Artistic Director - Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts

Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts (Rosebud) is seeking a creative, and energetic individual to serve as its next Artistic Director. Reporting to the Executive Director and  the Board of Governors, the Artistic Director will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategic direction for all artistic programming within the Theatre and School. The Artistic Director will be a leader in the Rosebud community with a strong desire to engage with the wider theatre, and theatre training, communities in Alberta and across Canada. The ideal candidate will understand and embrace Rosebud’s unique position in the cultural and spiritual landscape of the province, will offer an inspiring and unifying artistic vision for arts programming and training, and will have a drive to build public and private sector support to deliver on strategic artistic priorities and embrace collaboration with the Rosebud team to maximize earned and contributed revenue.

As the artistic leader of the organization, the Artistic Director will play an active role as a thought- partner to the Executive Director in planning for the organization’s overall advancement. Supporting and partnering with artists, staff, students, board and volunteers, the Artistic Director will operationalize the strategic plan while building a thriving, creative and diverse culture serving Rosebud patrons, students, artists, and the Rosebud community. The Artistic Director will conceptualize and implement a plan to continue to grow Rosebud’s artistic objectives, collaborating with the Executive Director and Board of Governors in devising and realizing successful artistic strategies for the future of the organization.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity for an artistic professional who can bring together their vision, experience, and passion for theatre to Rosebud. The Artistic Director must have an interest in training the next generation of storytellers and working with Rosebud School of the Arts and will want to invest themselves in the success and growth of Rosebud and its educational programs. The Artistic Director will be a person who will find personal fulfillment in being part of the future of Rosebud.

The Organization

In 1973, LaVerne Erickson, started the Rosebud Camp of the Arts as a summer outreach program for Calgary youth who had rarely been outside of the city. The summer programs soon expanded into weekend vacations throughout the school year and in 1977 the Rosebud Fine Arts High School was formed with five students attending.

As part of Rosebud’s centenary in 1983, the school’s drama department launched the Rosebud Historical Music Theatre. Staff and students wrote the play, rehearsed it, and performed it on an outdoor stage, drawing hundreds of interested theatre goers. Thus, began the widely acclaimed Rosebud Theatre which now attracts thousands annually to its productions.

Today, Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts encompasses a post-secondary guild school focused on professional training in various areas of theatre and a professional company producing five plays throughout the year in two venues, the Rosebud Opera House (seating capacity 232)and the Rosebud Studio Stage (Black Box Theatre, seating 65-95). Offering matinee and evening shows up to seven times a week, each Opera House performance includes a full buffet and live dinner music in the quaint setting of the historic Haskayne-Kenney Mercantile.

The mission of Rosebud is to enrich lives by offering grace and understanding through the art of storytelling, the practice of mentorship, and the gift of hospitality.

• The mandate of Rosebud Theatre is to produce professional live theatre that illustrates the beauty and complexity of life through an inclusive and grace-filled perspective while mentoring the next generation of theatre artists.
• The mandate of Rosebud School of the Arts is to provide arts training within a community of faith-based artists where students are equipped to be catalysts for transformation in our world.
• The mandate of Rosebud Mercantile is to provide generous hospitality to our patrons, employment for our students and community, and support for the Rosebud School of the Arts endeavours.

Our Core Values

• We value the adventure of grace embodied in the story of Jesus.
• We value community that cultivates diverse gifts and perspectives.
• We value curiosity as a path towards excellence and truth.
• We value being in the Rosebud valley: its beauty, its stories, and its people.

Artistic Director Roles & Responsibilities

Reporting to the Executive Director in all financial matters, and to the Board of Governors in matters of artistic programming, the Artistic Director is the organization’s guiding artistic visionary and will cultivate relationships between the Theatre, the School and the Community. This individual will provide artistic leadership, theatre leadership, organizational management and administration, community building, mentorship and training, educational programs and will support the organization with creativity and vision in accordance with the strategic plan, objects, and all policies of the company.

Artistic Leadership

• Lead all elements of the successful presentation of Rosebud productions, special artistic events, collaborations, and co-productions whilst upholding the mission, vision, and values.
• Select and develop the annual season of productions and creatively balance artistic excellence with financial and operational realities.
• Oversee all casting and production-related activities for the organization, including putting together show-related creative teams.
• Serve as an artist within the season of artistic offerings by Rosebud (e.g., as a director, playwright, actor, designer, dramaturge, or other creative presence).
• Direct a minimum of two shows per season.
• Identify, assign, and manage all guest directors for Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts productions.
• Conceive of new, sustainable structures for building internal strengths to support artistic operations.
• Take an active role in production meetings and provide guidance and expertise for problem solving through the production process.
• Be active in Rosebud’s thriving theatre scene as a welcoming colleague, collaborating with other theatres in the region, provincially and across Canada as appropriate.
• Possess an interest in new play development and curate relationships with playwrights creating original work that may be in alignment with Rosebud’s vision and values..

Rosebud Leadership

Together with the Executive Director:

• Lead and act as an ambassador for Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts.
• Develop a positive workplace culture, leading by example to align with the brand, vision, mission, and values of Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts.
• Work collaboratively with the Management Team and the Board of Governors to implement
• the organization’s strategic plan identifying short and long term artistic and business goals, budgets, and operational plans.
• Work with the Executive Director on budgets, forecasts and reporting.
• Be a collaborative partner to the Executive Director in Board of Governor activities. Act as the primary artistic liaison to the Board of Governors, accountable for timely, accurate and transparent communication, and attend Board meetings as required.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with external industry partners, stakeholders (public and private funders) and producing partners.

Management and Administration

• Lead the artistic vision of the organization in a highly collaborative and communicative manner, always showing deep respect and appreciation to artists, staff, students, audiences, and stakeholders.
• Inspire staff to do their best work and support their professional development as individuals and as leaders within the theatre community.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director in all strategic planning processes.
•  Provide proactive leadership and management to artistic staff and maintain a positive working environment.
• Demonstrate critical and strategic thinking, and excellent problem-solving skills.
• Coordinate and conduct annual performance reviews for direct report staff members which include measurable results.
•  Develop and actively monitor artistic budgets and be accountable for their outcome.
• Create the seasonal production calendar in collaboration with the leadership team.
• Work collaboratively with Management and Staff to promote educational programs, and learning and artistic opportunities for students.
• Communicate with donors, sponsors, and subscribers throughout the season, inspiring their continued support.

Community Building

• Demonstrate a personal commitment to the values of Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts by promoting and creating an environment where the good of the community is held in the highest regard, and the adventure of grace is evident in the ethos of the work.
• Create strong relationships and foster reciprocal community engagement between Rosebud and other theatres, arts organizations, nonprofits, schools, and community organizations within Rosebud, the region and beyond.
• Build networks with other theatres and search for the most exciting professional artists locally, regionally, and nationally.
• Lead by example by actively promoting a culture that embraces Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and community engagement.
• In collaboration with the marketing department, develop and implement marketing ideas for season productions.
• Serve as an ambassador for Rosebud in interviews, conferences, and public relations opportunities.
• Attend and participate in all of Rosebud’s major fundraising and patron events.

Mentorship & Training

• Ensure that Rosebud is offering programs and initiatives that prioritize accessibility for the entire community and artistic opportunities for both in the Theatre and the School.
• Support and provide creative inspiration for the Production Department to be a local leader for the stage and beyond.
• Serve as a sounding board for all departments to ensure that all programs and programming are fully integrated with all artistic activities and vision.
• Ensure that Rosebud is offering programs and initiatives that prioritize accessibility for the entire community and artistic opportunities for both in the Theatre and the School.

Education

• Support the programs of Rosebud School of the Arts (RSA), by providing artistic vision, mentorship, apprenticeship opportunities, and training throughout the season and curate a season of RSA student productions that facilitate opportunities for challenge and growth.
• Create apprenticeship opportunities for senior students during the Rosebud Theatre season.
• Teach advanced classes and/or direct student productions as appropriate.
• Support the mission of the School in providing arts training within a community of faith-based artists, where students are inspired to become catalysts for transformation in our world.

Embrace what makes RSA unique, such as:

• Every year students travel to New York City; London, England; or Canada’s West Coast to immerse themselves in theatre, workshops, and tours.
• Students can attain apprenticeship opportunities with Rosebud Theatre.
• Mentorship students receive acting and vocal coaching in small groups.
• Students train in a community of believing artists, each receiving personalized guidance, mentoring, and practical training to prepare them for a career in the performing arts; and students are supported because RSA is a place where inspiration abounds, and students are challenged in their life-long journey of integrating faith and art.

Traits and Characteristics

Proactive, dynamic, independent, self-motivated, detail and people-oriented, the Artistic Director will have exceptional artistic, social, verbal and written communication skills and value frequent interaction and collaboration with others. The Artistic Director will be an experienced and entrepreneurial professional with the vision to actively pursue Rosebud’s goals with creativity and determination and will have a high degree of personal accountability – with a commitment to exceeding expectations.

This individual will balance tasks and projects with a sense of urgency and possess superlative interpersonal and communication skills that articulate compelling verbal and written messages for support. A self-sufficient and self-managed arts professional with a highly organized approach, the Artistic Director will have the ability to achieve organizational objectives with artists, staff, students, board members, volunteers, donors, and prospective supporters. This individual will bring an affinity for Rosebud’s mission, vision and values along with a passion to positively impact the organization’s long-term success.

Other key Traits and Characteristics of the role include:

Leadership & Creativity – Organizing and inspiring people to support a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction and the ability to creating innovative approaches with respect to programming, process, technologies and/or systems to achieve the desired result.

Faith & Ethos – As Rosebud is an organization with Christian faith as part of its core values, the Artistic Director’s creative work is informed by, and integrated with, their personal faith.

Teamwork, Mentorship and Interpersonal Skills – Cooperating with others to meet the objectives of the Theatre and the School and the ability to effectively communicate to build rapport while relating to many different people while facilitating, supporting and contributing to the professional growth of others in the organization.

Decision Making, Resiliency & Personal Accountability – Analyzing all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions with the ability to quickly recover from adversity and being answerable for personal actions.

Flexibility, Time and Priority Management – The acuity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames while readily modifying, responding and adapting to change with minimal resistance.

Qualifications

As an organization offering post-secondary training, a degree in higher education is an asset. Qualified candidates will have 5 – 7 years of progressive professional experience at a leadership level with increasing responsibility in an artistic leadership role, in theatre, performing arts, or educational sector. Candidates must possess expertise in, and willingness to, mentor and develop the next generation of storytellers and must have the ability and desire to relocate to Rosebud.