Theatre

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge seeks a new Executive Director to assume a leadership position in 2025.
POSITION: Executive Director
Hours: Full-time, permanent position
Location: In-person, Lethbridge, Alberta
Website: artslethbridge.org/job-opportunities
Closing date: January 9, 11:59 pm

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge (AAC) is a not-for-profit, charitable organization that promotes and supports the growth and development of the arts sector in Lethbridge while upholding the values of creativity, collaboration and inclusiveness, professionalism and accountability.

Established in 1958, as a member-based society, the AAC is a multi-faceted organization whose activities include: advocacy on behalf of artists and arts organizations, increasing public understanding of and support for the arts, promoting arts events and initiatives, and creating events and opportunities for artists and the community to come together. The AAC is also responsible for the management of Casa the City of Lethbridge’s purpose-built community art centre.

The AAC seeks a dynamic, visionary and self-motivated leader to assume the position of Executive Director. The Executive Director will report to the AAC Board of Directors and will provide strategic and fiscal leadership for the organization. They will be accountable for the implementation of the Board’s strategic plan; oversight of all AAC policies, operations, services and programs, and the supervision of the AAC management team.

The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the arts sector and its value to the broad community which will allow them to be an advocate for the AAC and the arts community. They will be recognized for their big-picture thinking skills and will have a proven record of implementing successful initiatives.  They will also demonstrate the ability to support and lead a diverse team. Their superior relationship-building and communication skills will allow them to collaborate with a variety of sector, community and government stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or a minimum 3 years management experience and demonstrated
  leadership in the Arts
• Experience working with a nonprofit organization; preferably an arts organization
• Strong planning, organizational and analytical skills
• Experience working with the media
• Experience developing and managing budgets and grant writing experience
• Knowledge of the Lethbridge and area arts sector

Primary areas of responsibility include but are not limited to:

• Board of Directors liaison and support
• Leadership, supervision and evaluation of senior staff
• Program development, management and evaluation
• Fiscal management, grant oversight and fund development
• Contract management
• Cultivating strong community relationships
• Liaison with City of Lethbridge administration

Qualified candidates are invited to submit a cover letter and resume with salary expectations and three references, to the attention of: Hiring Committee, Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge, hr@artslethbridge.org before January 9, 2025 at 11:59 pm. 

Interviews will be scheduled for Jan 21 - 24. Only candidates short-listed for interviews will be contacted. Expected start date is March 29, 2023. A Criminal Record check will be required. Compensation will be commensurate with experience (Salary Range: $78,000 - $83,000). This position comes with a competitive health benefits plan.

For further information, please contact:  Jon Oxley, Board President, by email at hr@artslethbridge.org

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge acknowledges that we are gathered on the lands of the Blackfoot people of the Canadian Plains and pays respect to the Blackfoot people past, present and future while recognizing and respecting their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship to the land.  The City of Lethbridge is also home to the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

The Free Will Players Theatre Guild - Assistant Managing Director

Company profile

The Free Will Players Theatre Guild was formed in 1989 by a group of actors in a truly co-operative spirit with the mandate to produce the works of William Shakespeare.

The company runs the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, which has grown into a professional theatre festival with an annual audience of thousands. We stage outdoor productions every summer.

See www.freewillshakespeare.com.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Managing Director (AMD) is primarily responsible for assisting the Managing Director. The division of responsibilities between the Managing Director and the AMD may change over time according to the qualifications, comfort, and abilities of the AMD, and the needs of the company.

Year-round duties include:

• fundraising and liaising with donors, sponsors and patrons
• organizing fundraising and other special events
• liaising with vendors and service providers, and ordering product for the festival
• attending outside meetings
• assisting with grant applications
• other duties as assigned.

During the run of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, the AMD is the main point of contact for on-site staff and volunteers.

In the lead-up to and during the festival, duties also include:

• hiring festival staff
• training and supervising staff and volunteers
• coordinating special events and fundraisers
• managing patrons and other users of the festival location
• being available on site to manage contingencies and emergencies

The AMD will be called on to run errands around the city, sometimes on short notice. Regular access to a vehicle is required.

The AMD is frequently required to work independently and is expected to seek the advice from the Managing Director and exercise good judgment.

Oversight

The AMD is a vital and trusted employee within the company. They report to the Managing Director. They may want to attend board meetings and report directly to the board, but this is not required.
Qualifications

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience in managing theatre companies, festivals, or not-for-profit organizations
• Experience in grant writing and advocacy
• Experience training and managing employees and volunteers
• A passion for the performing arts and Shakespeare
• An interest in advancing your skills and taking on new challenges
• Current standard first aid and ProServe certifications
• Be able to perform the physical demands of the job: lifting 20 lbs overhead, long periods of standing and walking on concrete, grass, and on slopes, long periods of outdoor work in various weather conditions, long periods of sitting, and other physically demanding duties

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $28,000 to $30,500. Freewill believes in investing in its employees. There may be opportunities for professional development where appropriate.

This is a permanent employee position. Hours of work are part time through most of the year and increase to full time in the month running up to and during the festival. Hours may be flexible, depending on the needs of the company and the Managing Director.

The AMD may work outside the company providing that they inform the Managing Director and the work does not interfere with their responsibilities to the company.

How to apply

The Free Will Players Theatre Guild does not just accept differences — we celebrate and thrive on them. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Please submit the following documents to md@freewillshakespeare.com:

1. letter of interest
2. résumé
3. reference letters (if desired, to a maximum of three)

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Alberta Society of Artists (ASA) presents a group exhibition, Artist’s Choice 2024 at the Walterdale Theatre in Edmonton.

The Alberta Society of Artists is proud to present Artist’s Choice 2024, a show & sale featuring work by Juried & Life Members of the ASA:

• Brenda Malkinson
• Deb Laninga
• Doris Charest
• E. Ross Bradley
• Ellen Andreassen
• Mary Whale
• Pam Wilman

This exhibition coincides with ‘It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Full Length Version)’ by Joe Landry, which runs December 4-14th at the Walterdale Theatre, 10322 83 Ave. NW, Edmonton Alberta.

There will be a public opening reception on Tuesday, December 3rd, 6:30 - 7:30 pm followed by a free preview of Walterdale's production of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play’. 

The exhibition is free and open to the public when the theatre is open.

For more information: www.albertasocietyofartists.com/2024artistchoiceedmonton, email coordinator@albertasocietyofartists.com, or call the ASA Office at 403-265-0012.

The Alberta Society of Artists is the oldest society of juried professional artists in the province, providing art education and exhibitions in public venues since 1931. The Society’s goal is to increase public awareness and appreciation of the visual arts in Alberta.

In partnership with ArtUniverse, NIPAI invites experienced theatre directors, assistant directors, actors, teachers, and choreographers to apply for a full-tuition scholarship to join one of its international programs or workshops.

This contest is designed for professionals looking to enhance their directing skills, broaden their network, and gain international experience.

A list of potential contest awards:

• A partnership with NIPAI at the 22nd annual IUGTE conference "Performing Arts Between Tradition and Contemporaneity" in 2025.
  • This includes a full scholarship for a one speaker slot and the opportunity for a group of up to 10 people to participate without paying any fees for participation.
• A tuition-free access for a 3-week intensive workshop in Hungary, culminating in a performance in a local theatre.
• Three spots awarded for participation in one of NIPAI's international physical theatre workshops in Berlin in 2025

To keep the excitement alive, the specific prizes will remain undisclosed until the winners are announced.

How to Participate:

1. Record a Short Video (1-3 minutes): Share your story as a theatre professional, your goals for developing directing skills, and how this scholarship could support your growth.
2. Post and Tag NIPAI on Social Media: Upload the video to Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, tagging NIPAI’s official account.
3. Email the Link: Send the link to info@nipai.org with the subject “NIPAI's New Year Scholarship Contest.”

Deadlines:

• Submission deadline: December 15, 2024
• Public voting on Instagram: December 16-22
• Results announced: December 24

This scholarship offers a chance to participate in a learning environment with international peers and develop new skills to enhance your work in theatre and the performing arts.

This research was conducted in six waves over the course of 2020 and 2021. This is a community resource that is FREE to access and results from the sixth wave of research are now available.

Findings for Alberta organizations from Wave 6 results include:

• Comfort has developed into a very predictable pattern that follows case numbers and now vaccine rates.
• Albertans will return at their own pace; participation hinges on personal comfort but also personal risk tolerance.
• There is a consensus that there will be less of a return to “normal” but rather a new way of doing things moving forward.
• Because Albertans have spent the past year and half discovering new things to do, the selection of what they can choose from now is quite vast.
• Spending habits are in flux, and at this point it is difficult to predict where Albertans will direct their money in the short term.

What are the implications for Alberta organizations?

• Even as restrictions have been removed, organizations still need to deal with comfort. As it stands, there is clear hesitancy in the audience and it will be important to communicate safety measures to make audiences comfortable when re-engaging.
• Organizations should keep in mind that public sentiment is a more useful barometer over government announcements. Gauging expectations for increased participation to occur will be based on a combination of comfort and risk tolerance.
• Organizations should expect more permanent (structural) changes to stick around – specifically related to organizational transparency, flexibility with refunds, new payment options, etc. These should be things that organizations consider keeping even if they are no longer required by the government.
• The main consideration for organizations remains flexibility – in terms of payment options, participation options, etc. This will allow for consideration on different levels as Albertans suss out how they want to direct their spending.

Download the reports:

• Alberta Report
• Calgary Report
• Edmonton Report

About the project

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts is pleased to be a funding partner in this collaboration with Stone-Olafson and other community leaders to develop a long-term research investigation and evaluate how current conditions will reshape Albertans’ attitudes and behaviours towards social and group activities, across a variety of sectors. The purpose of this work is to give leaders of community sports, recreation, arts and culture, professional sports, active living, heritage, tourism or hospitality sectors relevant facts about local audiences that they will need to bring life back to our communities.

The initiative was funded by:

• ActiveCITY Collective
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts
• Angus Reid
• ATB
• Calgary Arts Development
• Calgary Foundation
• Edmonton Arts Council
• Edmonton Community Foundation
• Rozsa Foundation
• Stone-Olafson
• Travel Alberta

Join us for an an informative workshop at the Teacher's Conventions regarding our Artists and Education Funding opportunity that the AFA offers. AFA's Arts Development Consultant Jodie Vandekerkhove will discuss the guidelines, talk about how to make a rich proposal and discuss how the projects are evaluated through our adjudication process, which is highly competitive.

Register for the virtual sessions:

• Calgary City Teachers' Convention - Feb 17 from 12:15 - 1:15 pm
• Southern Alberta Teachers' Convention - Feb 25 from 1 - 2 pm
• Edmonton Teacher's Convention (GETCA) - Mar 3 from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Like the rest of the world, Alberta is navigating a new reality brought by a pandemic that is changing public life and re-shaping our economy. Organizations in the arts, culture, sports, recreation, tourism and hospitality sectors, all which rely on live, group experiences, are grappling with new challenges. Organizations need to be prepared for a change in audience behaviour. The question is what that will look like, now and over the coming months.

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts is pleased to be a funding partner in this collaboration with Stone-Olafson and other community leaders to develop a long-term research investigation and evaluate how current conditions will reshape Albertans’ attitudes and behaviours towards social and group activities, across a variety of sectors. The purpose of this work is to give leaders of community sports, recreation, arts and culture, professional sports, active living, heritage, tourism or hospitality sectors relevant facts about local audiences that they will need to bring life back to our communities.

The initiative is being funded by: 

• ActiveCITY Collective
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts 
• Angus Reid
• ATB
• Calgary Arts Development 
• Calgary Foundation
• Edmonton Arts Council
• Edmonton Community Foundation
• Rozsa Foundation
• Stone-Olafson
• Travel Alberta

​This research is being conducted in six waves over the course of the next year with the first wave of results (based on surveys conducted between May 21 and June 2, 2020) now available.

This is a community resource that is FREE to access and results from the first wave of research are now available.

Download the reports:

• Alberta Report
• Calgary Report
• Edmonton Report

You can subscribe to receive notifications when the new reports are available by visiting stone-olafson.com. 

This research is being conducted in six waves over the course of the next year. This is a community resource that is FREE to access and results from the third wave of research are now available. 

Findings for Alberta organizations from Wave 3 results include:

• Community attitudes on comfort are becoming entrenched.
• Risk tolerance provides a richer understanding of how Albertans will approach engagement.
• Right now audiences indicate they need to hear experiences will be safe and fun.
• Capitalize on desire for shared experiences but with a focus on innovation and intimacy.
• The intersection of cohorts, shared experiences, and risk tolerance means audiences will engage, but appear to be doing so with their cohorts in mind - "will this put my friends/family at risk?". 

What are the implications for Alberta organizations?

• Comfort with conditions and other people has dampened willingness to actually engage in their usual activities. It is likely this variable is an additional barrier impacting final consideration of participating in activities.
• The benefits you offer and the messaging you broadcast must overcome that broader interpretation of risk. Whereas risk used to be overcome simply by appealing to the motivations of the individual, now we will have to assuage safety/health concerns that impact the people around the individual (i.e. safety measures are not just for you; they are for those around you.)
• Knowing who you can reach, what to offer them and what to say will be critical as organizations plan how to engage audiences in the coming months.
• Right now audiences indicate they need to hear the experiences they will have are safe and fun. This is critical for building confidence and organizations need to reinforce those dual messages of safety/comfort with enjoyment. The weight of each type of message will vary depending on how risk tolerant the audience is.
• Audiences need to hear they will be able to have the desired shared experiences but that the experience is safe (for them and their cohort). To balance those needs of social, safety, and fun, organizations will need to develop and continuously reinvent (often many times over) the types of small group offerings that deliver this.
• Opportunities exist for organizations in the experience economy to engage Albertans by balancing the notion of cohorts with shared experiences. Show them how to engage with their entire cohort or at least show the activity will not put their cohort at risk.

Download the reports:

• Alberta Report
• Calgary Report 
• Edmonton Report

You can subscribe to receive notifications when the new reports are available by visiting stone-olafson.com. 

About the project

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts is pleased to be a funding partner in this collaboration with Stone-Olafson and other community leaders to develop a long-term research investigation and evaluate how current conditions will reshape Albertans’ attitudes and behaviours towards social and group activities, across a variety of sectors. The purpose of this work is to give leaders of community sports, recreation, arts and culture, professional sports, active living, heritage, tourism or hospitality sectors relevant facts about local audiences that they will need to bring life back to our communities.

The initiative is being funded by: 

• ActiveCITY Collective
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts 
• Angus Reid
• ATB
• Calgary Arts Development 
• Calgary Foundation
• Edmonton Arts Council
• Edmonton Community Foundation
• Rozsa Foundation
• Stone-Olafson
• Travel Alberta

Our intrepid Arts Development Consultant and luminary in Edmonton community theatre, Barb Mah is retiring from the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA). 

Her dance and theatre training combined with a formal business education means that she is equally at ease in a rehearsal studio or doing a forensic analysis of your latest financial statement. 

Here's a bit more about Barb as we bid her adieu as she seeks new adventures!

Artist profile

We asked Barb about her artistic practice and career:

How many shows have you worked on in your career?

Over 50 - too many to count...

If you could only do one: Directing, acting, choreography or teaching?

Teaching, followed closely by directing. (In community theatre, they’re much the same.)

What’s one of your favourite memories working in theatre?

A production of The Rocky Horror Show. The cast was so tight that we could have performed for no audience and would have been happy. At the cast party, we all slept over at the theatre as we were so reluctant to let it go. (I don’t even like that show that much, but that cast…)

What’s one of your proudest moments as a teacher?

So many good moments, but watching students suddenly “get it” (usually in movement, which for those that don’t have a movement/dance background, they can struggle with).

This is directing-related but, during one show, I hired a teen in a cast of otherwise adults (I didn’t realize he was that young). A quiet young man that, during the course of rehearsal and doing the show, came out of his shell. I received a heartfelt note at the end, telling me he had started the show in a depressed state of mind, and that the show had given him back his life. 

What show have you always wanted to work on, but haven’t yet had a chance?

Bucket list: Merrily We Roll Along (I came close: pre-pandemic, I had actually cast it. Then COVID. We did a “first/last” read on Zoom and then everyone went home and cried.) But I have been very lucky in being able to do shows that are dear to my heart. One of these days…

What will you be up to next?

Next show (also a bucket list item): Austentatious, by a local (Calgary) writer. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice gone completely off the rails. I became aware of this show over 15 years ago when the AFA funded its initial production. (It has since played Off Broadway and across the pond).

Anything to add? 

Other crazy interests: Star Trek and Regency cos-play. (I’m a costumer as well and am crazy about costumes, I’m a decent sewist – have been my whole life.)

Barb and the AFA

Early days

Barbara Mah started working for Alberta Culture and Multiculturalism In May of 1989. You will note that Barb's career pre-dates the establishment of the AFA in 1991, which was an amalgamation of three former government-funded arts foundations. (Learn more about the orgins of the AFA.)

She joined the Touring Section of the Performing Arts Branch, which occupied a space on the 11th floor of Edmonton's CN Tower, sharing space with the Music Section, Theatre and Dance section, administration, and the performing arts library. This was an arts resource owned by the ministry with a large collection of records, music scores, plays, and other lending materials. 

• The playscript library is now owned and operated by Theatre Alberta Society, and has since expanded to more than 23,000 titles!

While grants were an important part of what we did, equally important was the community programming and capacity building. This took the form of classes, conferences, live auditions, hands-on creation of support organizations, newsletters, etc.
~Barb Mah

The largest activity supported by Barb's section was the annual Alberta Showcase conference. Back then, it was a four-day affair where hundreds of presenters and artists were assembled to encourage bookings throughout Alberta. Performances were presented at the Citadel Theatre and the Library theatre in Edmonton. 

• Alberta Showcase is now operated by the Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta.

The AFA is born

In 1991, Barb was part of a four-person task force charged with creating a transition plan to support amalgamation to establish the AFA, and to create workable programs. There were huge changes associated with this transition, but Barb notes one significant move: 

One change we implemented was the introduction of outside adjudicators (our expert panels), based on a model that we had used with some granting on the government side prior to amalgamation – much of it based on the work done by the theatre, dance, and music sections of the former performing arts branch.

The Expert Panel model remains a cornerstone of AFA adjudication of project grants. Learn more about how the AFA adjudicates funding requests. Barb was also instrumental in the development of community support programs, which is now the Community Support Organziations operating funding program.

With the AFA throughout the years...

The Rotting Donkeys is the name of the fictional band that the grants section created (despite the fact that nobody played any instrument or could sing), and we created several albums (complete with artwork and song titles, but never any actual songs). The name of the band came from a grant extension request: a film client needed an extension, as his film included a literal dead rotting donkey in it... and the decay had not gone far enough by the time the reporting deadline hit. You take your inspiration where you can get it...

Barb has been with the AFA through all of its major milestones:

• the AFA's first website, and eventually the adoption of the GATE Front Office online application system
• the move from Beaver House to Capital Arts Building
• Alberta Art Days (now Alberta Culture Days)
• Alberta at the Smithsonian
• introduction of Aboriginal Organization and Alboriginal Traditional Arts grants (now Indigenous Arts Individual Project Funding)
• The AFA's 25th Anniversary and the AFA Art Collection's 50th Anniversary

... and more. We will miss her very much!

Image provided by the Citadel Theatre

Alberta’s government is investing in the Citadel Theatre so that Albertans of all ages will be able to continue to enjoy the performing arts in Edmonton.

Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre is a performing arts hub in downtown Edmonton and an important partner in Alberta’s vibrant arts and culture scene. It draws both local and international visitors and productions to Edmonton while also offering programs to teach and encourage the next generation of creative voices.

As part of the Budget 2023 Capital Plan, Alberta’s government would provide the Citadel Theatre with $4 million to help fund its renewal project. Supporting the theatre’s renewal project will ensure it remains in top condition to provide a high-quality performance space for Alberta’s talented performers and continues to be a destination for world-renowned productions for years to come.

“The Citadel Theatre is a hub for the performing arts in Alberta. Through development of cultural infrastructure like the Citadel, we are creating jobs, helping to diversify our economy and building vibrant communities for all Albertans to enjoy.”

Jason Luan, Minister of Culture 

“This funding is absolutely transformational for the Citadel Theatre! As one of the gems of downtown Edmonton, the funds will be put towards capital infrastructure costs. We are really delighted, as this building has long needed this level of support. Thank you to the Government of Alberta for recognizing the Citadel Theatre and for their support of arts and culture in Edmonton.”

Sarah Pocklington, executive director, Citadel Theatre

Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre provides nearly 170,000 square feet of community space, and the project will see upgrades throughout the building.

Quick facts

•  The Citadel Theatre is one of the largest theatres in Canada and home to the Foote Theatre School.
• The Citadel Theatre renewal project includes: 
  • replacing elevators, window glazing and skylights, flooring and mechanical systems
  • renovating washrooms and adding stairlifts to increase accessibility
  • renovating the flexible hospitality venue

Related information

• The Citadel Theatre - Edmonton Theatre, Musicals & Plays