THE GRAND THEATRE (London, Canada) is seeking a visionary, creative, and energetic individual to serve as its next Artistic Director. Reporting to the Board of Directors, and working in partnership with the Executive Director, the Artistic Director will be responsible for developing and implementing an imaginative and compelling vision that will shape the strategic direction for all artistic programs at the Grand Theatre including initiatives such as youth, education, community engagement and the development of new works.
Following their motto as a theatre that is World Curious and London Proud, the Artistic Director will be a leader in the London arts community with a strong desire to engage with artists and organizations locally, within Ontario, across Canada and internationally. The ideal candidate will have a drive to build audiences and embrace their role in the public and private sector support needed to deliver on strategic artistic priorities and will value collaboration.
As the artistic leader of the Grand Theatre, the Artistic Director will play an active role as a thought-partner in planning for the organization’s overall advancement. Supporting and partnering with artists, staff, board and volunteers, the Artistic Director will operationalize the strategic plan while building a thriving, creative and diverse culture serving the London community and artists. The Artistic Director will conceptualize and implement a plan to continue to grow the Grand Theatre’s artistic objectives while leading and motivating a highly effective artistic team in realizing successful artistic objectives.
The Grand Theatre is continuing its journey towards becoming an increasingly diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. The Grand is committed to an open and transparent hiring process and encourages applications from our diverse community. We welcome all applications from women and gender nonconforming people, people of color, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people of all sexual orientations, and all others who may contribute to the further diversification of the Grand Theatre.
This is an exciting and unique opportunity for an artistic professional who can bring together their vision, experience, and passion for theatre and believes they can continue to take the Grand Theatre to the next level. The Artistic Director must have an interest in theatre in all its forms, new play development and developing the next generation of artists and audiences. They will want to invest themselves in the success and growth of the Grand Theatre and will find personal fulfillment in being part of the future.
Artistic Director Roles and Responsibilities:
Reporting to the Grand Theatre’s Board of Directors, the Artistic Director is the theatre’s guiding artistic visionary and co-leads the organization with the Executive Director. The Artistic Director is responsible to:
Artistic Leadership
● Plan, articulate and curate an exciting artistic vision for the Grand Theatre that includes season(s) of productions that expresses the Grand’s artistic ambitions, reflects the diversity of our community in all its forms, and that creatively balances artistic vision, unique experiences, audience expectations and financial/operational realities.
● Identify, engage, inspire, and lead key creative-team members, and be a strong leader in creative decision-making around the Grand’s productions. Oversee all casting and production-related engagements.
● Serve as the Director of two to three productions within the Grand’s annual season.
● Communicate with a variety of stakeholders about the Grand’s artistic vision, season, artists, and
productions.
● Network with other theatres and search for the most exciting professional artists, scripts, and new
projects locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
● Possess knowledge of and lead the Grand’s new play development while curate deep relationships
with artists (i.e., playwrights, composers & others) creating original work.
● Connect to PACT and the national theatre network, enthusiastically taking a leadership role in
discussions within the field.
● Take an active role in design & production meetings and provide guidance and expertise for problem
solving throughout the production process.
● Conceive of new and sustainable organizational structures for building internal strengths to support
artistic operations.
● Be active in London’s thriving theatre scene as a welcoming colleague, collaborating with other arts
organizations in the community, across Canada and Internationally.
Community Engagement
● Demonstrate a personal commitment to the Grand’s values by promoting diversity among participants and stakeholders and creating an environment where the role of the theatre within the community is carefully defined.
● Serve as an enthusiastic ambassador and spokesperson for the Grand in interviews, at conferences, and at other public relations opportunities & events.
● Create strong relationships and foster community engagement between the Grand and other theatres, arts organizations, non-profits, schools, community organizations and artists within London, throughout Canada and internationally.
● Assist the Grand in developing and implementing inclusive & broad marketing strategies.
● Foster good relations with other cultural organizations by participating in conversations and
developing partnership activities as appropriate.
● Participate in and attend all major fund development, organizational & community events.
Organizational Leadership
● Champion and lead by example in areas of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and community engagement.
● As a partner and co-leader with the Executive Director, ensure the successful and thriving operation of the theatre.
● Conduct the affairs of the Grand Theatre in a highly collaborative and communicative manner, always showing deep appreciation to artists, staff, volunteers, audiences, and stakeholders.
● Recognize that the Boards of Directors are an integral part of the theatre’s success and ensure that all proposals and information are presented to the Boards in a timely manner.
● Inspire staff in all departments to do their best work and support their professional development as individuals and as leaders within the theatre community.
● Provide proactive leadership and management to artistic staff and maintain a productive working environment.
● Participate in all Board meetings and be a collaborative partner with the Executive Director in working with the Grand’s volunteer Boards of Directors.
● Coordinate and conduct annual performance reviews for direct report staff members which include measurable results.
● Contribute to key funding and grant applications
● Develop and actively monitor production & artistic budgets and be accountable for outcomes in
partnership with the Executive Director and production heads.
● Work with appropriate staff to determine the season production calendar.
● Actively participate in fund development planning, activities & events.
● Participate and be a leader in all strategic planning processes.
Mentorship
● Actively build programs to develop the next generation of diverse theatre artists, artisans, leaders & teams.
● Continue to adapt and shape the annual High School Project program, mentoring youth on and off the stage.
● Support and provide creative inspiration for the Grand’s Production and Artistic Departments to be a local leader for the stage and beyond.
● Serve as a sounding board for all departments to ensure that Grand’s Programs and Strategic Plans are fully integrated with all artistic activities.
● Ensure that Grand is offering programs and initiatives that prioritize accessibility for the entire community.
Traits and Characteristics
Visionary, dynamic, independent, self-motivated, detail and people-oriented, the Artistic Director will have exceptional artistic, social and verbal communication skills and value frequent interaction and collaboration with others. The Artistic Director will be committed to making space for others at the table.
The Artistic Director will be an experienced and entrepreneurial professional with the vision to actively pursue the Grand Theatre’s goals with bold creativity and determination and will have a high degree of personal accountability - with a commitment to exceeding expectations.
The Artistic Director will balance tasks and projects with a sense of urgency and possess superlative interpersonal and communication skills that articulate compelling verbal and written messages for support. A self-sufficient and self-managed professional with a highly organized approach, the Artistic Director will have the ability to achieve organizational objectives with artists, staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and prospective supporters. This individual will bring an affinity for Grand’s mission and vision and a passion to positively impact the organization’s long-term success.
Other key Traits and Characteristics of the role include:
▪ Creativity & Innovation – Creating innovative approaches, programming, process, technologies and/or systems to achieve the desired result.
▪ Leadership – Organizing and influencing people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction.
▪ Strategic Thinking & Ambition – Imagining, envisioning, projecting and/or creating what has not yet been actualized.
▪ Negotiation & Diplomacy– Listening to many points of view and facilitating agreements between two or more parties while effectively and tactfully handling difficult or sensitive issues.
▪ Resiliency – The ability to quickly recover from adversity.
▪ Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills – Cooperating with others to meet objectives and the ability to
effectively communicate to build rapport while relating to many different people.
▪ Decision Making & Project Management – Analyzing all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions with the ability to identify and oversee all resources, tasks, systems, and
people to obtain results.
▪ External Stakeholder Focus – Anticipate, meet, and exceed stakeholder needs and expectations.
▪ Flexibility, Time, and Priority Management – The acuity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver
desired outcomes within allotted time frames while readily modifying, responding and adapting to
change with minimal resistance.
▪ Employee Development/Coaching – Facilitating, supporting, and contributing to the professional
growth of others.
Qualifications and Experience
Candidates will have 5+ years of progressive experience in strategic artistic leadership, ideally in Canadian theatre. Experience as a theatre director is required. Experience setting programming and selecting creative teams is preferred. Superior written/verbal communication skills and experience collaborating with different stakeholders is required. Formal education is an asset but not required. Candidates must possess expertise in and willingness to mentor and develop team members to create a high performing team and a demonstrated ability to translate artistic aims and values into programming, strategies, and plans.
Compensation
The Grand Theatre offers a comprehensive compensation package with an annual salary of $130,000 - $150,000 per year, commensurate with experience, together with membership in the Grand’s benefit programs including extended Health & Dental plan after 3-months, a generous complimentary & discount ticket program, five weeks of paid vacation, including a 2-week company ‘shut-down’ in July and between Christmas and New Years. The ideal candidate will relocate to London and a relocation allowance will be provided. The Grand may consider an alternative proposal where a significant presence in London can be demonstrated, to be articulated during the interview process.
Application Instructions
The Grand Theatre Artistic Director Search is led by Martin Bragg and Nicola Dawes of Martin Bragg & Associates. To apply in confidence please email your letter of interest and resume in Word or PDF format to Martin Bragg & Associates at grandtheatre@mbassociates.ca. Please ensure you have reviewed the full position profile at www.grandtheatre.com/artistic-director-search. The review of applications will begin immediately. Deadline for receipt of applications is May 10, 2023. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and will receive an acknowledgement of their application. No phone calls please.