronto Productions of ’10).  A graduate of George Brown Theatre School and Stratford’s Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training, selected acting credits include: two seasons at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (All’s Well That Ends Well, Agamemnon, Electra, The Flies, The Swanne – Part Two), as well as numerous workshops and plays in theatre festivals across Toronto.  Playwriting credits include:  ROSY (for AutoShow), I Grow Old (for The Gladstone Variations – Dora nomination), a re-imagining of the Strindberg play The Father (Winnipeg Jewish Theatre), and YICHUD (Seclusion), which played to sold-out houses at Theatre Passe Muraille last Feb. and will be published by Playwrights Canada Press in May.  YICHUD (Seclusion) will return to TPM this May 21-29 (for tickets go to:  http://www.artsboxoffice.ca), after which it will be the gala opener for the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Ottawa.  Though it was never her intention to do so, Julie has been “self-producing” since 2006.