Artistic Director Job Announcement

HISTORY & MISSION: Celebration Arts, founded in 1986 by James Wheatley, has historically provided training and performing opportunities in acting, dance, and music, through a theater season, dance company, Celebration Chorale, Storytelling Festival, Kid’s Time and Teen Magic programs (http://celebrationarts.net/about.html). These arts opportunities are provided to community residents, both adults and children, primarily aimed at African Americans. As African Americans do not often have sincere open access to arts training in the Sacramento area from mainstream theater companies – for over three decades, Celebration Arts has filled that gap in Sacramento County.

Title: Artistic Director
Status: Full-Time Salaried Compensation: Up to $70,000 annually Report to: Board

The Artistic Director manages the programming/production activities of the theater. This includes developing programs that support CA’s mission as well as the annual season plan and production budget with the support of the Season Planning Committee. They oversee the artistic vision and strategic plan for the theater while working collaboratively with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and staff. They oversee all artistic operations, including overseeing the Production Manager, Directors, and all supporting positions to those roles. The Artistic Director focuses on training performers and production crew as well as developing productions that draw new audiences while also deepening connection with current audiences. They shall have creative energy, an entrepreneurial spirit and be committed to Celebration Arts’ mission to provide performing arts training and opportunities to underserved communities, particularly African American residents in the Sacramento region. They must be able to
articulate the theater’s mission and vision while acting as a spokesperson and advocate for the theater when speaking with the media, public, and funders.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS INCLUDE:

●  ARTISTIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

○  Develop each season plan and budget, with the support of the Season Planning Committee
○  Determine need for, select, hire, and train artists for CA-directed productions and support Guest Directors with selection, hiring, and training of artists for guest-directed productions
○  Determine and oversee equipment needs for each season, programming and the theater generally
○  Oversee tech and production teams for all productions and coordinate with Guest Directors regarding production needs for guest-directed productions
○  Establish and maintain artistic standards and quality for productions in line with CA’s mission, including establishing and maintaining written Actor, Production, and Guest Director protocols
○  Develop and administer existing and new programs to increase revenues
○  Oversee and support other Program Coordinators, such as for Kids’ Time and Teen Magic
●  STRATEGIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

○  Set artistic goals for the theater that support CA’s mission and draw new audiences while also deepening connection with current audiences, including developing a five-year strategic plan
○  Hold cast, crew, volunteers, and staff accountable to CA’s mission and values
○  Identify opportunities to advance CA’s strategic goals
○  Coordinate with the Board, Executive Director, and staff regarding annual and long-range

strategic and financial planning
○  Establish and assess artistic and financial benchmarks with Board and staff
●  OPERATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES:

○  Work with senior staff to meet strategic and budget goals
○  Maintain a working understanding of the organization’s financial health
○  Maintain internal communications between staff, artists, and contractors, including

constructing standard periodic communications mechanisms throughout the season
○  Support Executive Director in hiring, supervising, and evaluating operations staff, as

needed
○  Support Executive Director with operational responsibilities, as needed
○  Oversee Facility Rental/Events Manager for facility rental production needs
●  COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES:

○  Face of organization for programming and productions to the public, media, and sponsors, including appearing at promotional and special events as needed
○  Work with Marketing and Development Managers, as needed, to develop promotional materials generally, for programming, for productions, and for promotional/special events
○  Communicate the theater’s vision, in partnership with the Executive Director, to funders inspiring them to give
○  Support marketing and development efforts through social media and personal networking, including calling donors and personal attendance at Celebration Arts or other community events as needed
○  Support Celebration Arts performances, donor events, and other programs with personal attendance, as needed.
○  Cultivate and steward relationships with individuals, corporations, foundations, and other organizations to promote donations, sponsorships, and other revenue generation
○  Maintain relationships with the local theater community and artists locally, statewide and nationally
○  Respond to productions@ and childrenstheater@ emails
○  Use communication and information sharing tools as directed by the Board
○  Notify Board of time-sensitive emergent issues requiring Board Member support
○  Ensure all community development commitments are timely fulfilled
○  Respond to all electronic/phone communications within 24HRS and all written

communications within one week of receipt/sooner unless the correspondence requires

sooner response
○  Submit policy changes to Board for approval; if question as to whether change is a

policy/procedure change, change must be submitted to Board and Board has 24 hours to notify Director that proposed change is a policy-change requiring Board approval
● BOARD OF DIRECTOR SUPPORT RESPONSIBILITIES:

○ Report to Board
○ Attend board meetings and prepare Board-requested information ○ Attend committee meetings, as requested by the Board
○ Support the Board with strategic and budget planning

While this is intended to be an accurate description of the job, this is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the position, and may require that other or different tasks be performed as necessary and assigned.

PREREQUISITES OF SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

●  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
●  Good writing and oral communication skills
●  Proven track record showing an ability to work with artists and the public
●  A strong understanding and respect regarding the CA’s mission
●  Commitment to increasing the visibility of an arts organization dedicated to the African American

diaspora experience
●  Ability to and experience in pitching an administratively small organization with a strong artistic

track record
●  Ability to articulate the rationale for an organization like CA in present-day America

Celebrations Arts (CA) does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status. CA ensures that the evaluation and treatment of employees and applicants for employment are free of such discrimination.
TO APPLY
Send resume and cover letter of interest to careers@celebrationarts.net. Candidates selected for an interview will be asked to provide three references and two samples of managerial productions or programming work.