California

Center Theatre Group (CTG) in Los Angeles, CA, seeks a leader to join a team of talented staff, artists, and board members in the role of Director of Education & Community Partnerships.

To serve the diverse audiences of Los Angeles by producing and presenting theatre of the highest caliber, by nurturing new artists, by attracting new audiences, and by developing youth outreach and arts education programs. This mission is based on a belief that the art of theatre is a cultural force with the capacity to transform the lives of individuals and society at large.

Who is Center Theatre Group?

CTG was founded in 1967 with the opening of the Ahmanson Theatre under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson, followed by the 16-year tenure of Artistic Director Michael Ritchie from 2005-2021. CTG has staged a wide variety of dramas, musicals, comedies, classics, and World premieres and has played host to a veritable cast of industry greats. Today, under the leadership of Managing Director/CEO Meghan Pressman, CTG’s core function is to produce and present a broad range of bold and engaging theatre for the public and support the theatrical community. 

During the pandemic pause in operations, CTG responded to the industry’s call to address systemic inequities toward BIPOC communities by beginning a process of regular assessment, education, training, and change. CTG’s Commitments to Change were first posted in June 2020 and were followed by the formation of a permanent Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (AREDI) committee by the board of directors, as well as ongoing communication regarding progress toward the goals.

Over the past year, CTG board and staff have completed a comprehensive Strategic Alignment Process that included outreach to over 800 artists, audiences, donors, and other stakeholders. It ensured that individuals were engaged in CTG’s future, and that everyone in the organization has an understanding of the purpose of the company and how the envisioned future will be achieved. The result of this work was a new articulation of CTG’s Company

Values:

Artistic Ambition – We create and present a broad range of outstanding live theatrical work that is bold, authentic, provocative, engaging, entertaining, and inspiring. We support artists working at the highest levels of their own experience and craft.
Artistic Identity, Risk-Taking, and Innovation – The theatrical creative process is the center of our work. We collaborate with diverse, creative, and innovative artists, risk-takers, and boundary-breakers to bring great stories to life and create theatre magic.
Centering Los Angeles – We are a civic institution anchored in the cultural vibrancy and rich diversity of Los Angeles, committing to represent the communities that make up our great city, country, and world by bringing theatre to our stages for Los Angeles audiences.
Lifelong Learning, Inspiration, and Human Connection – We nurture a lifelong passion for theatre in our current and future generations. We center human connection through collaboration, inclusion, imagination, united in the power of storytelling.
Respect, Compassion, Social Conscience, and AREDI – Guided by our social responsibility, we lead with respect and compassion. We create opportunities, cultivate relationships, and dismantle barriers using an anti-racist frame that strives to include marginalized, underrepresented, and excluded communities.
Center Theatre Group’s Education & Community Partnerships (E&CP) team works collaboratively and with direct and frequent input from our Los Angeles communities. We partner with local organizations, theatremakers, and schools; provide resources and opportunities for local educators and students; and create programs to equip and collaborate with the next generation of theatremakers. The E&CP team operates to keep justice, inclusion, and anti-racism practices at the center of our work.

The values of CTG’s Education and Community Partnership program includes: 

We are actively anti-racist, and work to dismantle barriers to participating in theatre for people from all backgrounds and communities. 
We are highly collaborative, both with our own team, as well as the students, educators, and community members we work alongside. Community feedback and data are essential to our work. 
We are strategic and data-driven. Our programs are architected with care; constructed following thorough needs assessment while utilizing best practices for theatre education and community partnerships. We believe in program evolution and honest evaluation. 
We compensate artists, students, and educators for their work and expertise, and never charge for our programs. 
We are Angelenos and our programs engage with Los Angeles County communities, primarily near our theaters downtown and in Culver City, and in Boyle Heights, where our Costume Shop is located. 
We reflect diversity. We have the demographics of Los Angeles County in mind and strive to work with students, educators, artists, and others who represent our communities.

Who is in Leadership?

Please visit the following websites to learn more about the Education and Community Partnerships team: 

Education Staff: https://www.centertheatregroup.org/programs/meet-the-team/about-the-team/ 

Teaching Artists: https://www.centertheatregroup.org/programs/meet-the-team/about-the-teaching-artists/

Meghan Pressman (she/her) joined CTG as the Managing Director/CEO of CTG in July 2019. Meghan came to CTG from Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC where she was the Managing Director for five years. Meghan previously served as Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Associate Managing Director as well as the Managing Director for The Ground Floor: Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. Meghan has also served various other theatre and arts organizations, including Yale Repertory Theatre, Chicago Theatre for Young Audiences, and at the Chicago Improv Festival. Meghan holds an MFA in theatre management from Yale School of Drama, an MBA from Yale School of Management, an MA from Northwestern University and a BA from Boston College. She recently served as Vice-Chair of the National Board for the Theatre Communications Group (TCG)

Who are we looking for? 

The Director of Education and Community Partnerships (E&CP) will be invigorated by the role of arts education, community collaboration and mutual learning, Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (AREDIA) work, as well as CTG’s mission. They will have experience in the arts education center and have a relationship to Los Angeles communities and partnership work. The Director should be a strategic thinker who can also make programs operational at the highest point of quality.  The successful candidate will be a convener of people around core values and serve as a catalyst for mutually advantageous relationships within CTG across its operations, including artistic, marketing, production, institutional development, and AREDIA.  As such, the Director will be an outstanding, clear and compelling communicator who encourages collaboration, growth, coordination, joint ventures, and integration between and among different interests and disciplines.  The Director will provide inclusive, decisive, transparent, empowering, and consistent leadership to staff, teaching artists, and the greater Los Angeles community. 

What will you do?

Responsible for providing strategic, creative and visionary leadership in the development, operation and evaluation of all education programs for CTG.  They will provide leadership to ensure that all programs in the division support CTG’s educational and organizational mission as well as its strategic agenda. The Director will be responsible for strategic direction, program development and evaluation, partnerships with organizations and schools in the greater Los Angeles area, financial management, program development, human resources management,  and, in partnership with the Director of Institutional Advancement, external relations and engagement in fundraising activities.

The Director will be called upon to ensure that CTG’s robust programming to introduce and involve diverse communities of Angelenos in the theatre arts. The Director of E&CP will work closely with the Director of Institutional Advancement to fundraise for new initiatives to make the connective tissue between CTG and Los Angeles’ uniquely rich ethnic and cultural communities even stronger. 

Your Areas of Accountability 

Strategic Leadership 

Provide strategic leadership to staff in the development and operation of all educational and community partnership programming
Build relationships internally across departments to advocate and further the E&CP department’s agenda
Further integrate E&CP with artistic initiatives on stage and off stage in collaboration with the Artistic Director and artistic department. 
Serve as a key relationship builder with the L.A. Unified School District, including LAUSD, key partner schools (e.g. East Los Angeles College), and other nonprofit and for-profit partners to extend the reach of E&CP Programming
Provide clear objectives and goals for Education and Community Partnerships and an iterative system for evaluation, testing, and implementation.  

Programmatic Leadership and Development 

Below are the existing programs within the Education and Community Partnerships Program. The Director would supervise programming as well as lead the vision for the expansion and evolution of new and current programs. 

EDUCATOR & SCHOOL PROGRAMS – We support educators and schools through a variety of programs and resources designed to bring theatre into the classroom, bring students to the theatre, and improve the quality of arts education for all students.  We believe offering direct support to educators, as instructional leaders, change agents, artists, and arts-lovers, exponentially grows the number of students impacted.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS – Community Partnerships is the branch of Center Theatre Group’s Education and Community Partnerships Department that provides free, bilingual, theatre-related community programs for Boyle Heights residents in partnership with local theatre artists. Program elements include short play commissions, community play readings, and free theatre-based community workshops and events.
THE ACADEMY FOR THEATER LEADERSHIP –The Academy for Theatre Leadership is a suite of structured, hands-on workforce readiness programs rooted in anti-racist practice. This programming is designed to complement training in craft and artistry by providing on-the-job opportunities, as well as instruction in companion skills such as financial literacy, project management, and ethical leadership.
ARTISTIC TRAINING – This new framework recognizes CTG’s investment in nurturing artists and bringing diverse voices into the creative process. As we refine our thinking around CTG’s approach to artistic training, we are exploring exciting new initiatives that uplift local artists of all ages and experience levels. The necessary shift away from the August Wilson Monologue Competition, which has been the cornerstone of our work with teen artists for the past decade, opens possibilities for new programming that celebrates the diversity of Los Angeles.

Staff Management and Community Building  

Build a cohesive, team-oriented work environment and culture that is fully integrated into CTG’s institutional operations, goal setting and mission
Ensure that Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access (AREDIA) are fundamental elements of staff culture, operations, and all programming. 
Supervise a team of four direct reports, and support the entire department of six full-time staff members and ten to twelve part-time Teaching Artists. 
Explore, understand, and connect to the diverse communities of Los Angeles. 

External Relationships and Philanthropic Engagement 

Work with the development department in support of key individual and organized philanthropy initiatives including multi-year grants and partnerships. 
Identify and collaborate with Institutional Advancement about funding for future programming based on needs within the Los Angeles community and philosophical alignment with CTG’s approach to education programming. 
Develop and execute key metrics to report impact to donors, funders, and foundations in collaboration with the Education and Community Partnerships team around execution and deliverables for each program.  

Additional Areas of Expertise 

Extensive knowledge and first-hand experience in the field of arts education.
Experience working with city school districts and community arts organizations, especially in the Los Angeles area.
Expertise in and strong personal arts education pedagogy. 
Ability to advocate for the top priorities of CTG’s education & community partnership programs within the organization and throughout Los Angeles.
Cognizant of Los Angeles and California State educational standards and how they may inform CTG Education programming.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
A highly collaborative management style. 

How much are we paying and what are the perks? 

Salary:  $150,000 annually, base

Benefits Package: 

CTG offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience and accomplishments, as well as robust benefits. The base salary is expected to be around $150,000 and comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, life, and AD&D insurances; flexible spending accounts, 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match, employee assistance program, and additional benefits.

Living in Los Angeles:

Los Angeles County is the one of the largest in the United States, with nearly 10 million residents in 88 cities and nearly 140 unincorporated areas. The Los Angeles region has the largest creative industry in the world and is bursting with talented actors, writers, directors, designers, and technical artists. According to a report by the Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles leads the nation in the creative sector of the new economy. The heart of

the television and film industry is in and around the Los Angeles area and therefore a magnet for creative talent at the highest level.

Los Angeles County ranks among the most ethnically and culturally diverse populations in the world and has at least 185 languages spoken at home. Its demographics include 9 percent Black or African American alone, 1.5 percent American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 15.6 percent Asian alone, 0.4 percent Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, 3.3 percent Two or More Races, 49.1 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 25.3 percent White alone, not Hispanic or Latino. Approximately 21 percent of the population is below age 18 and almost 15 percent is over age 65.

Start Date – Winter 2022/2023 

How do I apply?

Visit aljpconsulting.com/apply-for-open-positions to submit your application.

In the 2021/22 season, CTG will continue to advance our anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion (AREDI) initiatives, which inform company culture at all levels and our approach to artistic and educational programming. CTG is exploring strategies to strengthen support for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) artists and Los Angeles theatre artists by uplifting local creatives as well as producing more work that is representative of the diverse lived experiences of Angelenos. As CTG deepens our investment in AREDI work, the company is creating a more equitable and inclusive company culture that will be upheld by the formal creation of a set of company-wide values in 2022.

Center Theatre Group is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, CTG complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. We strongly encourage applications from people of color and members of underrepresented groups.

It is CTG’s intention to have a workforce which is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including booster).  New employees will be required to provide proof of full vaccination including booster (if eligible) prior to the first date of employment.