CALL FOR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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With over twenty years of success developing, producing, and advancing musical theatre in Canada, The Musical Stage Company is excited to enter a new chapter with the vision of its next Artistic Director. The incoming Artistic Director will be responsible for leading the company’s artistic vision and creative work.

The company currently has two seasoned Co-Executive Directors, and the Artistic Director will want to invest in this collaborative leadership model and enjoy their role in co-leading the development of administrative, producing, fundraising, and audience-building strategies and tactics. Fundraising acumen and the ability to cultivate and steward new donors and supporters of The Musical Stage Company’s work, resulting in organizationally impactful and lasting relationships, is imperative.

The Musical Stage Company seeks an AD to bring a clear and compelling vision for the future of musical theatre in Canada and the strategic and entrepreneurial acumen to execute that vision successfully in the current theatre climate. Across the theatrical landscape, locally and internationally, now is a moment of significant change and reimagination. The Musical Stage Company is ideally positioned to lead the way forward in musical theatre in Canada during this renewal. A lack of a permanent venue or subscription model allows the Musical Stage Company to meet the current moment with nimbleness and innovation. Its accumulated surplus and longstanding relationships with its audience and supporters enable trust for risktaking. The Musical Stage Company’s history of being at the forefront of the development of Canadian musical theatre over the last 20 years ensures it has the proven expertise and artistic relationships to boldly succeed in new approaches and models. The Artistic Director’s vision and plans will be both inspirational and pragmatic, galvanizing artists, donors, staff members and other stakeholders into the future. The Musical Stage Company is fiercely proud of its past work and programs. It is simultaneously open to new directions and ideas if they best fulfill the parallel goals of making Canada a leader in musical theatre and cultivating experiences – onstage and off – that transform lives and build empathy and creative community through the intersection of music and storytelling.

This position presents a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a unique and rapidly growing performing arts organization with the potential to redefine the role of musical theatre and the trajectory of Canadian musical artists locally and around the world.

About the Company

The Musical Stage Company is Canada’s largest and leading charitable musical theatre company. Established in 2004 as Acting Up Stage Company, the company strives to make Canada a leader in musical theatre. Our mission is to drive the evolution of musical theatre.

Where music and storytelling collide.
The Musical Stage Company is inspired by music’s unique ability to viscerally affect people and is committed to cultivating experiences – onstage and off – that transform lives, build empathy, and create community through musical theatre.

The Musical Stage Company incubates new Canadian musicals from development to production, investing in Canadian musical theatre writers and building national and international partnerships. Its musical productions – including award-winning contemporary musicals, world premieres, and concerts – are seen live by 30,000 people over the 80+ nights that the company is onstage annually in venues both traditional and surprising. To date, the Company’s work has been recognized with 135 Dora Award nominations, 28 Dora Awards, and 23 Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards.

The Musical Stage Company’s robust education programs develop the artists and audiences of tomorrow, offering musical theatre training that boosts self-confidence and self-expression for over 200 young people each year without cost to the participants. The Company also curates innovative musical programs in partnership with diverse organizations, maximizing the resonance of their work across disciplines and communities.

Community

Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the province of Ontario. The Greater
Toronto Area has a 2021 population of 6.7 million people and is the fourth-most populous city in North
America. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9.8 million people (as of 2021) surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario.

Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts and culture, and sports and is home to many of Canada’s leading performing arts organizations. It is a multicultural melting pot that new Canadians from countries all over the world call home. It is vibrant and alive with a constantly changing landscape, and exciting opportunities abound.

Artistic Director Roles and Responsibilities

Reporting to The Musical Stage Company’s Board of Directors, the Artistic Director will be the
organization’s guiding artistic visionary and will co-lead the organization alongside the Co-Executive Directors.

The Artistic Director will be specifically responsible to:

Artistic Vision & Programming

• Develop, articulate, implement, and monitor a dynamic, forward-thinking, and bold long-term artistic vision to advance the role of musical storytelling and The Musical Stage Company’s position in the civic, national, and international arts ecology;
• Develop a comprehensive artistic strategic plan that will cultivate Canadian talent, impact audiences, and create new opportunities for Canadian artists and stories around the world;
• Select the annual program and core artistic collaborators;
• Maintain the artistic standards, working closely with the contract artists to ensure excellence;
• Oversee an impact-driven strategy for new musical development, including call-for submissions and project funding, dramaturgical conversations with writers, and developing project plans for each work that best serve both the needs of the writers and the organization;
• Create and manage a talent pipeline for all artists supported by the organization to help them thrive both within and outside of the company and strengthen their craft;
• Develop partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally to collaborate with other organizations on development and production while also creating a future pipeline for new work;
• Actively seek out artists and productions by attending local and international events, auditions, and meetings.

Organizational Leadership (in collaboration with Co-Executive Directors)

• Provide ambitious, confident, and inspirational leadership that motivates and engages staff, artists, the Board of Directors, and others;
• Develop, implement, and monitor the organization’s strategic plans to fulfill the artistic vision;
• Work hand-in-hand with the Board of Directors, providing timely and thorough reporting and helping to inform the Board’s direction, development, and oversight;
• Lead the staff team and oversee staff hiring, retention, and management, ensuring the health and safety, well-being, and productivity of the staff team;
• Ensure an organizational environment that is equitable, inclusive, and diverse for all participants and constituents.

Fundraising, Audience Building & Advocacy

• In collaboration with the Co-Executive Directors, provide leadership for the company’s fundraising strategies;
• Identify, cultivate, and secure major gifts, sponsorships, and grants;
• Participate in writing grant applications, articulating the artistic vision and programming;
• Develop and maintain meaningful relationships with donors and sponsors;
• Participate in conceiving marketing strategies and audience-building campaigns to meet targets that reflect the artistic goals and aesthetics;
• Create and lead behind-the-scenes opportunities that build interest in the organization amongst audiences and funders, helping to generate excitement and creating access to the artistic process;
• Serve as one of the organization’s principal spokespeople and the organization’s primary spokesperson in the local, national, and international artistic community;
• Increase recognition for the company locally, nationally, and internationally.

Financial Management

• In collaboration with the Co-Executive Directors, develop and oversee an annual balanced budget for Board approval that includes revenue-generating strategies, fundraising plans, and cost management measures to achieve artistic objectives;
• Hold joint accountability with the Co-Executive Directors for the company’s financial health while
  ensuring efficient and responsible management;
• Collaborate with the Co-Executive Directors to develop operational and production budgets that meet the company’s financial targets;
• Seek and secure revenue from artistic and other commercial opportunities, including co-productions,
  tours, and licensing.

Traits and Characteristics

Visionary, dynamic, independent, self-motivated, detail- and people-oriented, the Artistic Director will have exceptional artistic, social, and verbal communication skills and value frequent interaction and collaboration with others. The Artistic Director will be committed to making space for others at the table.

The Artistic Director will be an experienced and entrepreneurial professional with the vision to actively pursue The Musical Stage Company’s mission and goals with bold creativity and determination and will have a high degree of personal accountability – with a commitment to exceeding expectations.

The Artistic Director 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 professional with a highly organized approach, the Artistic Director will be able to achieve organizational objectives with artists, staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and prospective supporters. This individual will bring their experience and passion for musical theatre and a vision to positively impact the organization’s long-term success.

Other Key Traits and Characteristics:

• Creativity and Innovation – Creating innovative approaches, programming, processes, technologies,
  and/or systems to achieve the desired result.
• Leadership – Organizing and influencing people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction.
• Futuristic Thinking – Imagining, envisioning, projecting, and/or creating what has not yet been
  actualized while analyzing all situational aspects to make consistently sound and timely decisions.
• Planning and Organizing – Establishing courses of action to ensure that work is completed
  effectively.
• Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills – Cooperating with others to meet objectives and the ability to
  communicate effectively to build rapport while relating to many different people.
• Decision Making & Problem Solving – Analyzing all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions with the ability to define, analyze, and diagnose key components of a problem to formulate a solution.
• External Stakeholder Focus – Anticipating, meeting, and exceeding stakeholder needs and
  expectations.
• Time and Priority Management – Prioritizing and completing tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.
• Artist & Employee Development/Coaching – Facilitating, supporting, and contributing to the
  professional growth of others.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – Being aware and sensitive to the gaps and opportunities with ED&I
  in the organization.

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate will have proven leadership experience in a theatre company or other theatre organization with a fierce passion for musical storytelling and a compelling vision for its future. The next Artistic Director must have a compelling and thoughtful vision alongside pragmatic plans to achieve it and the experience of achieving a track record of excellent programming that attracts large audiences while pursuing artistic excellence balanced with responsible financial management. The ideal candidate will have earned the respect of the best musical theatre professionals from around the world and possess a robust understanding of industry trends, present and future-focused, both domestic and international.

The Artistic Director must have a generous spirit, putting the success of others and the industry as a whole above their own, have achieved success in building strong and inspirational relationships with donors and funders, and value the personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and sound judgment. To be successful, the Artistic Director must have the ability to think outside the box, work with ambiguity, see multiple perspectives, and possess the skills and ability to manage a wide variety of personality types.

Relationship-building skills are key, with the ability to build rapport quickly, listen attentively, and grasp artist needs. The Artistic Director must have a dedication to the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility and the ability to thrive working both independently and as a strong team player with a “can do” attitude and willingness to be flexible and pitch in where needed. The ideal candidate will have a generosity of spirit while taking work seriously and be someone who likes to have fun.

Candidates must have at least 5+ years of progressive and proven experience in strategic artistic leadership, ideally in a well-recognized theatre company or other theatre organization. Experience as a director, producer, or dramaturge is required, and experience in setting programming and selecting creative teams is preferred. Superior written/verbal communication skills and experience collaborating with different constituents are required. Formal education is an asset but is not required. Candidates must possess the expertise and willingness to mentor and develop team members to create a high-performing team and demonstrate the ability to translate artistic aims and values into programming, strategies, and plans. The Musical Stage Company is open to candidates who will have a desire to maximize the number of artists engaged by the Company and do not wish to direct, choreograph, or dramaturge at the organization as part of this role. The Musical Stage Company’s preference will be given to candidates who will be devoted fulltime to their work at the Company and are not balancing an artistic practice that requires frequent absences from work to fulfill.

Compensation

The Musical Stage Company offers a comprehensive compensation package, including an annual salary of $90,000 – $100,000 per year, commensurate with experience and membership in The Musical Stage Co.’s extended benefit program. The ideal candidate will be willing to relocate to Toronto.

Application Instructions

The Musical Stage Company Artistic Director Search is guided by Martin Bragg, Nicola Dawes, Nancy Webster, and Sarah Geddes of Martin Bragg & Associates. To apply confidentially, please email your letter of interest and resume in Word or PDF format to Martin Bragg & Associates at musicalstageco@mbassociates.ca. The review of applications will begin immediately.

The deadline for receipt of applications is February 21st at 5:00 pm EST. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and will receive an acknowledgment of their application. No phone calls, please.

The Musical Stage Company and Martin Bragg & Associates are committed to an open and transparent hiring process and encourage applications from our diverse community.

The Musical Stage Company advocates equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and is committed to diversity in the workplace. The Company is actively seeking submissions from candidates of all backgrounds, abilities, and ethnicities, as they are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within this selection process. The Company especially encourages folks who identify as Women, Gender Minorities, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, LGBTQ2S+, d/Deaf, Mad, Disabled/People with Disabilities, and/or Neurodiverse to submit.

As we enjoy music-making and storytelling in Tkaronto, the Musical Stage Company would like to acknowledge the many Indigenous peoples – both recorded and unrecorded – who have been making music and telling stories on this land for generations. The Company recognizes that they are on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit, and also recognize the damage that colonization has caused to Indigenous peoples, including but not limited to the horrendous Residential School program, the horrors of which keep revealing themselves to us today. May our privilege of enjoying music on this land remind us of our responsibility to repair the history of injustice and damage that has been perpetrated on Canada’s Indigenous peoples by its settlers.