Fat-Identifying Technical Director

Company Overview

Neworld Theatre creates, produces, and tours new plays, performance events and digital works. Our activities occur primarily on the unceded, traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the xmθkwym (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Slílwta/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations but extend across Turtle Island. 

We are committed to centering stories and perspectives that seek to dismantle systems of oppression. Vital to this is an interrogation of whose stories are being told and who does the telling. We embrace the conflict we believe is inherent in any authentic consideration of power, privilege and access. Our motto is ‘plays well with others'. Collaboration and working across perceptions of difference are central to our ethic and the way we work. 

Over our 28-year history, we have produced, presented and toured 5-8 works annually at festivals and theatres in over 40 cities and 10 countries worldwide. Major awards include the Siminovitch Prize, Rio-Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award, Seattle Times Footlight Award, two Arts Club Silver Commissions, several Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards including three Critics’ Choice Innovation Awards and the Canada Council Staunch-Lynton Award. www.neworldtheatre.com

Job Description

Neworld Theatre is seeking a fat-identifying technical director for our upcoming production of Fat Joke by Cheyenne Rouleau. This piece deals with fat politics, body politics, fat-positivity and body-neutrality.

We are looking for individuals with lived experience relevant to the production. If this is all new to you, here’s a good article about the word ‘fat’. If you are unclear about how to self identify we recommend checking out this post.

A mixture of stand-up, storytelling, and fact-blasting, Fat Joke is a one-person show which dissects the past, present, and future of fatphobia from both personal experiences and researched data.

THINK: Nanette by Hannah Gadsby meets Bo Burnham.

Fatphobia is a highly underrepresented and un-talked-about subject today. Sure, we all know it’s not nice to make fun of a person for their weight, but have you ever thought about why? And did you notice the answer to that question, in your brain right now, might have been problematic, demeaning, and based on untruths?

Fat Joke by its nature is a very confronting show. Its content ranges from media misrepresentation to diet culture, from mental health to eating disorders, from medical bias to white supremacy, ableism, and income disparity. It’s basically a bunch of stuff people don’t feel comfortable talking about, all weaved into a comedy show. It loops in the perspectives of many different people and gathers many unseen perspectives, truths, and narratives and delivers them in a unique and exciting way. It is as educational as it is fun!

Neworld Theatre pays all artists a Living Wage and above the minimum fees professional associations or unions require. For the scope of the technical needs of Fat Joke, the contract fee is $3,000 (three thousand Canadian dollars).