Outreach & Development Coordinator

Company Overview

Carousel Players is an award-winning professional theatre company for young audiences based in St. Catharines, Ontario. We are committed to the development of new work and the production of theatre that entertains and challenges our audiences. We present inspiring and creative plays for children in theatres, schools and other performance venues. We ensure that our performances, summer theatre school, and outreach programs can be accessed by all children and families regardless of their socio-economic background. We believe live theatre develops artistic awareness, learning skills and a sense of well-being in children.

Our Values 

• Professionalism: We are committed to a consistent, professional quality of work and maintaining our reputation for artistic excellence.
• Respect: We strive to be sincere, respectful and playful in our relationships with children and their caregivers.
• Ideas: We are eager to share, explore and stimulate new ideas.
• Appreciation: We like to show appreciation for our friends in the world around us.
• Responsibility: We strive to be a helpful colleague and good citizen in our discipline (theatre for young audiences), in our field (performing arts) and in our community (the Niagara Region).
• Legacy: We are dedicated to making all our children’s first exposure to professional theatre a playful, enlightening and memorable experience.
• Balance:  We are committed to helping employees achieve a healthy balance between their personal and professional life.

Our Programs 

Carousel Players specializes in making and teaching theatre for young people. Our core activities are producing two to four plays a year for school and public audiences; working with artists to create new plays for young audiences; and providing arts education to young people ages 4-14.

Carousel Players creates two or more touring theatre productions each year for audiences in elementary schools. These tours travel to school gyms and community venues in the Niagara, Hamilton, Halton, Wentworth, and Brant Regions. We frequently tour outside of Southern Ontario and brought shows to BC, Saskatchewan, and Northern Ontario in the past five years.

Carousel Players provides arts education programs throughout the year through our Theatre School, which offers artist-lead programs at five locations the Niagara Region. The Theatre School also works with elementary schools to provide After School Drama classes and the Playlinks workshop program at schools across the Region. All of Carousel Players’ arts education programs have curriculums of play-based learning that were developed with guidance from members of Brock University’s Teacher Education faculty.

Job Description

Carousel Players, Niagara’s professional theatre for young audiences, is accepting applications for the position of Outreach & Development Coordinator. This is a full-time (30 hours per week), contract position based in St Catharines from September 14, 2023 – February 1, 2024. The salary for this position is $600 per week ($20/hr). This position is funded, in part, by the Youth Breaking Barriers to Employment Program. Interested candidates must:

• Be 15-30 years of age
• Be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent resident or, have Refugee status
• Be out of school for 6+ months 

ABOUT THE JOB
The Outreach & Development Coordinator is responsible for

• Coordinating the implementation of public outreach events
• Building connections and developing relationships with potential community partners to broaden Carousel Players’ network
• Participating in development and strategizing of fundraising materials, campaigns, and events
• Database maintenance and funder prospecting
• Providing box office support at public events

Implementing fundraising campaigns

KEY ACTIVITIES INCLUDE
Community Outreach

• Participate in and attend all Outreach Committee meetings
• Maintain working relationships with Carousel Players’ community partners, co-op students, and volunteers.
• Work with the Artistic Director and General Manager to develop and monitor an action plan to expand Carousel’s relationships with community partners and public.
• Participate in targeted community outreach events (local festivals, trade shows, special events, meetings)
• Work with box office staff at public venues to set up ticket sales, receive reports and facilitate marketing materials for Carousel’s shows.

Fundraising

• Work with the General Manager to target potential donors and sponsors, create specific asks and rewards, and solicit donations / sponsorships for programs and the company as a whole.
• Assist with special events including Annual General Meeting, Carousel fundraisers, and volunteer recognition events hosted by the Board.
• Assist in maintaining Carousel Player’s ticket buyer, donor, and customer databases

A candidate for this position should demonstrate the following

• A love of theatre and/or the performing arts
• Experience in speaking with and emailing unfamiliar people to build new connections
• Experience in using MS Office Suite and Google Cloud systems
• Spoken and written English proficiency sufficient to lead meetings; have conversations and email exchanges with schools, presenting venues, and parents; and ensure accuracy in the content of written and spoken messages.

Other qualities and skills that are not required but are considered an asset:

• Project and/or event management experience
• Knowledge of the Niagara Region’s geography and communities
• Familiarity with Mailchimp, WordPress, and/or graphic design software
• Access to reliable transportation
• Volunteer or employment experience in the performing arts