Executive Director

Company Overview

Western Canada Theatre is situated in Kamloops, a city of 95,000 people in the interior of British Columbia. We have developed over the years a community of technicians, directors, designers, stage managers and administrative staff. We continue to assist in the development of performers, but this is a small community where we are the only employment opportunity for professional performers. As a result, we continue to rely on artists in all disciplines from outside of the community, which is an added cost to every production. Nevertheless, we have an average attendance of approximately 6% of the community for each production; we continue to enjoy a high level of financial support from the corporate and private citizens who are in the community; we have a talented and dedicated staff who perform above and beyond the call of duty in every way, and we have a record of artistic and financial excellence based on the production and creation of works from the Canadian and world stages.

The Mission Statement is the basis of the Artistic mandate of Western Canada Theatre and remains:

Western Canada Theatre will provide the Kamloops regional community with challenging professional live theatre. The Company will entertain, educate, enrich, and interact with the cultural mosaic of its community.

Western Canada Theatre will promote and assist the performing arts through the provision of educational, theatrical, and artistic opportunities and services, and through the management and operation of facilities. All of this will be accomplished with fiscal integrity.

With this vision as our guide, Western Canada Theatre now produces a professional five play main stage season, a two play second stage series, and hosts one to two alternative pieces during the season; manages and maintains both the Pavilion Theatre, a 150-seat black box theatre, and the Sagebrush, a 693-seat proscenium theatre; and manages and operates a box office which provides ticketing services for both of the above-mentioned venues, as well as additional venues upon request.

Western Canada Theatre is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, and our staff participates in numerous committees locally, provincially, and nationally.

Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity to co-lead one of Canada’s most innovative, dynamic, and successful regional theatre companies, located in the picturesque and growing city of Kamloops, British Columbia, on the territory of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.

As Western Canada Theatre (“WCT”) nears its 50th year of theatrical performance and production, the company is seeking an experienced Executive Director (ED) to work in a co-leadership role with Artistic Director (AD) James MacDonald.

The successful candidate will be an exceptional administrative leader who will collaborate with the administrative and creative teams of WCT - in partnership with the AD - to create and implement a bold vision for the company’s future success.

The ED thrives in building positive and meaningful relationships with staff, artists, Board members, audiences, donors, and community members to support WCT’s goals. An energetic and inspirational leader, the ED is a champion of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

WCT produces exceptional live theatre and delivers a robust educational and community outreach program. In addition to this, WCT manages three theatre venues in partnership with the City of Kamloops: the 685-seat Sagebrush Theatre, the 150-seat black box Pavilion Theatre, and the multi-purpose performance, rehearsal, and education space in the new Kelson Hall. Our management of these facilities is a key aspect of the company’s success and community impact. WCT also operates Kamloops Live Box Office and provides a cost-effective means for producers to sell tickets and connect with Kamloops audiences.

Our various businesses require the organizational leadership of an individual who has had exposure to a variety of areas, which may include business, property management, finance, human resources, marketing/communications, fundraising, and theatre.

We appreciate that this is a tall order for a single individual, and yet we ask the universe for even more.

A leader who is alive to Indigenous reconciliation, celebrates diversity in the workplace, understands the critical elements of accessibility and has a healthy sense of curiosity, with a willingness to learn.

Sound like a challenge for you?

If you were to be named the new WCT Executive Director, then you would be one (1) of two (2) direct reports to the Board of Directors.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

• Lead and manage the administrative and business operations of WCT.
• Oversee organizational finances, business development, facility management, and the Kamloops Live! Box Office.
• Establish a strong, complementary, and effective working relationship with the AD.
• Develop and foster the highest standards of fiscal, operational, and administrative excellence.
• Report to the Board and prepare and provide relevant information, including regular financial updates and forecasts.
• In partnership with the AD and the Board of Directors, implement the strategic plan.
• Ensure human resources is run with compassion and efficacy.
• Mentor team leaders and direct reports. Foster staff engagement and help develop and enrich organizational culture.
• Establish a strong working relationship with the Board Chair and the Board of Directors.
• Work with the Board of Directors and WCT staff to develop and implement policies and procedures to mitigate risk.
• Create, implement, and oversee approved budgets.
• Oversee the management and operation of WCT facilities, including the Sagebrush Theatre, Pavilion Theatre, and Kelson Hall.
• Oversee WCT’s contractual agreements and obligations (e.g., CTA, ADC, PGC, co-productions).
• Possess a strong business acumen that will support the growth and ongoing success of WCT.
• Demonstrate a keen knowledge and interest in adopting technology and innovative business practices into the ongoing operations of WCT.

FUNDRAISING & SPONSORSHIP

• Generate and steward relationships with government agencies and corporate sponsors, , including identifying and securing new funding sources and partnerships.
• Build relationships with key local, provincial, and national government representatives, including the BC Arts Council and Canada Council.
• Create partnerships and relationships to both drive revenue and increase awareness of WCT in the community.

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

• Develop production and related budgets to support the artistic vision of WCT within a sustainable financial framework. The ED will have final say on the budget.
• Support fund development, sponsorship, donor relations, marketing, and communications.

• Co-manage major grants, including writing, submitting, monitoring, and reporting outcomes in accordance with established requirements.
• Along with the AD, be the public face of WCT and represent the company in Kamloops and the surrounding region.
• Create an open, collaborative, and productive environment for staff, artists, and volunteers.
• Participate in and advise regional, provincial, and national committees and organizations (e.g. PACT).
• Ensure WCT represents and is accessible to the broad and diverse community.

Qualifications / Required Skills

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum five (5) years of senior management experience in a producing theatre organization (preferred) or in the performing arts in general or multi-faceted, complex organization.
• In-depth knowledge and demonstrated success in budgeting, financial forecasting, and reporting.
• Expertise in the business side of the performing arts, including venue management, producing, fund development, marketing, pricing/scaling tactics, and labour relations.                                      

 • Strong leadership, communication, and conflict resolution skills, with the ability to establish and build relationships with key stakeholders.
• Experience in theatre facilities management is an asset.
• An understanding of digital and social media as they relate to marketing and communications.
• Proven success in fundraising, including individual giving, foundations, corporate sponsorships, and government funding.
• Demonstrated experience working with and reporting to a Board of Directors.
• Alignment with WCT’s mission, vision, and values.                                                                                                 

 • Demonstrated understanding of and proven commitment to the values of equity, inclusion, and diversity with a track record of inclusive, strategic leadership and collaboration.

CANDIDATE ATTRIBUTES

• A dynamic leader with a passion for excellence, and a demonstrated ability to inspire colleagues and stakeholders.
• A consensus builder with the ability to inspire, manage, and delegate.
• Strong organizational management skills, detail-oriented, strategic, and disciplined.
• Demonstrated commitment in co-leadership; able to collaborate with WCT’s AD to support the development and execution of the organization’s artistic vision and goals.

• Passionate about and dedicated to supporting engaging professional theatre
• A strong talent manager who invests in skill building, celebrates success, and is an approachable coach and mentor.

Additional Information

COMPENSATION

A competitive, experienced-based compensation package will be provided.

Salary: Between $80,000 to $95,000

Contact Information

Western Canada Theatre is committed to diversity in the workplace, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply, and to self-identify if they so choose. We hope to receive applications from candidates with a broad range of backgrounds including, but not limited to: race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, gender-identification, sexual orientation, class and physical ability (though one of our offices is on a second floor, and as such not wheelchair accessible; the other is fully accessible). We are a parent-friendly workplace, with several parents on staff. We invite anyone with access needs or requiring accommodation in the application process to contact us via the email below.

WCT thanks all candidates for their interest, however, will only contact those selected for interviews.

Please submit your application by emailing your cover letter and curricula vitae to changinglives@wctlive.ca, no later than June 17, 2024.

Employer Profile

Whether to inspire, enrich, or most of all, entertain, we boldly make outstanding live art happen here.

Western Canada Theatre is honoured to be Kamloops’ own nationally acclaimed live professional theatre company. WCT is grateful to have been creating on unceded Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory within the traditional lands of the Secwépemc Nation since 1969 and to have its roots in youth theatre.

WCT believes local is global and produces and presents outstanding live theatre through stories that resonate in Kamloops and beyond on three unique stages. WCT engages with the community both onstage and off, in classrooms and rehearsal halls, in digital spaces, and throughout the city. WCT is a vital community asset and is proud to originate professional works that are recognized regionally and nationally, presenting plays of acclaimed producing companies from all parts of Canada as well as many Indigenous Nations.

As we approach our 50th anniversary, WCT has grown into the largest producing theatre between Vancouver and Calgary. Creating a remarkable impact on the national theatre landscape: producing premieres of important new Canadian work. WCT has provided training some of Canada’s finest theatre professionals and showcased our work and our artists across the country.

Highlights of WCT’s commitment to the community include educational ventures and regular theatre school classes, developing and promoting new and established Indigenous and Canadian programming, and providing opportunities for equity-deserving playwrights, directors, performers, and other creative artists. WCT is also one of the driving stakeholders behind the long-term plans for a new Centre for the Arts in Kamloops.