Community Activator

Company Overview

JOB POSTING – FULL-TIME FIXED-TERM POSITION
COMMUNITY ACTIVATOR
START DATE: MARCH 27, 2023

 

THE ORGANIZATION

 

Soulpepper’s purpose is to share vital stories that connect us all by producing a year-round season of events, including plays, concerts, musicals, festivals and presentations. We play a vital civic role in our community through free education and community programs, artist training, and environmental sustainability  initiatives. We strive to ensure theatre is accessible to all by offering ASL interpretation for selected performances, relaxed performances, and a variety of affordable ticket options.

 

Soulpepper, like other performing arts companies, continues to adapt to the realities of producing theatre in the midst of enormous social change and a global pandemic. We work in a convivial environment that truly allows you to be who you want to be. The Soulpepper team is hardworking, creative, and, with the arrival of many new staff in recent years, forming a new working culture that is at once ambitious and sustainable.

 

Led by Executive Director Gideon Arthurs, and Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha, Soulpepper’s home is the Young Centre for the Performing Arts situated in the Distillery Historic District in downtown Toronto.  Soulpepper’s annual budget is approximately $8 million and engages roughly 60 employees and 250+ artists annually.

 

Soulpepper is an organization committed to pursuing Radical Inclusion, working to build an organization where everyone’s experience is both valued and reflected. We encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, Persons of Colour, Trans, and Disabled persons.

 

Applicants of all experience levels are welcome to apply. The skills and experience listed below are not absolute and if you believe you would be a good fit for the position, we would like to hear from you.

Job Description

THE POSITION

 

We are looking for a motivated community builder and innovative thinker with a passion for engaging the wider community in performing arts programming! The Community Activator will be an ambassador for Soulpepper in the local community, establishing important relationships and organizing events to welcome new audiences into our space.  

 

Reporting to the Director of Education and Community Engagement, the Community Activator will be responsible for planning (in collaboration with the Director) and coordinating Soulpepper’s community engagement initiatives. This is a brand-new position within the company, part of Soulpepper’s work in the Metcalf Foundation Staging Change Program. Soulpepper’s participation in the program has given us the opportunity to reflect on our values and chart a course for the company’s evolution into a hyperlocal creative hub that enriches our community with art and storytelling. We believe in the transformative power of theatre and are committed to engaging audiences through compelling mainstage offerings and year-round activations of our space. The successful candidate will play a key role in helping Soulpepper realize this vision.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

·        Plan and execute Soulpepper’s community engagement initiatives, including workshops, community gatherings, lobby/space activations, and more

·        Build authentic connections with residents in and around the Distillery District through one-on-one interactions, space activations, and focused outreach

·        Identify and understand how Soulpepper can be a meaningful place for our local community through direct conversations with community members and leaders, conducting surveys, and other methods of gathering feedback

·        Create exciting opportunities and organize on-site events to engage new and existing audiences in Soulpepper programming

·        Build relationships with local community organizations and businesses to explore opportunities for collaboration

·        Attend Soulpepper performances from time-to-time and engage audiences in conversation about our community initiatives (including raising awareness, gathering feedback, and answering questions)

·        Manage timelines, workback schedules and delivery

·        Collaborate with other departments including Marketing and Communications, Artistic, and Front of House on new audience development initiatives

·        Collect and organize data from community engagement events to assist with reporting and future planning; documenting overall planning and execution process

·        Other tasks as assigned

 

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

·        Experience in one or more of the following areas: community engagement/outreach, theatre or event producing, creative producing, audience development; or related experience as an artist with a community-centered practice

·        Innovative thinker with a desire to research, conceive, and experiment with new ways of building community investment in a theatre

·        Must be passionate about engaging with people, good at listening, and be approachable

·        A clearly articulated and proven practice of community engagement in your work

·        Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment with multiple deadlines

·        Positive, can-do attitude and comfortable working collaboratively across departments

·        Strong interpersonal and oral/written communication skills

·        Excellent time management, organizational and administrative skills

·        Ability to create and maintain databases and document day-to-day work

·        Self-motivated and able to work independently

·        A passion for theatre and live performance

·        Experience with e-mail marketing and survey tools (WordFly, Mailchimp, Survey Monkey) is an asset

·        Fluency in a language other than English is an asset

 

WORKING CONDITIONS

·        Performs most duties in a regular office environment with some flexibility for remote working

·        Community events, activations, and Soulpepper performances mostly take place on evenings and weekends, for which the Community Activator is expected to be present

COMPENSATION
This is a full-time fixed-term position ending on Dec 31st, 2023 with the possibility of extension. Salary will be calculated at $52,500 annually, pro-rated from the candidate’s start date until the contract end date.