Artistic Producer

Description

READ THE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

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Outside the March – Who We Are

Outside the March creates unforgettable immersive encounters—redefining the experience of theatre for a new generation of audiences. We are one of Canada’s leading immersive theatre companies and a registered charity. Since 2009 we’ve welcomed our audiences to over two dozen critically celebrated, award-winning productions that seek to embody our values of Curiosity, Care, Thrills, Connection and Immersion.

Curiosity: We’re on the hunt for the hidden theatrical potential in the world around us. We are open and adaptive as we seek new ways to tell stories together.

Care: Our approach to hospitality celebrates that every artist, every staff member and every audience member has different needs and desires. We strive to be compassionate and empathetic, building a safer, more accessible, more equitable space for everyone who interacts with the company.

Thrills: We relish the unknown, embracing joy and risk in our processes and surprise in our artistic offerings.

Connections: We consciously forge relationships between artists, collaborators, audiences, our neighbours in Toronto, and the land we share stories on.

Immersion: We create epic and intimate worlds tailored to the unique needs of each project. We see every facet of a production as a chance to deepen the storytelling experience—from the first glance at a poster to the journey home from the show, and everything in between.

Who We Need

Our Artistic Producer (AP) is a dynamic leader passionate about shepherding exceptional theatre experiences at Outside the March (OtM).

The AP will form part of a newly structured leadership team at Outside the March, and will work in collaboration with our Artistic Director. Additional details will be shared with shortlisted candidates during the interview process.

The AP will report to the Board of Directors, with direct accountability to the Chair of the Board. This role will have several direct reports.

OtM produces approximately two mainstage shows per fiscal year, along with development workshops, community outreach programs, occasional tours of past work, and other auxiliary artistic activities. The AP will produce and oversee the execution of this dynamic range of programming.

Role & Responsibilities

The AP will be the lead Producer on all of OtM’s artistic productions, overseeing the production budget, project personnel and critical paths. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Leadership and Strategy 

• As a member of the Executive leadership team, be an ambassador for OtM, actively engaging the broader artistic community, fostering constructive relationships with artists and peer organizations across Canada and internationally, as well as with government, donors, audiences, media, and the wider public.
• Help create a positive, open, respectful, and accountable working environment, with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusivity values and initiatives.
• Work to uphold OtM’s core values, and ensure that they are manifest within company decision making and planning.
• Participate in overseeing staff, helping to steward the growth, sustainability and satisfaction of the team.
• Work with the company’s Artistic Director to plan and execute season curation and long-term artistic programming strategy, guided by the company’s core values and strategic plan, with an eye to both artistic vitality and organizational sustainability.
• Build and foster relationships with artists, agents, rights holders, producers, presenters locally, nationally and internationally to amplify the reach, impact and longevity of the company’s artistic endeavours.

Producing

• Oversee the production of all of OtM’s artistic endeavors, including shows, development workshops, tours and community engagement. While this will often take the form of the AP directly functioning as the lead producer on these initiatives, for particular projects and/or at times of maximum activity, the organization may on occasion hire an external project producer, who will then report to the AP.
• Negotiate and liaise with co-producing partners; contract all members of the production team and oversee their well-being and workflow throughout the process; create and manage project-specific budgets, line management, creative problem solving and conflict resolution.
• As OtM often works in a site-specific manner, the AP will be responsible for overseeing the search for found-space venues, and for negotiating rental and/or partnership terms for these spaces. Additionally, the AP will work in partnership with the Artistic Director to broker and arrange rentals and partnerships with traditional theatre venues.
• Collaborate closely with the Director of Production to ensure that projects are appropriately scaled to stay on schedule and on budget, without undue strain on members of the artistic and production team.
• Stay familiar and up-to-date with all relevant union agreements, including CAEA, ADC and PGC.
• Oversee artists and team members’ care and well-being while under contract. This may include the hiring of appropriate facilitation and external support, should the necessary care fall outside of the AP’s scope of abilities or capacity.
• For projects the company may engage in outside of the GTA, company management tasks such as arranging artist travel and accommodation may be required.

Outreach

• Oversee the company’s portfolios of accessibility and community outreach work.
• Identify and work in partnership with access advisors and coordinators to implement specific goals and considerations for each production, and across the organization more broadly.
• Advance work seeding community relationships and partnerships that connect with OtM’s future programming and activities.
• Manage the Marketing and Communications team, and ensure they meet all benchmarks and deadlines associated with productions.

Fundraising

• As a member of the Executive Leadership team, oversee and engage in ongoing fundraising work to ensure sustainability and growth for the company. These responsibilities will predominantly take the form of project-specific fundraising, including pursuing corporate and in-kind sponsorships, and supporting relevant grant and foundation applications.

At times, the AP may be required to provide support on other tasks and projects across the organization to ensure efficiency and effectiveness for the success of the organization.

Work hours may vary and include evenings and weekends, particularly around the launch of new productions and production-related initiatives.

This is a Full-Time, permanent position.

How To Apply

Interested candidates should apply by submitting a cover letter (1-2 pages) as well as a CV detailing relevant experience, by May 30th, 2025. In your cover letter, please respond to the question “Why Are You the Right Fit to Help Lead Outside the March’s Next Chapter”. We want to know why you’re passionate about producing immersive theatre experiences, and the ways in which you can enrich this work at OtM moving forward.

Submissions should be made to: [email protected]. Please name your file attachments with your first and last name.

If, due to specific access considerations, you would be better able to respond to the prompt question by recording a short video or audio submission, the committee is also happy to receive applications in this form.

Should you have any other access needs, or questions before submitting your application, we welcome you to get in touch with the Hiring Committee at [email protected].

A shortlist of candidates will be invited to interview with our Hiring Committee in June. Select candidates will then be invited for a second round of discussions. All interview candidates will be paid an honoraria for their time. 

Outside the March is committed to reflecting the diversity of our community and our country. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome and encourage submissions from individuals of all genders, cultures, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We encourage applications from those who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Disabled and intersections of those identities, and we encourage applicants to self-identify in their applications. 

Outside the March makes theatre on Turtle Island, the Land we are on, also known by many other names. We are specifically based in the Land known as Toronto, or Tkaronto, which includes the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.