Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is hiring an Associate Artistic Director, which is a core part of the CPT staff and will make a meaningful contribution to life at CPT and its success. CPT will be accepting applications for this position until the role is filled with a start date goal between 12/1/21 and 1/15/22.

Job description

The Associate Artistic Director (AAD) oversees and facilitates the day-to-day artistic operations of the theatre while supporting the Executive Artistic Director (EAD) in creating a groundbreaking season that seeks to raise consciousness and nurture compassion. The AAD establishes and maintains excellent communications with artists and within the theatre to manage flow of information, allotment of resources, and management of the season. The AAD also serves as a public face of CPT both locally and nationally. Reporting to the Executive Artistic Director, the AAD is a key member of the senior management team and works closely with the General Manager, Education Director, Director Organizational Advancement, Director of Audience Engagement and Media Relations, and the Technical Director.

CPT’s season includes:

• 6-12 full productions in the James Levin Theatre (100 seats avg), The Gordon Square Theatre (175 seats avg), and other locations on our campus.
• Two presenting/coproduction series: Test Flight, a home for workshop productions beyond staged readings, and DanceWorks, an annual dance series featuring local companies.
• 2 large scale multivenue events: Pandemonium, CPT’s annual benefit with 10-20 stages and 200-300 artists, and Station Hope, a site-specific social justice festival featuring 5-10 stages and 100-200 artists.
• Our new play development programs, which include staged readings, in-house workshops, and a biennial new play festival (Entry Point).
• Several community events created in partnership with neighborhood organizations.

Essential functions include (but are not limited to):

• Project managing the season including working with the EAD to assemble production teams, managing contracting process, collaborating with the Technical Director to implement all production elements.
• Managing the Artistic Associate, seasonal artistic staff, and independent contractor and part time artistic and crew positions.
• Maintaining and overseeing production budgets.
• Collaborating regularly with the EAD in the execution of the vision across the organization.
• Standardizing artistic-producing practice.
• Maintaining and contributing to CPT’s culture of creativity, adventurousness, integrity, and kindness.
• Working thoughtfully to continue CPT’s path towards becoming a fully anti-racist, multi-cultural organization.
• Thoughtfully working to recruit, nurture, and support artists.
• Representing the artistic projects and work internally (working closely with all other departments) and externally (as a consistent, public face for artists, donors, audiences, and the community at large).
• Line producing a majority of plays in the season and overseeing and supporting other line producers.
• Working alongside other senior management team members as a strategic thought leader on short and long-term organizational issues.
• Because of the inherent awkwardness for the EAD to promote his own work, the AAD also functions as a promoter for the EAD’s artistic work locally, nationally, and beyond.
• Providing consultancy, limited logistical support, and strong moral support to the Education Department especially connected to their productions both on and offsite.
• Artistically engage in at least one major project per year (or equivalent).
• AAD may also play an artistic, logistic, and/or leadership role of CPT internal companies, Teatro Público de Cleveland and Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi.

Key competencies desired:

• Excellent logistics and organizational skills
• Excellent collaborator and communicator
• Experience managing the needs of various constituencies at once
• Commitment to leading with anti-racist principles
• Commitment to and a strong sense of the Cleveland community and the city itself, with an understanding of what is needed from CPT as a leader
• Team player and inclusive leader
• Strong budgeting skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Integrity and discretion
• Project management
• Strong public speaking skills

Qualifications:

CPT gives preference to candidates who have demonstrable experience advocating for anti-racism, equity, and inclusion

The ideal candidate will be a resourceful, energetic, curious, and positive professional with exceptional producing and communication skills. A passion for and deep experience in logistics, spreadsheets, and detailed precision is critical. They will have a clear understanding of the field and CPT’s role as a leader and a producer of “groundbreaking work” that is unique to the Cleveland area (and sometimes in the world). They will be able to think strategically, unite different interests, and clarify goals for both the artistic staff and the organization as a whole.

They must be comfortable acting as both representative of CPT artistry and an idea generator, serving to both create and maintain a culture of transparency, clarity, and innovation, within CPT and in their interactions with the rest of the field.

They need to understand the passion of theatre makers, the logistics of theatre making, and the experiences of audiences – and the interpersonal complexities that can temporarily exist in artistic production, and have the patience and experience to manage these experiences. They need to understand and appreciate the history and legacy of CPT while being a thought leader in the necessary changes being made to re-invest in the company’s vitality.

The following qualifications are required:

• A demonstrated expertise in budgeting, producing, and managing logistics for large scale, complex artistic projects.
• At least three years of experience as a line producer in theatre.
• At least five years of experience in managing, motivating, and inspiring artistic teams to accomplish common objectives.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills – characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write well.

Compensation

Starting pay for this position will be $45,000-53,000 and will be commensurate with experience. CPT offers a benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability, vacation pay, and paid sick time/personal days.

CPT staff description

CPT cares passionately about reflecting our community and pursuing diversity at all levels of the organization. CPT has a demanding work environment with long, intense hours, but we have fun and love what we do. We value hard work, and strive to center courage, humanity, integrity, representation, respect, and JOY, “challenging each other to do and be our collective best.” CPT is a deeply un-siloed organization and cross department work is a norm. For applicants considering relocation to Cleveland: our city is an excellent community to live in with top-notch arts and culture, a vibrant theatre scene, beautiful public parks, a great lake, and affordable housing.

Cleveland Public Theatre

CPT is a nationally recognized center for contemporary performance. Its mission is to raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking theatre and life-changing education programs. CPT implements this mission through its annual theatrical season, featuring between 6-12 adventurous professional productions and a robust series of new play development programs that support writers and devisers at multiple points in the creative process. CPT’s acclaimed education programs engage communities in devising new works that speak to contemporary issues and empower participants to work for positive change in our community. CPT is home to community ensembles Teatro Público de Cleveland and Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi, and CPT annually presents Station Hope, a large-scale community arts festival. CPT’s annual budget is around $2.5 million a year. CPT has 22 full-time staff members.

To Apply…

Interested and qualified candidates should send a cover letter (equivalent of 2-3 pages) and resume to Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan at rbobgan@cptonline.org. Please, make your subject line read: [LAST NAME], Associate Artistic Director. Candidates may be asked to provide additional materials after original application.